“Conformity” is action that is (i) oriented to a social norm or norms and (ii) falls within the range of behaviour permitted by the norm. When a person accepts both goal and means, the result is generally “conformity”.
Thus, a student who values higher education and thinks that the college rules are necessary for earning a degree, always tries to conform to the rules to get the degree. His is the typical, normal, conventional attitude and behaviour.
‘Conformity’ thus implies behaving in accordance with the norms. It is not limited to the external behaviour alone. It implies that the individual consciously approves of a particular behaviour and is prepared to follow the same.
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It does not mean that the norms must always be present in his mind. On the contrary, we do a lot of activities in accordance with the norms without being sufficiently aware of the norms.
Example: Walking on the right side of the road and riding on its left side, showing respect to the national flag when it is hoisted in a programme, respecting elders, dressing in a modest way, etc. Our behaviour is in conformity with the rules that we know. But we are not sure that in our behaviour the norms are always alive at the level of our consciousness.