Conformity is an act of matching one’s character and personality to another that is socially accepted and perceived as “normal” in a situation or group. Social norms are implicit, unsaid rules shared by a group of individuals that guide their interactions with others. Conformity is the tendency to align your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those around you. It’s a powerful force that can take the form of direct or overt social pressure or subtler unconscious influence. Three reasons why people conform are social pressure or norms (normative social influence), the need to look right or not foolish (informational social influence), and the desire for security within a group often of a similar age, culture, religion, ethical values, or educational status. People of any age conform to some standard.
Three factors that can increase the likelihood of a person consciously or unconsciously conforming might be the characteristics of the situation, low self-esteem or doubt in his or her abilities, or social pressure to fit in with a unanimous group. People are more likely to conform in ambiguous situations where they are not sure how to respond.
There are several instances of conformity that I notice on a daily basis. Religious and cultural beliefs shared amongst people is an example of conformity. A more specific example of conformity would be stopping at a red light or stop sign when you are traveling to conform to societies socially accepted rules of safe driving. People in the workplace wear clothes according to the dress code in order to appear professionally. Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day or pink to support breast cancer awareness are more examples of