In order to know the meaning of the term conformity, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can say that it derives from Latin, exactly from “conformis” which can be translated as “very similar”. A word that is the result of the sum of two clearly delimited components:
-The prefix “with”, which means “together”.
-The noun “form”, which is synonymous with “form”.
According to abbreviationfinder.org, the line may refer to the correspondence, the resemblance or similarity between two or more elements. The term can also be used to refer to the approval of something.
For example: “The neighbors expressed their agreement with the project to remodel the public park”, “The coach of the team expressed their agreement with the decision of the club president not to hire reinforcements for the next season”, “The ruling was issued in in accordance with articles 156 and 172 bis of the Commercial Code ”.
In certain contexts, conformity refers to the fact that two or more things correspond to each other. The owner of a company can inform his employees that, in accordance with the request of the union delegates, workers will be allowed to come in informal clothing every Friday. The company’s decision, therefore, corresponds to the request of the delegates.
Conformity can also be acceptance or consent. If the principal of a school expresses that she has agreed to the students to organize a music festival with the aim of raising funds for a study trip, what she is saying is that she approved the idea of the students.
In the field of psychology, the idea of conformity is used to name a modification of attitude or behavior to achieve acceptance by a group. This conformity assumes that the pressure exerted by the group leads the individual to adapt to the thinking or opinion of the majority.
In this case, we come across the fact that conformity is actually linked to other concepts such as social influence, social pressure, acceptance or obedience, for example.
No less relevant is knowing that, staying in the field of psychology, we find three different types of conformity, such as the following:
-Identification, which supposes that a person adopts and assimilates certain characteristics of another external model. Model that can be a single individual or a group.
-Compliance. This other type of conformity is the one that takes place when a person in a public way comes to show himself totally in agreement with the opinions of the group while his own opinions are kept to himself. If that individual decides to act in this way it is because he is afraid of being rejected by the group if he expresses his opinions and they turn out to be against theirs.
-Internalization. It occurs when the person the person is able to fully agree with the opinion of a group even though they are no longer part of it.