Conformism is a form of behavior in which the individual does not oppose himself to society, trying to meet his standards as much as possible. On the one hand, such a quality is useful for socialization, but on the other, it can cause personality degradation.
Who are conformists?
Conformists are people who are welcome in any community, because they meekly accept any rules and norms, easily abandoning their own principles and values in favor of society. A certain level of conformism is inherent in most people, since without this quality it is impossible to exist effectively in human society. In addition, conformism is a fairly effective defensive reaction, allowing a person not to attract too much attention.
A vivid example of conformism is given by Hans Christian Andersen in the fairy tale "The New Dress of the King", where the only non-conformist was a small child.
However, as is the case with most phenomena, conformist behavior also has negative aspects. First of all, this is a voluntary refusal to have an opinion. If a person is so keenly interested in being accepted into a particular social group that he is always ready to sacrifice his point of view, this means a significant degradation of the person. In the end, such people become incapable of independent thinking and evaluating facts, phenomena or events. Paradoxically, society suffers from conformists, since lack of initiative, inertia, and passivity of its members lead to stagnation.
Many psychologists, such as Erich Fromm, believed that conformism is the price that people are willing to pay to get rid of loneliness, although it destroys their "I".