Download Lumbert, Samantha P. "Conformity and Group Mentality: Why We

"Health." Conformity, Information about Conformity. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
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Conformity involves developing attitudes, opinions, and behaviors to match the attitudes of a specific group.
Most people conform to the standard values, also called norms, of many groups without stress and often
without even knowing that they are doing so. By itself conformity is neither good nor bad.
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Some degree of conformity is necessary for societies to function. For example, when you stop at a
red light, you are conforming to the law and to the general agreement that for the good and safety of
society, a red light means stop. You stop, even though most of the time there is not a police officer
on the scene to enforce the law.
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Different societies and different organizations put higher or lower values on conformity. The United
States is often said to have been settled by non-conformists. Many of the early colonists were people
who did not fit in, for religious, philosophical, economic, or social reasons, with the expectations of
society in their native countries. They wanted to move somewhere where they would feel more
comfortable conforming to the laws and norms of society. In the United States often some degree of
non-conformity is still admired today. The ideal of the "rugged individualist" who does things his or
her own way is part of American culture.
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Other societies, such as East Asian countries, put a higher value on fitting in or conforming. There is
a Japanese proverb that roughly translates into the saying, "The nail that sticks up gets hammered
down.”
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All people balance the need to conform and fit in with the desire to express their individuality. Preteens and teenagers face many issues related to conformity. They are pulled between the desire to be
seen as unique individuals and the desire to belong to a group where they feel secure and accepted.
The result is that often teens reject conforming to family values, but they do conform to peer group
values. An example of this phenomenon is seen when young people join gangs. In joining the gang
they are rejecting the community's way of dressing and behaving. Yet to belong to the gang, they
must conform to the gang's own style of dress, behavior, and speech.
Conformity is tied closely to the issue of peer pressure. Although people feel peer pressure their
entire lives, young people who are seeking to define themselves are generally most influenced by the
attitudes of their peers. Adolescents often encourage friends to do or try things that they themselves
are doing in order to fit into to a group. The encouragement can be positive (studying hard to get
good grades) or negative (drinking beer after the football game).
Trying to conform to the behaviors of a group that go against one's own beliefs creates a great deal
of internal conflict and sometimes external conflict with family members and friends from an earlier
time. Defining oneself as an individual forces young people to confront issues of conformity and
non-conformity. This is a major challenge of adolescence.
Many studies of young people show that if a person's friends engage in a behavior - everything from
cigarette smoking to drinking alcohol to shoplifting to sexual activity - an adolescent is highly likely
to conform to his or her friends' behaviors and try these activities. The alternative is for the young
person to seek different friends with values more in line with his own. Often, however, the desire to
be part of a group and the fear of social isolation makes it more appealing to change behaviors than
to seek other friends.
Name: _____________________________________________
Date: _________
Period: ________
English 1
“Health: Information about Conformity”
Outline. As you read, write a quick main idea for each paragraph. (OPTIONAL)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
MAIN IDEA
1. In your own words, explain what it means to be a conformist.
2. According to the article, why do teenagers have an especially tricky time balancing the desire to
conform with the desire to be an individual?
Conformity and Group Mentality: Why We Comply
By Samantha Lumbert (2005)
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Many people imagine themselves as unique individuals unlike anyone else; indeed, we all possess specific characteristics that
distinguish us from the crowd. However, despite our imaginations and wishful thinking, the majority of human beings comply with
some set of societal rules most of the time. Cars stop at red traffic lights; children and adults attend school and go to work. These are
examples of conformity for obvious reasons; without compliance with certain rules of society, the entire structure would break
down. Why, though, do individuals give in to less important reasons to conform? Why do college students play drinking games and
elementary school children shun the outcast child? A very promising model proposes five main motivations for conforming;
according to this model, we conform to be correct, to be socially accepted and avoid rejection, to accomplish group goals, to
establish and maintain our self-concept/social identity, and to align ourselves with similar individuals.
Correctness
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Simply put, individuals strive to be accurate and correct in their judgments and observations; they often rely on social cues around
them to aid in interpreting a given situation. When we feel confident about the answer to a question or how to complete an easy task,
we do not mind offering a different opinion from the group. But, when we are unsure of how to perform a task or how to behave, we
may take comfort in agreeing with a large number of other people. This tendency to conform to the group changes with age., as
older adults are less likely to give in to social pressure and conform to the group than younger adults.
Social Acceptance
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There have been numerous studies that illustrate the ways in which human beings strive to be accepted as part of--or at least avoid
being rejected by--a social group. One such study was conducted to examine multiple reasons that college students engage in the
risky behavior of playing drinking games. The pressure to fit in proved to be a major motivator in the decision to engage in this
risky behavior; it appears that our desire for group acceptance is so strong that we may temporarily disregard our own well-being
simply to be perceived as one of the group).
Another fascinating study examined the human fear of rejection; when people were asked to express their opinion on a particular
topic, those who believed they were in the minority, i.e. that other people did not agree with them, were slower to share their
opinion than those who believed that the majority of people agreed with them. When people feel they belong to the minority of a
group they are reluctant to express their opinions because they are afraid of the negative consequences of not fitting in.
Group Goals
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Another reason for conforming is the desire to accomplish group goals, One study on athletic teams found that when athletes felt
that they had made sacrifices – and their teammates had made sacrifices – they felt a greater sense of togetherness. This feeling of
togetherness encouraged the athletes to conform to the group norms in order to meet their goals.
Social Identity
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How much a person values conforming versus being an individual is often related to the person’s social and cultural identity. For
example, Americans tend to value individuality more than East Asians who prize conformity. The US is considered an
individualistic country. Personal goals are regarded with higher importance and priority than group goals whereas the opposite is
true of collectivistic countries like any East Asian countries who value the success of the group over the success of the individual.
Alignment With Similar People
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One final aspect of conformity involves incorporating ourselves into certain groups, or aligning ourselves with similar individuals
and forming an in-group. A study found that we are more likely to see members of the in-group positively and develop biases
against members of the out-group. By conforming to the in-group, we avoid becoming an outcast and facing negative bias.
Lumbert, Samantha P. "Conformity and Group Mentality: Why We Comply." Conformity and Group Mentality. Rochester
Institute of Technology, Nov. 2005. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Name: _____________________________________________
Date: _________
Period: ________
English 1
Conformity and Group Mentality: Why We Comply
Outline. As you read, write a quick main idea for each paragraph. (OPTIONAL)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
MAIN IDEA
1. Briefly explain the 5 major reasons why people choose to conform.
COMPARISON QUESTIONS: ANALYSIS
2. Make a Claim: What do both articles suggest about young people and conformity?
a. Find a line of textual evidence from both articles that supports this claim.
Evidence 1:
Evidence 2:
b. Explain why you agree or disagree with this claim. Be specific.
3. Make a claim: What do both articles suggest about the difference between American and East Asian
(such as Japanese) cultures and conformity?
a. Find a line of textual evidence from both articles that supports this main idea.
Evidence 1:
Evidence 2:
b. Explain why you agree or disagree with this claim. Be specific.