Original source: SimoleonSense.com .
Click Here To Read: Conformity: Ten Timeless Influencers
Introduction (via PsyBlog)
The pressure to conform affects everyone. Understanding how and when puts you one step ahead of the pack.Conformity is such a strong influence in society that it’s impossible to understand human behaviour without it. Psychological experiments show that people will deny the evidence of their own eyes in order to conform with other people.
But as Professor John C. Turner says conformity is not always the norm:
1. Group size- One of the most important factors affecting whether or not people conform is the size of the group around them. Maximum conformity is seen when groups reach between 3 and 5 people. Add more people and it makes little difference, less than 3, though, and conformity is substantially reduced (Bond, 2005).
2. Dissent – As soon as there’s someone who disagrees, or even just dithers or can’t decide, conformity is reduced. Some studies have found conformity can be reduced from highs of 97% on a visual judgement task down to only 36% when there is a competent dissenter in the ranks (Allen & Levine, 1971). Dissenters must be consistent, though, otherwise they’ll fail to convince the majority.
3. Are they one of us? - People conform much more strongly to others who are in the same group as them. These influences are even stronger for attractive people who we like. Group size and dissent make little difference when the people themselves are not part of ‘our’ group. In fact we may even go out of our way to do the opposite of an outgroup (David & Turner, 1996).
4. Your mood- Moods can have complex effects on conformity, but there’s some evidence that we’re more likely to conform when we’re in a good mood than a bad mood (Tong et al., 2007). One dastardly emotional technique for increasing conformity is using fear-then-relief. Make someone afraid of something, then relieve that fear, then they’re more likely to do what you want (Dolinski & Nawrat, 1998).
….
Conclusion(Via Psyblog)
The power of conformity
So, that is the power of conformity, as it occurs every day, between every single one of us (even hermits are conforming with other hermits!).
Conformity is not in itself a good or a bad thing. For example, creativity is built on some of the pillars of nonconformity: ignoring social norms and authority, eschewing social approval, rejecting structure and cultivating dissent. On the other hand many of societies most basic institutions—government, finance, transport, education—would collapse if people didn’t conform.
This list gives you all sorts of ways to think about your own and other people’s conformity. You need to be creative to think about how these processes can help you achieve your aims, whether it’s in business, your personal life, online or elsewhere
Whatever your goals are, remember that conformity affects everyone, whether we know it or not. Understanding how and when puts you one step ahead of the pack.
Alphaverse.com uses this content with author’s permission purely for educational purposes. Go to the feed source of this article
