Group conformity is a tendency for members of a group to adhere to rules and expected behaviors. Group members may promote conformity, even if it is not intentional. For example, if a person had friends who all liked a certain music artist, they would be reluctant to say they disliked that artist. Conformity can be viewed in a positive light as something that allows people to fit in and gives group members a sense of comfort and belonging. It can be unifying to find people who are similar and are relatable. On the other hand, conformity and group pressure can be negative. If a person is getting bullied, a person may not want to step in if no one else is saying anything. Conforming to a group may also narrow a view of a certain issue because group members seek agreement and close off other points of view.
In class and in the textbook, the research of Asch and Milgram were discussed. Solomon Asch conducted an experiment where all but one of the participants knew what the real purpose was. He arranged all of them at a table and showed them pictures of lines. He asked them which lines were the same as one another, which the answer was very visually clear. Everyone who was in on the experiment would say the same answer, but they said the incorrect answer. The goal was to see if the remaining person (who did not know what was going on) conformed to the clearly incorrect answer. Asch discovered that one-third of the subjects chose to conform by answering incorrectly. It seems that many people would rather disregard their own judgment and avoid the discomfort of being different. In the work by Stanley Milgram, he told participants that he was studying how punishment affects learning. However, his experiment was really about conformity. He had subjects deliver electric shocks to a person for getting wrong answers on questions, but what they did not know was that there was no one actually receiving the shocks. Several people continued delivering shocks even when they heard a person shouting in pain. He was surprised at how many people obeyed authority whether by them self or in a group.
In my own experiences, I have experienced the pressures of group conformity. During middle school and high school, there was a lot of peer pressure. There was pressure to like certain music, dress is a particular way, or do what "everyone" else seemed to be doing. Sometimes, it was a lot easier just to go along with everyone and say I liked something even if I really did not. It was hard to always express myself and be different because I did not want to be made fun of or have people not like me. Even when choosing what to wear, conformity took place. I chose to wear brands that other people wore just to be similar and fit in. However, now with being older and a lot more mature, I do not feel the need to conform to certain people's interests or ways of life. I like being myself and having people that like you for who you really are is a lot better than having people like you when you are pretending to be something you are not.
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