Conformity Paper Essay

Conformity affects one’s behavior. There are two primary reasons why individuals conform. First, people conform due to informational social influence. What this means is that people rely on others’ judgment about an ambiguous situation and use such judgment in choosing a particular course of action. The second reason is normative social influence. This refers to conforming simply to be accepted. Conformity is a big issue in most people’s lives. In my case, there has been numerous times wherein I relied on other people’s judgment to make a certain decision. The very simple example is determining what hair style would suit me best. I have consulted and asked for advice from my friends and family for this very simple matter. I could not decide for myself and I had to rely on their judgment. Another case wherein informational social influence was a factor for me was when I was deciding which course to take. To me, such decision seemed very confusing. There were too many options. Thus, I needed to consult my parents. I asked them their opinion and ended up following what it was they advised me to do. Informational social influence is very evident in society particularly in advertising. Companies use advertisements wherein they promote their product by showing surveys conducted that show their product as the preferred choice of the majority. This is meant to influence consumers to follow suit. Most people would think, â€Å"If most people choose this, then it must be the best choice.† In other words, they leave their judgment to other people. This is a very good demonstration of how informational social influence affects the decision making and behavior of individuals. In the case of the second reason for conformity, normative social influence, I have had several experiences wherein it played a factor in my behavior at the given time. This was especially true during my teenage years. When I was a teenager, I felt the need to fit in. I wanted to be among the popular kids at school. In order to be among the popular crowd, I tried to do everything that the popular ones did. I dressed as I saw them dress, I talked and acted as they did. However, I noticed that the more I tried to be like them, the more they seemed to be distant. More importantly, my real friends and my family began to question me as to why I was doing things that were unexpected of me. As I grew older and matured, I began to realize that not only were my attempts in vain, they were ridiculous and unnecessary. Nowadays, every time I look back on those days, I cannot help but to laugh. â€Å"Fitting in† is a big problem for most teenagers. That is why most teenagers get into various kinds of trouble. Some teenage girls get pregnant at a very early age simple because they thought that losing their virginity would make them more welcomed in the popular crowd. On the other hand, boys end up joining gangs as they search for a sense of belongingness. Drugs and alcohol also are common problems that teenagers face because of their wanting to fit in and be accepted by their peers. Basically, this is where the concept of peer pressure comes in. Peer pressure is simply the result of normative social influence. Teenagers feel the pressure from their friends to do certain things. They feel that if they do not do as what their peers do, they will end up being scorned and laughed at. For a teenager, humiliation is a big drawback. This is the reason why teenagers end up changing their behavior simply to be accepted by others.