Do people often imitate each other automatically and without conflict? Why do television producers insert canned laughs into sitcoms as a way to increase viewer responsiveness? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Of course, you don't have to be a social psychologist to realize that we impact the behavior of others. The question that arises here is: how is this possible and with what effects? In this essay I will discuss influences that come in different shapes and sizes, pressures that are placed on a person due to conformity. As social animals, people are vulnerable to influencing each other. We often yawn when we see others yawn and laugh when we hear others laugh. To prove the point, a researcher stopped on a busy street in New York City, looked at the sixth-floor window of a nearby building. Footage shot from behind the window indicated that approximately 80% of passersby stopped and looked up when they saw these researchers looking up. Social psychologists talk about conformity as the tendency of people to change their perceptions, opinions, and behaviors in ways that are consistent with group norms. Keeping this definition in mind, one can define oneself as a conformist or non-conformist. Applying this to myself, I have to ask myself some questions. Do I ever feel obligated to follow what others do? At first I may want to deny the tendency to conform and, instead, declare my individuality. Have I ever attended a wedding dressed in blue jeans or sat there while my grandparents entered my room. People find it extremely difficult to violate social norms. To illustrate this point, in the same book by Milgram & Sabini (1978), a social psychology research assistant was supposed to ask subway passengers to give up their seats, which is an obvious violation of the rule. However, many researchers were unable to carry out the task. Those who attempted this experiment became so anxious that they pretended to be ill to make their request seem justified. It is clear that conformism exists in everyone, everywhere. It is interesting, if ironic, that psychologists who ask researchers to perform a certain task often do not dare to do it themselves. Instead, they reinterpret the task and rationalize their behavior as a way to see themselves as nonconformist and independent. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay People have mixed feelings of conformity. In any case, some compliance is necessary if a person needs to coexist peacefully. However, at other times, conformity can have harmful consequences, such as smoking among teenagers at my school or telling offensive jokes because others do the same. What matters for a social psychologist is to understand the conditions in which people move and the reasons for that particular behavior.