Conformity, as defined by the book, is the tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure. When looking at this term we can find the pros and cons that come along with it. One pro that is seemed to be liked by many is the idea that the group will run more effectively. Decision making will be easier and everyone will be acting alike. Conformity would be easier for people with low self esteem because they will feel a sense of belonging in the group. I believe that the pros may not be as strong as some of the cons when dealing with conformity. The fact that everyone has the same and a person can't challenge an idea that is supported by a majority of the group is a problem. People may not have as much of a voice as they want and may become very easy to control. This ties into the argument that conformity doesn't provide people to be flexible or open to new ideas. There will be no creativity or uniqueness to the group because the have to function the way everyone else is. Overall, there are both pros and cons to conformity and knowing each side can be important when going into a conformed or non-conformed environment. Here are a couple pictures that explain the difference between conformity and non-confomity.
Pros and Cons of Conformity
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Those were some interesting points you made about the pros on conformity. I had always just assumed conformity was always bad without giving much though to it. I specifically like the idea that a large group will run more efficiently if people conform. One example of this could be in a large lab for a bio or chemistry class. If everyone is off doing their own version of the experiment there won't be any consistent data to compare to. I still agree though, that overall the cons do outweigh the pros. One negative example of this would be the common phrase of the blind leading the blind.
I would disagree that the cons of conformity outweigh the benefits. I think it depends highly on the situation, and it's difficult to make a generalization about conformity in general when the costs and benefits apply to only certain situations.
I think it's interesting to check out the pros and cons of conformity. Non-conformists are definitely necessary when you look at society. Without any non-conformists there would be no artists, musicians, revolutionary leaders, etc. Anyone who went "against the grain" would not exist! However, conformity is important too. I mean, you wouldn't want a battalion of marines deciding to be non-conformists. If they didn't obey orders and fall into place the military would be a wreck.
I really enjoyed your post. It's interesting to listen to other people's views on things. I, for example, agree with you only to an extent. I agree that, in general, not conforming is "better," but I guess that it isn't really fair to make such a judgement. That's only because, though, there are some situations that conformity is a very, very good thing, like soldiers in the army. But non-conformity is a very, very good thing as well because, without it, there would be no creativity in this world. It would be a very boring place.
So, all in all, it just depends on the situation.