#178: Untruth of the Crowd, Asch Paradigm & the Conformity Dilemma
3 Ideas in 2 Minutes on Individualism and Conformity
I. Untruth of the Crowd
The crowd provides us with a sense of security and belonging. But it's also capable of exerting significant social pressure that can lead individuals to conform against their better judgment. 19th-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it like this:
Still, more terrible, however, is the danger of going along with the crowd. In truth, there is no place, not even one most disgustingly dedicated to lust and vice, where a human being is more easily corrupted — than in the crowd. Even though every individual possesses the truth, when he gets together in a crowd, untruth will be present at once, for the crowd is untruth.
—Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations
II. Asch Paradigm
To what extent does social pressure influence individual opinions, behaviour and decisions? Imagine you’re being put in a room with seven strangers. You’re asked a series of questions, which the strangers all answer incorrectly. You know for a fact that the majority is wrong. Would you change your answer just to conform to the group?
The Asch Conformity Experiments were a series of trials famously conducted by psychologist Solomon Asch in the 1950s. A participant was placed in a room with several actors and asked to complete a simple task of matching the length of a line to one of three comparison lines.
The actors were in on the experiment and followed their instructions to unanimously give incorrect answers. Around 75% of participants conformed to the group by giving the wrong answer at least once. Reminiscent of groupthink, here’s what Asch noted about the experiment:
The tendency to conformity in our society is so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people are willing to call white black. This is a matter of concern. It raises questions about our ways of education and about the values that guide our conduct.
—Solomon Asch
III. Conformity Dilemma
How do you square the circle of individualism and group dynamics and solve the Conformity Dilemma? In his infamous bestseller The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene urges you to Think As You Like But Behave Like Others:
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
—Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power
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Have a great week,
Chris
themindcollection.com