Conformity

Conformity

Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. Norms are implicit, unsaid rules shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others and among society or social group. This tendency to conform occurs in small groups and/or society as a whole, and may result from subtle unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure. Conformity can occur in the presence of others, or when an individual is alone. For example, people tend to follow social norms when eating or watching television, even when alone.

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Famous quotes containing the word conformity:

    Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
    Jacob Bronowski (1908–1974)

    ... the self respect of individuals ought to make them demand of their leaders conformity with an agreed-upon code of ethics and moral conduct.
    Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)

    That man is a creature who needs order yet yearns for change is the creative contradiction at the heart of the laws which structure his conformity and define his deviancy.
    Freda Adler (b. 1934)