Conformity

[Joe]

Have you ever noticed a person who is expressing their individuality? This person may dress out of the norm or have a hair style not like the rest of society. Does this person belong to a crowd of people who are also expressing their individuality and their creativity in a similar way? Well, if this person belongs to a crowd of people, he or she is not expressing their individuality. He or she is conforming (and they think they are rebelling against conformity) to the "rules" or "norms" of that crowd. How are we pressured to conform? Why do we conform?

[Joe]

My opinion: One of the two reasons we conform is to avoid rejection or to gain social approval. We are trained at a very young age to follow the rules and those who do not follow the rules are "bad." This is called normative social influence.

[Ziek`]

i am a long-haired ginger, i am my own group. i conform only to myself.

[Fly]

I'm going to use this topic in sociology class today. I will update with results.

[Emperor]

One of the most interesting threads lately.

I have very long hair, I wear combat boots and black clothing, though I dislike any other form of metal than Black metal.
And back when I went to school, I was pretty much the only person listening to metal.
I've never cared much about what other people thought of me, I just did what I felt like.
I also hate people following the rest, just to be accepted.
I'm personally more happy to be who I am, than to be who others want me to be.

[Twisted]

People don't like to be the outcast's of the group. They want to be loved by everyone.
If we should be pressured into a group of people that make you conform, or change anything about yourself that makes you unique, personally I think its time to find a new group that will accept you for you.

[Zykev2]

Conformity is a basic human instinct, the need to be apart of something, and the hate of things that are different. This roots into Racism, Gangs, and Social classes; the fear of anything that is different so you try to find common ground with people to strengthen yourself, and others also to fit into a group. Humans by nature are very social people a long with many other mammals so it is only natural to find a group of people and mimic them to fit into a particular group to not be an "Outcast."

[Trey]

People who call themselves non-conformists tend to all look and act the same, at least the ones I've met.

[Ziek`]

i am who i am. i will not change who i am just to please you. if you don't like me, get over it or go away.

those would be my thoughts.

[Guthixz]

The above is what everyone says. Not everyone wants to conform. Lots of people want to be different, then they're marked as "weird" for it and they see that as something to be proud of. The opposite of conformity in the sense that the original poster is thinking is just apathy. If you want to be different, you're as bad as those who want to fit in, just with less friends.

No offense but if you're wearing combat boots every day you're just being pretty pretentious and constraining yourself to one type of music is unnatural. I'm sure there are people who hear something on the radio and feel like they have to listen to it and I know that's what you want to be as far from as possible, but if you listen to music you genuinely like and you know that, then honestly nobody's going to judge you. If you're a snotty brat about it and rub in peoples' faces how typical they are, you're worse than they are.

Not trying to offend anyone, just my two cents I guess. The topic interested me

[$$$]

The above is what everyone says. Not everyone wants to conform. Lots of people want to be different, then they're marked as "weird" for it and they see that as something to be proud of. The opposite of conformity in the sense that the original poster is thinking is just apathy. If you want to be different, you're as bad as those who want to fit in, just with less friends.

No offense but if you're wearing combat boots every day you're just being pretty pretentious and constraining yourself to one type of music is unnatural. I'm sure there are people who hear something on the radio and feel like they have to listen to it and I know that's what you want to be as far from as possible, but if you listen to music you genuinely like and you know that, then honestly nobody's going to judge you. If you're a snotty brat about it and rub in peoples' faces how typical they are, you're worse than they are.

Not trying to offend anyone, just my two cents I guess. The topic interested me


^^ deep

[Ziek`]

constraining yourself to one type of music is unnatural.

not everyone forces themselves to listen to only one type of music. i only listen to rock and metal, mainly classic. why? because I like it. why don't i listen to anything else? because i don't like it.

[Guthixz]

Well there was one guy who was like "only black metal rararar" I mean if that's all you like then fine but that sounds kind of forced imo.

If your musical taste doesn't change over time then you're doing it wrong :P

[Yankin Denz]

some people probably push them selves into the "Cool kid crow" or whatever people call it to fit in and to be accepted as someone they arnt i think some people are scared to show who the really are instead of some fake person that is in secure and hide stuff that they do.

well looking at the post looks like you guys are talking about individuality and well when kids in my class say "You should get your hair cut" and i say "No" and some of my teachers say
"If he didnt have his hair he would be different" and like not many people in my school have hair like mine only like 2 or 3 and stuff my teachers say "You are calm cool collected and have your own style of doing things"
and idk if this is around you guys but im in a school where the clothes almost EVERY single kid wears Hollister,American eagle, Areapostal. but im one of the kids that doesnt wear that stuff.
when i first moved here i thought i would be the one "Odd" kid cause of my hair (it is like an afro curly,large,and brown) but my first few days just being myself i ended up one of the i guess "Cool kids" the one that everyone liked...

[Emperor]

The above is what everyone says. Not everyone wants to conform. Lots of people want to be different, then they're marked as "weird" for it and they see that as something to be proud of. The opposite of conformity in the sense that the original poster is thinking is just apathy. If you want to be different, you're as bad as those who want to fit in, just with less friends.

No offense but if you're wearing combat boots every day you're just being pretty pretentious and constraining yourself to one type of music is unnatural. I'm sure there are people who hear something on the radio and feel like they have to listen to it and I know that's what you want to be as far from as possible, but if you listen to music you genuinely like and you know that, then honestly nobody's going to judge you. If you're a snotty brat about it and rub in peoples' faces how typical they are, you're worse than they are.

Not trying to offend anyone, just my two cents I guess. The topic interested me

I'm taking it as you where talking about me.
I only listen to one type of music, because I like it; and I can "reflect" myself in that music.
And like I said; I could care less about anyone else, if they feel like they should just do what the rest does, then it's there choice.
I haven't rubbed anything in anyone's face, about following everyone else either, as I said; I simply don't care.

Later-on, everyone will realise doing what other people want you to do, so you're liked is wrong.
I'm more happy to be with friends that like me the way I am.

[Brayden]

We have this kid in our school who does anything to be as weird as possible and will tell you that straight to your face, he hangs out with rejects on purpose even though he may not like them, he hangs with this gay kid who steals everything. Obviously has family trauma.