1. Three Reasons People Conform
1. Informational Conformity: When people are unsure about the correct choice (e.g., in a new situation), they follow the group because they believe the majority has more accurate information (e.g., choosing a restaurant based on long lines, assuming "others know better").
2. Normative Conformity: To gain acceptance or avoid rejection from the group (e.g., laughing at a joke you don’t find funny to fit in with friends, or dressing like peers to avoid being seen as "odd").
3. Desire for Social Harmony: To keep group interactions smooth (e.g., agreeing with a team’s plan even if you have a minor disagreement, to avoid conflict and keep the group focused).
2. A Personal Conformity Experience
Once, during a group project meeting, the rest of the team decided to use a presentation tool I was unfamiliar with. I went along with it because of normative conformity: I didn’t want to be seen as uncooperative or "difficult," so I set aside my preference to keep the group’s mood positive.