Becoming a member of the society:

Conformity & Deviance

 Conformity and deviance are twin processes that flow
from the processes of socialization and enculturation.

A person’s social existence is determined by a set of

goals prearranged by society and through the
process of socialization it becomes a self-embraced
goal.
And these goals serve its main purpose and that
is the preservation of
individual lives
What is conformity?
- Compliance with standards, rules, or
laws.
- Behavior in accordance with
socially accepted conventions or
standards.
 Conformity in sociology
- The process whereby people change their
beliefs, attitudes, actions, or perceptions
to more closely match those held by
groups to which they belong or want to
belong or by groups whose approval they
desire.
 Our world is made of things that we do
what are good for us, but we don’t know
why. And we don’t need to know why. We
just need to know that most people do
those things.
- Muthukrishna
Is conformity good or bad?
Conformity is not inherently
positive or negative.
 Positive side of conformity
- Conformity can help you abandon your bad
habits.
- Conformity helps you to reveal the unknown.
- Conformity can help you develop good habits.
-Conformity makes the work easier for
everyone.
 Negative side of conformity
- Conformity often hampers personal
progress.
- Conformity causes you to lose your identity.
- Conformity doesn’t encourage change in the
world.
- Conformity can create an unjust world.
Three Levels of Conformity
1. Compliance
2. Identification
3. Internalisation
1. Compliance- is the act of
accomplishing others'
requirements; hence, being
agreeable or obedient
2. Identification- occurs when
someone conforms to the
demands of a given social role
in society.
 3. Internalization- is when people
accept an idea because they believe
it. A person publicly changes their
behavior to fit in with the group, while
also agreeing with them privately.
 Is there a change in Is there a change in Is the change short-
public behavior? private beliefs? term/long-term?

Compliance Yes No Short-term

Identification Yes Yes Typically short-term

while in the presence of
the group

Internalization Yes Yes Long-term, semi-

permanent change,
continues without the
presence of the group
Does conformity restricts our freedom?
Conformity forces us to change because of the situation given to us.

Are humans really free?

What makes human free?