conformity

(noun)

the ideology of adhering to one standard or social uniformity

Related Terms

Examples of conformity in the following topics:

  • The Asch Experiment: The Power of Peer Pressure

    • The Asch conformity experiments were a series of studies conducted in the 1950s that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups.
    • Conducted by social psychologist Solomon Asch of Swarthmore College, the Asch conformity experiments were a series of studies published in the 1950s that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups.
    • Asch thought that the majority of people would not conform to something obviously wrong, but the results showed that only 24% of the participants did not conform on any trial.
    • Conformity is also higher among members of an in-group.
    • Explain how the Asch experiment sought to measure conformity in groups

  • Conformity and Obedience

    • Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.
    • Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.
    • Conformity can occur in the presence of others, or when an individual is alone.
    • As conformity is a group phenomenon, factors such as group size, unanimity, cohesion, status, prior commitment, and public opinion help determine the level of conformity an individual displays.
    • Asch conducted a classic study of conformity.

  • Social Control Theory

    • Social control theory argues that relationships, commitments, values, and beliefs encourage conformity.
    • Toby argued that individuals engaged in non-delinquent community activities felt as thought they had too much to lose by joining delinquent groups and, hence, had a "stake in conformity."
    • This stands in contrast to external means of control, in which individuals conform because an authority figure (such as the state) threatens sanctions should the individual disobey.
    • Toby argued that individuals engaged in non-delinquent community activities felt as thought they had too much to lose by joining delinquent groups and, hence, had a "stake in conformity."
    • The notion of an individual being shaped by his ties to his community, of having a "stake in conformity," laid the groundwork for the idea of internalized norms that act as a method of social control.

  • Control Theory

    • According to Travis Hirschi, norms emerge to deter deviant behavior, leading to conformity and groups.
    • People will conform to a group when they believe they have more to gain from conformity than by deviance.

  • Values

    • If a group member expresses a value that is in serious conflict with the group's norms, the group's authority may encourage conformity or stigmatize the non-conforming behavior of its members .
    • Members of the punk movement refused to conform to some of the normative values prevalent in Western culture.

  • Informal Social Control

    • Social control refers to societal processes that regulate individual and group behaviour in an attempt to gain conformity.
    • Social control refers to societal and political mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour in an attempt to gain conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group.
    • Informal sanctions may include shame, ridicule, sarcasm, criticism, and disapproval, which can cause an individual to conform to the social norms of the society.

  • Informal Means of Control

    • Informal social control refers to the reactions of individuals and groups that bring about conformity to norms and laws.
    • Informal social control—the reactions of individuals and groups that bring about conformity to norms and laws—includes peer and community pressure, bystander intervention in a crime, and collective responses such as citizen patrol groups.
    • Informal social control—the reactions of individuals and groups that bring about conformity to norms and laws—includes peer and community pressure, bystander intervention in a crime, and collective responses such as citizen patrol groups.

  • Introduction

    • Collective behavior might also be defined as action which is neither conforming (in which actors follow prevailing norms) nor deviant (in which actors violate those norms).
    • Scholars have devoted far less attention to collective behavior than they have to either conformity or deviance.

  • Groupthink

    • In groupthink, each member of the group attempts to conform his or her opinions to what he or she believes is the consensus of the group.
    • In a groupthink situation, each member of the group attempts to conform his or her opinions to what they believe to be the consensus of the group.

  • Misleading Research Subjects

    • Asch's study of conformity is an example of research that required deception.
    • In most cases, the subject would conform and agree with the others, choosing a line that was clearly incorrect.
    • If subjects knew beforehand that the study was investigating conformity, they would have reacted differently.