From what we wear and what we watch to where we hang out and who we hang out with, we're under a lot of pressure to follow the crowd. But when you follow your soul, you lose the crowd.” Consider the concept of group polarization. There is a heuristic most of us use to determine what to do, think, say, and buy: the principle of social proof. Many heroes of the Bible—Noah, Abraham, Moses, the prophets and Jesus Himself—did exactly that. But Einstein understood one problem of following the crowd – you will just be one of them if you follow. It’s not a shame to go down a busy road, but if you’re tired of following the crowd, there are plenty of other paths to explore and plenty of good reasons to take them. While most people are influenced by others, and we have a desire to be social and "popular", there are also a small percentage of people that do not follow the crowd, and because they don't want to be influenced by others, they are seen as "abnormal" or "weird." Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. We are influenced over time and, partly through self-deception, we eventually conform our thinking to that of our adopted group. One of those dynamics which I keep coming to is how crowd expectations and crowd psychology play into the performances on stage. Being an achiever is not without its difficulties, for peculiarity breeds contempt… Doing so is the normal course of human nature. Play on the neighborhood ball team. In the context of our passage, Pontus Pilate poses the question to the crowd. The group as a polarizer of attitudes. I truly enjoyed this article, as it gave me different perspectives on just how much humans conform to each other. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.”, Some have the courage to shun conformity, “march to their own drummer” and choose what is right instead of what is popular. We use the decisions of others as a heuristic, or mental shortcut, to navigate our lives. Look at Bernie Sanders. This is as true of gang members as it is of a fraternity, a charity or a church. 1. The discussions on controversial topics led to increased agreement within the groups. You need to believe in the power of creation within you and that you can be the best. In helping yourself, you help those that surround you, and bit by bit, help make a better society. This human tendency to conformity has been studied for decades by social psychologists. We follow the trends, we dine at popular restaurants, we follow other people’s paths. Following the crowd allows us to function in a complicated environment. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 7(4), 317-331. doi:10.1177/1368430204046141. These behaviors include banding together and promoting social harmony. Put differently, visitors thought it was “normal” to take small pieces of wood, because so much was stolen every year. follow the crowd definition: 1. to do what most other people do: 2. to do what most other people do: . Learn more. It may seem that we are in control of our thoughts and behavior. But when the crowd’s values are false, conformity is wrong. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. I don’t. Second, they asked about their attitude toward Americans. Most of us do not have time to increase our knowledge of all merchandise and … May these quotes inspire you to break away from the crowd and live the life of your dreams. People often form religious beliefs based on social identity. Following the crowd has been a topic we discuss everyday whether consciously or unconsciously. I find it a very interesting subject with a lot of puzzle pieces and different dynamics involved. Majority Rule, 4 Steps for Using Social Norms to Persuade and Influence, Pre-Suasion: Before You Try to Persuade Someone…, Social Influence, Groupthink, and the Coronavirus. Do you tweet? BOOKING: http://xceltalent.com/ TWITTER: http://tinyurl.com/om56fzw INSTAGRAM: http://tinyurl.com/p9g9n8w FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/bxd2xp8 Nonstop Vol. Following the crowd will cause you to be mediocre, living a life of self-betrayal, and resigned to an average life. Thank you for your examples as they give insight to what is being discussed here. If the crowd was always right, with values based on truth, conformity would be positive. After a discussion, groups who held a tentative consensus became more extreme in their opinions. It is human nature to want to fit in. Lee, D., & Hatesohl, D. (n.d.). What’s interesting is that the temptation to follow the crowd is often strong. Found your article to be very informing and thought provoking help you need to believe the... 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