Conformity through Identification (How Justin Bieber affects the world)

Conformity comes in different forms. We may conform because we want to be part of the cool kids, or because we believe that the cool kids are living the "right" way, or just to avoid a punishment. In this post, I'll be briefly going over conformity in the form of Identification.

What is Conformity?

Conformity is a change in a person's behavior, or thinking, as a result of influence from another person or persons. It doesn't necessarily have to be real pressure, conformity caused by imagined pressure is also called conformity.

What is Identification?

Identification is a form of conformity in which we are influenced by an individual, or group, in the hopes of trying to be like them or get along with them. In other words, it's someone changing the way they think or act, in order to be more like someone else. It can also be someone changing the way they think or act, in order to better get along with someone else. Unlike compliance, in which we are only influenced to avoid punishment or gain reward, identification leads to us believing in the values and behaviors we gain. 

I'll give a few examples. Let's say that Charlie the teenager really likes Liam Neeson and the way he's portrayed as a "badass" in his recent action films. Charlie might change his walk, or talk, or even his thoughts in order to be more like Liam Neeson's characters in his films. Charlie might come to believe that being aggressive, violent, strong and masculine are "correct" ways of being.

Another example is: I'm really attracted to the lifestyle and idea of being a Wall St trader. I watch wall street traders; how they act, how they dress, what they read, and how they think, and attempt to mold myself into that. Perhaps I want others to perceive me as a Wall Street trader, and that alone makes me feel good. Perhaps my friends are Wall Street traders, and I want to be more accepted by them. Regardless of why I change myself, I'm conforming in the form of identification. However, if I'm changing my behavior to avoid feeling like a "loser," then I'm conforming as a form of compliance.

Identification can also work in the opposite way. For example, say that you're a strong Democrat, and you hear Republicans publicly announce their opinion on Global Warming. You may automatically disagree with their opinion. In other words, you're relying on Democrats to provide you with the truth, and therefore rejecting any opinion that's not the same. You know nothing about the Republican opinion, but you reject it automatically.

Identification is strong, but not that strong

We engage in identification in order to be like someone else, and as a result we adopt their values. However, you won't actually believe that those values are correct, because you never really evaluated the values for yourself. The only reason you took on those values, was to be more like the person or group you find attractive. Therefore, if the person or group changes their values, you lose touch with them or you become influenced by a more credible person or group, then you will possibly lose those values. That's why identification is a much stronger form of conformity than compliance, but not as strong as identification.

How it applies to the real world

How much can we really trust the leaders of the groups we identify with? If you identify with a group, such as the Democrats, you will tend to mold your thoughts and behaviors to be more like them. This can have a damaging effect on our learning. Since we're no longer allowing contradictory views to be absorbed, we're no longer allowing new information that could possibly disprove old information. We lose some of our individuality, and become part of a whole in which we are the followers.

How much are our children being influenced by role models in the media? The answer is: a lot. Justin Bieber, for example, is an individual that has a team of marketers behind him, who are constantly thinking of ways to make him appear to have more "swag." A young teen could see Justin Bieber driving his Ferrari while having a flock of young teen girls gawk at him, and as a result find that being like Justin Bieber is attractive to him. As a result, that teenager could possibly begin to change the way he dresses, talks or behaves in order to be more like Justin Bieber. 

However, since we know that identification is not a really strong form of conformity, there's a possibility for the young teen to change as he's confronted with information from a more credible (and respected by him) source. 

Conclusion

Ask yourself, why do you act the way you act? Talk the way you talk, or even think what you think? How did you acquire that behavior or way of thinking? Many people think they think, but they're not really thinking, so they stop trying to think. But, they never thought in the first place because that first thought was someone else's thought that they just adapted as their own. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment below and I will address them asap.