What is social conformity

What is conformity?

People's behaviour and even their opinions are influenced by others. This is called social influence.

Conformity refers to the way our thoughts and actions are affected by the presence of those around us. We are sometimes aware of this but it can also be an unconcious process. We do not necessarily realise how much we change what we say or do because of others.

Consciously, we may look to friends for guidance when we are unsure of how to act. Unconsciously we may copy the way they dress of even mirror their body language.

Deustch and Gerrard explain why we copy others:

1. We need to be right. When we are in situations where we are unsure of the correct thing to do, we will see what other people are doing and assume that they are correct. This will lead us to copying them. For example, we might not know which fork to use in a restaurant,so we would see which one other people were using, then use the same one.

2. There is the need to be liked. When we are in a social situation, we havea strong desire to be accepted by the rest of the group. This means we are likely to do or saythings that make us popular within the group. For example, we might go with our friends to see a film we don't really want to…