Is There Value In Conformity?

I am currently taking a Social Psychology course and the lecture today was about different forms of conformity which were demonstrated through a couple of psychological experiments. All of the experiments highlighted the negative aspects of conformity, and as a part of the exercise, we also had to list potential benefits to conforming.

As someone who constantly questions social norms, I can easily see the downfalls associated with conformity – groupthink, failure to question authority, fear of sharing your own mind, etc.

I always speak out against conformity because I personally don’t like to conform, but I suppose there is a degree of social value in this concept. Conformity is important because it attempts to establish a social order. If everyone thought for themselves, the world would likely be quite chaotic. Because there are certain rules and norms we’ve all internalized in our own cultures and societies, each individual is expected to act in a certain way.

These unspoken rules govern the way we think, the opinions we may or may not share, and how we interact with people around us. They allow our lives to run a bit more smoothly than if this concept did not exist.

Going along with social norms makes you more agreeable and it is far easier to make friends if you choose to go along with the group instead of think for yourself.

Sometimes I have trouble making friends because I prefer to be authentic rather than fitting in perfectly to a group dynamic. Maybe it’s because I see conforming as giving up a bit of my own personal freedom and I guess I’d rather be alone and free than with other people and constrained.

They say that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so I wonder what this transcends to if you spend the majority of time alone. What other factors influence your personality? Does personality come from environment or is there something intrinsic about it?

Do people notice they are conforming and decide that fitting in is one of their deepest core values? Or do they not notice it and find themselves changing depending on the social situation?

Some people are master chamelions and can blend in no matter where they go. They pick up on the social norms and comply to them wholeheartedly. I suppose doing so could make someone pretty popular with their peers, but I wonder if it comes at a cost to their own sense of identity? Perhaps conforming is the key to making friends. Perhaps the reason why people don’t like to share their minds is because they’re afraid of what others may think.

It’s safer to stay quiet than to speak up if popularity is an important value in someone’s life.

So I guess like anything else, it comes down to core values. What does conformity mean to you? Does it align with your values or does it ditract from your life? The answer is different for everyone.