What is conformity? We like to think of ourselves as independent beings with original opinions and personalities that do not succumb to the views and pressure of others. However, the opposite is often true.
Today, we will take a look at some fascinating experiments and the equally interesting conclusions drawn from them. You may be surprised by experiments that have shown that most people succumb to group pressure to the extent that they literally stop trusting their own senses. This phenomenon is known as irrational conformity, and it is thoroughly explored by František Koukolík in Power Obsession.
Social proof, or peer pressure, has a significant impact on us. As psychologist Cialdini states, people commonly allow others to approve of what they think, feel, and do. At the same time, we respond better to messages from individuals who are members of our group and tend to trust people who look and act similarly to us.
People simply do what others do. They imitate them. People also usually do what others want them to do, and they don’t even need to be told. And the best part is, they do it completely voluntarily and quite willingly. A number of experiments have been conducted on this topic. Let’s take a look at some of them.
“Imagine a situation where you walk into a waiting room full of people and sit down comfortably. Every once in a while, after a sound signal, everyone else silently stands up—and then sits back down. They perform this action without saying a word, without any emotion, mechanically. How would you react? Would you join them, even though no one asked you to?
Conformity Experiment 1: Stand Up!”
It works great, don’t you think? But there’s no need to create such unusual situations. You can experience a similar effect in a theater, where you can easily start a wave of standing ovations. Another interesting experiment is the one involving staring into the air:
Conformity Experiment 2: Staring at the Ceiling.
And for the third experiment, let’s try something a little different, okay? Imagine stepping into an elevator full of people who, contrary to usual norms, are standing with their backs to the doors. What will you do? Will you conform to the group?
Conformity Experiment 3: The Elevator
If there’s one thing we can say about people with certainty, it’s that they are, above all, malleable. In other words, we adapt to our social environment. (H. Markus, 2005)
But what are the other principles of conformist behavior?
According to Robert Cialdini, there are six so-called weapons of influence.
One widely used principle is authority. People are willing and eager to listen to credible experts or those who appear to be experts.
Sympathy is also important. We respond more positively to people we find likable.
We strive to behave consistently. People tend to stick to the opinion they previously chose.
We already mentioned social proof or peer pressure above. It also means that we place greater trust in what is popular. We deem things more trustworthy if they are supported by people we trust.
We act reciprocally, meaning we feel obligated to return the favor for something we received.
And last but not least, we value what is scarce. This scarcity is often used in marketing, presenting products as exclusive or unique.
Many more experiments have been conducted on these topics. Let’s recall two of the most famous ones:
One of them, over fifty years ago, tested how strongly people are inclined to obey authority. It was conducted by the famous psychologist Stanley Milgram. He demonstrated just how immense this inclination is—so strong, in fact, that it can force us to act against our own moral principles.
An equally well-known experiment, conducted by Philip G. Zimbardo and known as the Stanford Prison Experiment, sought to answer the questions: How is it possible that ordinary people commit evil acts? And why do good people turn bad? You can read about the rather discouraging outcome for the human race in one of the following articles.
Sources:
Conformity ( Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity
Leave a Reply