How often do you find yourself going along with the actions of others for the sake of fitting in or not wanting to feel left out? Sorry to break it to you, but that’s called conformity – and it’s leading to the death of uniqueness.
Conformity is ingrained into the culture and lives of everyone, not just college students. As a result, there are fewer unique people each year.
This happens plenty of times on campus with groups of friends or people who share majors. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, but you can still be unique in your own way.
Group conformity could be a bad thing as much as it can be a good thing.
Take, for example, an event that is being held at Point Park and a group of people decide to go to a specific place to get food, drinks or anything else. Most likely, the group will tell others about it, which can make other groups flock to the places they’re going to. Because of this, the employees of everyone’s place of choice will now have to stay two hours extra after closing.
The same groups proceed to visit the same place twice a day in hordes for the next five days, lowering the morale of the short-staffed business they are visiting.
This can chalked up to a phenomenon called groupthink, but even so, it’s still a product of conformity.
It’s important to note that it’s not like people can’t go to these short-staffed places, but people should do so in moderation for the consideration of others.
“What if I really like the place and the products it offers?” you might ask. Then by all means, enjoy yourself, but be considerate about it.
Another negative example of conformity involves a commonly seen phenomenon called the bystander effect, in which a group of people will not take action in an emergency situation due to them thinking that someone else will act.
I am, by no means, comparing the conformity of a friend group to the bystander effect, as that would be an absurd comparison.
However, it is also beneficial to see the positive side of conformity.
Humans are social creatures and it is in our nature to try to fit in. Otherwise, humanity would probably suffer at the hands of isolation.
Conformity can offer a sense of belonging to an individual who may be struggling to fit in. This can lead to group identity and even a sense of group security.
After all, if you have friends who want to do the same things you want to do, it’s easy to see why conformity could be a good thing.
But where does uniqueness fit in?
Let me be clear, when I mention being unique, I am not talking about standing out from the crowd or having exceptional talent. I am talking about separating yourself from social norms to give yourself a break, whether it’s mental, physical, spiritual or all of the above. Maybe try something new.
A lot of cliques tend to stick together in makeshift flocks, but under the surface, a lot of the people in those groups just want to fit in with like-minded individuals.
Don’t be afraid to be a part of a group, so long as the group isn’t doing anything negative or illegal. More importantly, don’t be afraid to be yourself as well.
A lot of friend groups thrive with people who think and act differently. Conformity may lead to the death of uniqueness, but it can also work with uniqueness to better humanity as a whole. After all, humans will need each other in the coming years.
