SOCIAL CONFORMITY

MEANING OF SOCIAL CONFORMITY

• Normative system refers to the system of rules that people are expected to accept, obey, and appreciate.
• Most people follow the rules, but some may violate them, becoming deviants. Conformity and deviance are interconnected.
• Conformity is defined as:
  1. Action oriented towards a social norm or norms.
  2. Action that falls within the range of behavior permitted by the norm.
• Example: A student who values higher education and follows college rules to earn a degree is engaging in conformity.
• Conformity implies behaving in accordance with norms and involves:
  • Consciously approving of a behavior and being prepared to follow it.
  • External behavior aligning with norms even when the norms are not always at the forefront of the individual’s mind.
• Example: Activities like walking on the right side of the road, showing respect to the national flag, respecting elders, and modest dressing are all examples of conformity to norms without necessarily being aware of them at the conscious level.

CAUSES OF CONFORMITY

• Socialisation: Through socialisation, individuals internalise social norms, making them an inseparable part of their personality. Proper social training supports conformity.
• Insulation: Norm conflict can lead to deviance, but certain arrangements reduce normative conflict and support conformity:
  1. Norms are applied at different times and places to prevent conflict.
  2. Individuals perform activities in different roles at different times, helping reduce uncertainty and conflict.
     Example: A bank manager may respect a subordinate as a music teacher outside work, but maintain authority during work hours.
• Hierarchy of Norms: Norms are ranked in order of precedence. This hierarchy helps individuals make decisions when norms conflict.
  Example: A soldier deciding whether to attend to his dying mother or respond to a military call uses the hierarchy of values to make the choice.
• Social Control: Formal and informal social control methods help individuals anticipate the consequences of violating norms, leading to conformity.
• Ideology: Conformity is influenced by the ideas and ideology individuals hold. Ideology provides intellectual supportto norms and strengthens faith in the existing system, motivating conformity.
• Vested Interest: People may conform to norms out of self-interest or vested interest. Norms define rights and obligations, and those with advantages are more likely to support norms that protect their interests.
  Example: Property rights protect those who benefit from them.
  Vested interest can be neutral, referring to genuine or selfish interests, like landlords supporting rent laws or illicit liquor makers supporting prohibition laws for personal gain.