conformity
Following the herd
Conformity is the state of acting in accordance with prevailing standards, attitudes, or practices.
It often carries a slightly negative connotation, suggesting someone has abandoned their individuality to match what others do or expect: The suburbs were criticized for their stifling conformity.
In a neutral sense, conformity simply means compliance with rules or specifications: The building was inspected for conformity with safety codes.
To be in conformity with something is to match or agree with it.
Influence from one's equals
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
ostracism · social proof · expectations · stigma · shaming · exclusion · enforcement · herd mentality
State of being identical
- homogeneityState of sameness throughout
- similarityState of being alike
- monotonyTiresome lack of change
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
indistinguishability · alikeness · consistency · oneness · congruence · interchangeability · regimentation · cookie-cutter
Compliance with authority
- submissionYielding to another's will
- acquiescenceUnresisting acceptance
- adherenceFaithful following of something
- deferenceYielding to another's judgment
docility · observance · dutifulness · allegiance · loyalty · fealty · conventionality · orthodoxy
Traditional practices or import taxes
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
- conventionsAccepted social practices
mores · folkways · taboos · rituals · practices · decorum · propriety · unwritten rules
Harmony between parties
- consensusGeneral group agreement
- agreementShared position between parties
- unityWholeness through cohesion
- cohesionTendency to bind together
cooperation · concord · solidarity · alignment · synchrony · consonance · compatibility · rapport
Absorbing into a whole
- acculturationAdopting another group's customs
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- accommodationShelter or housing provided
- integrationCombining into a whole
fitting in · acclimatization · socialization · normalization · mainstreaming · blending in · going native · when in Rome
Defiance of established power
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- devianceDeparture from accepted standards
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
defiance · counterculture · eccentricity · heresy · iconoclasm · freethinking · maverick · outsider
peer pressure
Influence from one's equals
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
bullying · ostracism · social proof · expectations · stigma · shaming · exclusion · enforcement · herd mentality · mob mentality
sameness
State of being identical
- homogeneityState of sameness throughout
- similarityState of being alike
- monotonyTiresome lack of change
standardization · indistinguishability · alikeness · consistency · oneness · congruence · interchangeability · regimentation · cookie-cutter · mass production
obedience
Compliance with authority
- submissionYielding to another's will
- acquiescenceUnresisting acceptance
- adherenceFaithful following of something
deference · docility · observance · dutifulness · allegiance · loyalty · fealty · conventionality · orthodoxy · propriety
customs
Traditional practices or import taxes
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
conventions · mores · folkways · taboos · rituals · practices · decorum · propriety · unwritten rules · expectations
accord
Harmony between parties
- consensusGeneral group agreement
- agreementShared position between parties
- unityWholeness through cohesion
cohesion · cooperation · concord · solidarity · alignment · synchrony · consonance · compatibility · rapport · understanding
assimilation
Absorbing into a whole
- acculturationAdopting another group's customs
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- accommodationShelter or housing provided
integration · fitting in · acclimatization · socialization · normalization · mainstreaming · blending in · going native · when in Rome · code-switching
rebellion
Defiance of established power
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- devianceDeparture from accepted standards
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
resistance · defiance · counterculture · eccentricity · heresy · iconoclasm · freethinking · maverick · outsider · misfit
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- conformitycomply, compliant, compliance, obey, obedient
- collectivismcollectivism, commune, collective, hivemind, herd mentality
- hidden curriculumsocial norms, gender norms, heteronormativity
- indoctrinationbrainwashing, mind control, indoctrination, thought control, reeducation
- societysociety, social customs, class, citizen, social hierarchy
conformitynonconformity
Rejection of prevailing norms
rebellion · defiance · dissent · nonconformism · unconventionality
conformitydiversity
State of varied elements
heterogeneity · incongruity · discord · dissonance · variety
conformityindividuality
Unique personal character
nonconformity · individualism · originality · uniqueness · distinctiveness
- gender conformityMatching expected sex-based behaviors
- social conformityAdopting group norms
- gender non-conformingOutside typical masculine-feminine expression
- religious conformityAlignment with established doctrine
- cultural conformityMatching societal behavioral standards
- ideological conformityAdherence to approved beliefs
conforming, conformist, nonconformist, nonconformity, nonconforming, unconformity, nonconformists, conformism, conformities