It is generally accepted that each of us is individual. It's hard to argue with that. Any person is truly a one of a kind creature. Even identical twins are often not identical. And regarding the issue under discussion, of course, not only appearance, but also character, attitudes and views.
However, often, due to certain circumstances, a person has to accept the values of the society with which he coexists. This phenomenon is defined as conformity. In psychology, this concept is characterized as the assimilation by any individual of the values, habits, norms inherent in a particular social group. In other words, the individual becomes part of it.
Despite the fact that many people negatively perceive such a concept as “conformity”, this is one of the most common processes occurring in various communities. This does not mean that a person in this case always loses his personality, no. It’s just that he almost always undergoes the obligatory process of social adaptation, which helps to build friendly ties. Speaking in a scientific language, conformity is an important aspect of the functioning of any social system.
But many are right when they perceive this concept as something negative. Not always the adoption of the values of a particular group occurs at the will of the individual. Often we become victims of a kind of social pressure. At the same time, many of us believe that conformity is something that does not concern them, that the views that we hold are the result of our life experiences.
In reality, much of what we consider to be the norm that suits us is not specifically for us. We give an example. In most societies, it is generally accepted that a “normal person” up to a certain age should be bound by marriage. If this does not happen, society, of course, will not express its sharply negative opinion on this issue, but will do everything to ensure that the individual, who does not fit within the conformal framework, feels like something like an outcast. Given this, many of us from childhood have the wrong attitude, aiming specifically at marriage, and not about finding happiness.
And this is not the only common example of how conformity can negatively affect our lives. This may include the well-established opinion about the importance of prestigious work, the mandatory presence of children in married couples, and so on. And the one who goes against the foundations is called a nonconformist. Often society does not accept such people.
Conformity is a rather complicated concept. This process can influence the formation of views both for a long time and for a short time. Anyone can watch the famous documentary, filmed back in Soviet times. It shows sociological experiments that are conducted in a variety of groups of people. At the same time, it is interesting and sad to observe how the individual, under the influence and pressure of the majority, calls white black, for example. Or finds similarities where they do not exist, adapting to the opinions of others.
From the foregoing, it is clear that conformity is a concept that can both positively affect personality development and negatively.