What is the nature of conformity and nonconformity and why do people conform?
Define conformity and nonconformity and explain the psychological and social reasons people conform or resist
A focused answer on the nature of conformity and nonconformity in the HSC Society and Culture option, defining the terms, explaining why people conform through socialisation and group pressure, and the roots of nonconformity with Australian examples.
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What this dot point is asking
The Social Conformity and Nonconformity option opens by asking what these behaviours are and why they occur. NESA wants you to define conformity and nonconformity precisely, explain the psychological and social reasons people align with or depart from group norms, and recognise that both are normal and necessary parts of social life. This foundation underpins the later study of social control, deviance and change. Expect short-answer items defining the terms and self-concept, world view and related ideas, and extended responses that reward applying the explanations to real Australian behaviour.
The answer
Defining conformity and nonconformity
Conformity is the alignment of an individual's attitudes, beliefs and behaviour with the norms, values and expectations of a group or society. Nonconformity is the departure from those expectations, whether deliberate or unintended. Neither is inherently good or bad: conformity provides order, predictability, cooperation and belonging, while nonconformity can bring innovation, freedom and reform. A strong answer treats both as functional and necessary rather than judging one as positive and the other negative.
The role of self-concept and world view
Conformity and nonconformity are shaped by how people see themselves and the world. Self-concept is a person's sense of who they are, built through interaction and feedback from others. World view is the overall framework through which a person interprets reality. People tend to conform to groups that affirm their self-concept and world view, and nonconformity often expresses a self-concept or world view that diverges from the mainstream. These concepts connect the option to identity and socialisation.
Why people conform
People conform for both social and psychological reasons. Socialisation instils norms from birth through family, school, religion, peers and media, so much conformity is internalised and unconscious. People also conform to gain acceptance and avoid rejection (normative influence) and because they look to others for cues about correct behaviour (informational influence). Classic social psychology on group pressure and obedience shows how strongly people align with the group, sometimes against their own judgement. Deindividuation, the loss of individual self-awareness in a group or crowd, can further increase conformity to group behaviour.
Why people do not conform
Nonconformity arises from independent values, conscience, a strong self-concept, subcultural identity or the conviction that a norm is unjust. Some nonconformity is private and harmless, such as personal lifestyle choices; some is public and deliberately challenges the social order. Social cognition, how people perceive and judge others, shapes how nonconformity is received, often through stereotypes that label the nonconformist as deviant. People differ in their willingness to stand out, shaped by personality, circumstance and the strength of their convictions.
Conformity, nonconformity and the Australian case
Both behaviours are visible across Australian life. Conformity appears in following workplace dress codes, road rules, social etiquette and shared rituals such as Anzac Day commemoration. Nonconformity appears in subcultures, fashion and lifestyle choices, conscientious dissent and protest. The same person conforms in some settings and dissents in others, showing that conformity and nonconformity are situational rather than fixed traits. Grounding the definitions in concrete Australian behaviour sets up the analysis of social control and change.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of NESA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
2021 HSC5 marksAccount for internalisation as a response by individuals to social influence. Support your answer with relevant examples.Show worked answer →
Internalisation is the deepest form of conformity, where an individual genuinely accepts a group's norms and values as their own, both publicly and privately. "Account for" means explain why it occurs.
Reasons include sustained socialisation that embeds values from childhood, the desire to belong and the need for a coherent identity, and informational influence, where a person comes to believe the group is correct. Because the belief is truly accepted, internalised conformity persists even when the group is absent.
Use examples: a person raised in a faith who genuinely holds its values, or someone who comes to sincerely adopt a group's environmental ethics. For 5 marks, define internalisation, distinguish it from mere compliance, give two or three reasons, and support with an example.
2018 HSC5 marksExplain why individuals acquiesce to social influence.Show worked answer →
Acquiescence (compliance) is going along with a group's expectations outwardly, often without private agreement. For 5 marks, explain the reasons.
Individuals acquiesce because of normative social influence (the desire to be accepted and to avoid rejection or ridicule), the wish to avoid negative sanctions or conflict, the influence of authority and perceived legitimacy, and the comfort of following the group in uncertain situations. Acquiescence is typically public and may not reflect genuine belief, unlike internalisation.
Support with an example such as following a workplace dress code or going along with peers to fit in. Give two or three distinct reasons and link them to the desire for acceptance and avoidance of sanction.
2020 HSC5 marksHow does deindividuation influence a person's behaviour? Support your answer with reference to relevant examples.Show worked answer →
Deindividuation is the loss of individual self-awareness and personal responsibility that can occur in a group or crowd, especially when anonymous. For 5 marks, explain its effect on behaviour.
In a state of deindividuation, people feel anonymous and less accountable, so they are more likely to act on group norms and impulses they would normally restrain. This can produce conformity to crowd behaviour and, at times, antisocial or aggressive acts they would not commit alone, because personal identity and self-regulation are reduced.
Use an example: behaviour in a large crowd at a protest or sporting event, or online anonymity enabling abuse. Define deindividuation, explain the mechanism (anonymity and reduced responsibility), and link it to a concrete behavioural example.