# Conformity **Domain:** Social psychology / Culture / Group behavior **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Conformity is the adjustment of belief, expression, or conduct toward perceived group norms or expectations. ## Mechanism and Significance Belonging, reputation, uncertainty, punishment, imitation, and shared language can make the group standard feel like reality itself. Conformity can coordinate action while also suppressing dissent and unusual perception. ## Evidence Boundary Agreement is not proof of conformity, and dissent is not proof of wisdom. The relevant questions concern pressure, evidence, independence, and the cost of deviation. ## Relationships [[wiki/Social Control|Social Control]] · [[wiki/Open-Mindedness|Open-Mindedness]] · [[wiki/Binary Opposition|Binary Opposition]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “The Sufi tale of the changing waters, told in Idries Shah's collections, explores conformity. A man who preserves old wisdom is called mad until he drinks the new water and is welcomed back. The story invites reflection on how societies define sanity.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Opening Your Genius Through Language, Abstraction, and Manifesting - Livestream (Jan 2016)* [[reminders/Conformity/Societies Can Define Wisdom as Madness by Bryant McGill|Societies Can Define Wisdom as Madness by Bryant McGill]]