Resisting Conformity
Living in today's society, amongst the rise of social media, pressure and expectations from external sources can result in extreme self-comparison for many.
By Ramandeep Kaur Sangha, Featured Writer.
Every day we are given the choice to be whoever we want to be. Amazing, right? We have the ability to make conscious choices to look how we want to look, behave how we want to behave, think how we want to think, and so on. Have you ever wondered about what or who influences these decisions? Are they all encouraged by yourself, or are there other factors at play?
It is no secret that our various life choices can be, and oftentimes are in fact, influenced by external factors, such as family, friends, colleagues as well as society and celebrities. So, it is interesting to question why YOUR important life choices are heavily impacted by OTHERS…
It is vital to acknowledge that we can be positively inspired and influenced by others, which is brilliant. For example, a pessimistic perspective can be transformed into an optimistic outlook, and a poor lifestyle can be changed into a healthier lifestyle, etc. Being positively inspired to become a better individual, and consequently enabling change in the right direction for you, is called growth.
However, it is possible to become negatively influenced. Living in today's society, amongst the rise of social media, pressure and expectations from external sources can result in extreme self-comparison for many.
Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in beliefs, attitudes or behaviours in order to fit in with a group. This change is a consequence of real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms/ expectations) group pressure.
A well-known Psychology research study, conducted by Solomon Asch (1951), investigated the impact of social pressure on the likelihood of conformity, which you may have previously come across. Asch found that the majority of participants in this study would answer incorrectly, even though they knew what the correct answer was. Participants answered incorrectly because several others in the group (actors) also answered incorrectly. The participants’ main reason for conforming with the rest of the group was due to fear of being ridiculed or thought of as strange or different.
Conformity is well and truly evident to this present day, within numerous environments and circumstances that we encounter daily. People conform for many different reasons, however, the most common reason is due to a desire to 'be accepted’. To be like others. Yes, conforming can be an automated, comforting and reassuring experience for some, but conforming results in the restriction of expressing your differences - refusing to portray what makes you unique. The fear of showcasing your individuality is one of the most saddening realities of many individuals on this Earth. This fear is inflicted frequently by society and other external sources, who are known to portray what a ‘successful’ person is ‘supposed’ to do, and what an ‘attractive’ being is ‘supposed’ to look like. Society attempts to ensure those who are different are labelled as 'outcasts', and are made to feel like ‘outsiders’, ‘unimportant’, ‘irrelevant’, ‘unworthy’… as though they have no place in the world, as they have not conformed.
However, I have personally witnessed a shift in conformity; several individuals and groups now are taking a stand against the automated concept of conforming, against being the same, against any hierarchy, and against being impacted by society. Let's admire and support those who freely and confidently express their true selves without fear of judgment or labels.
If you allow others to have significant control over your life, your life is not really yours. If you care greatly about what others think of you, your life is not really yours. Why be like someone else, when you are already a perfect unique version of yourself – there is not a single other person on this planet that is like you. Embrace being you. We are all different for a reason.
No matter your age, height, weight, physical appearance, background, religion, culture, disability, sexuality, or gender – you are enough, and you are worth it. Accepting and loving yourself, is what matters most in life.
The message I would love for you to take away is that being one of a kind is a blessing - which not many realise. Celebrate being who you are and being an individual. It takes courage and confidence to be your honest authentic self. Lead your own way, forge your own path, take bold risks.
Take some time right now to think about what makes you unique, what makes you YOU, and recognise how incredibly beautiful you are.