Conformism is a person's inclination to adapt

Everyone thinks that he is not like the others. But unconsciously we are still influenced by others, we repeat the behavior of the majority, someone in less, someone more. Such adaptability is called conformism. This is a rejection of one's own convictions, views under the pressure of society. And it should be noted that such a follow-up of the majority is always passive, that is, the individual does not include critical thinking, but as if he is floating along the current.

The concept of conformism

Since many people consider themselves to be unique personalities, it will be useful for them to know what conformism is. The definition of this concept includes several aspects:

1. First, it is the passivity of acceptance of public opinion. A person uncritically treats an idea, opinion, tradition and accepts them without analyzing them.
2. Secondly, conformism as a social phenomenon is imposed by education, ideology, religion, etc.
3. Thirdly, conformism is directly related to the suggestibility, the stability of the system of its beliefs, and also the breadth of horizons. Highly inspired people do not analyze incoming information, do not pass it through a kind of filter.

Pros and cons of conformism

Is conformism bad or good? Many will immediately reply that, of course, it is bad. After all, conformism makes a person be like everyone, excludes one's own opinion, suppresses individuality. Of course, all this is so. But conformism is also an excellent mechanism for public administration. Leaders in various organizations successfully use this phenomenon to regulate the system of relations in a group. It can not be denied that always at all times there were subordinates and managers, this division depends on many factors. However, the disadvantages of conformism can also be attributed to the propensity to imitate in childhood. Children most easily fall under bad influence, as they strive to be accepted by the society of their peers, so they start drinking, smoking, etc. Of course, the ability to quickly join a group, to show one's involvement in it, is a useful skill. But on the other hand, analytical thinking is given to us in order to soberly assess whether it is worthwhile to join this group and blindly follow the majority.

Studies of conformism

In social psychology, many experiments were conducted to identify conformism. For example, in S. Ashe's experiment, the subjects were asked to estimate the length of the lines. All subjects, except one, were fake and gave the same wrong answer. In most cases, an unsuspecting person under the pressure of the majority also gave the wrong answer. This phenomenon was called social conformism. One person begins to doubt his own opinion, if it contradicts the opinion of the majority. However, if there was a person in the group who also gave the wrong answer, but differed from the others, the subjects often gave the correct answer. Thus, conformism is a fear of opposing oneself to the group, the fear of appearing stupid, not like the others.