GROUP CONFORMITY,OPINION LEADERS & PEER PRESSURE

1.GROUP CONFORMITY

Conformity is the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are influenced by what is conceived to be what other people might perceive. This influence occurs in both small groups and society as a whole, and it may be the result of subtle unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure Conformity also occurs by the "implied presence" of others, or when other people are not actually present. For example, people tend to follow the norms of society when eating or watching television, even when they are at home by themselves.

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According to Leon Mann,conformity means  ‘yielding to group pressures’.

Everyone is a member of one group or another and everyone expects members of
these groups to behave in certain ways. If you are a member of an identifiable
group you are expected to behave appropriately to it. If you don’t confirm and
behave appropriately you are likely to be rejected by the group. Likestereotypes, conforming and expecting others to conform maintains cognitivebalance. There are several kinds of conformity. Many studies of conformity tookplace in the 1950’s which led Kelman to distinguish between compliance, internalisation and identification. Compliance is the type of conformity where the subject goes along with the group view, but privately disagrees with it.Conformity within a group entails members changing their attitude and beliefs in order to match those of others within a group.Those that conform tend to be obedient and compliant.In order to conform ,the group members must attribute someone as having the legitimacy and creditibility to lead or influence the groups behaviour.Without this "leader",conformity towards the group's goals will be less prevalent.If a member of the group fails to conform to the groups needs then he/she would lose credibility with the rest of the group.

The video below tells that how actually a group conformity works

2.OPINION LEADERS

It is a concept that arises out of the theory of two-step flow of communication propounded by Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz. This theory is one of several models that try to explain the diffusion of innovations, ideas, or commercial products.The opinion leader is the agent who is an active media user and who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower-end media users. Typically the opinion leader is held in high esteem by those who accept his or her opinions. Opinion leadership tends to be subject specific, that is, a person that is an opinion leader in one field may be a follower in another field. An example of an opinion leader in the field of computer technology, might be a neighborhood computer service technician. The technician has access to far more information on this topic than the average consumer and has the requisite background to understand the information, though the same person might be a follower at another field (for example sports) and ask others for advice.

The 2 basic definations of Opinion Leaders can be as follows in terms of

1. General: Influential members of a community, group, or society to whom others turn for advice,   opinions,and views.

2. Marketing: Minority group (called early adopters) that passes information on new products (received from the media) to less adventuresome or not as well informed segments of the population. However, only products such as automobiles, books, and clothing are susceptible to such influencers whereas appliances, food, toiletries, etc. are not.

The video below highlights that how politics and media misrepresent the public which makes changes in their opinion.

3.PEER PRESSURE

It refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member (for example, political party, trade union), or a social clique. A person affected by peer pressure may or may not want to belong to these groups.



Who Are Your Peers?

When you were a little kid, your parents used to chose your friends, and then they used to put you in playgroups with certain children that they knew. Now that you're older, you decide who your friends are and what groups you spend time with.You only at a certain level decide what you are doing and who are the people in and around you.

Friends — your peers — are people your age or close to it who have experiences and interests similar to yours. You and your friends make dozens of decisions every day, and you influence each other's choices and behaviors. This is often positive — it's human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.

As you become more independent, your peers naturally play a greater role in your life. As school and other activities take you away from home, you may spend more time with peers than you do with your parents and siblings. You'll probably develop close friendships with some of your peers, and you may feel so connected to them that they are like an extended family.

Besides close friends, your peers include other kids you know who are the same age — like people in your grade, church, sports team, or community. These peers also influence you by the way they dress and act, things they're involved in, and the attitudes they show.
looking at the above example it can be seen that how people are having peers since their childhood

The video below that how people get under pressure by seeing some good thing and then try to do it in the same way

Syed Jafri

Business and marketing management student

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