In a classroom at SMCC an exercise takes an unexpected turn. Students were placed into groups of three and all  asked the same question to which we would respond with “true” or “false.” Simple questions became daunting. “True or False: It takes around 1-3 minutes when reading over a resume to know if it is a keeper or not.” as the speaker’s eyes locked with mine waiting for a response, I break out into a cold sweat. What if my answer is wrong and I look stupid in front of my peers? I choose to go with the same answers as the others, “False,” against my better judgment. The guest speaker then explains that the answer was true, and once again embarrassment washes over me. A simple question triggered fight or flight purely because my peers were watching, what if I got an easy question wrong?

Human behavior is influenced by our social groups, and that influence can be extremely profound. The desire to fit in  influences our actions, sometimes prompting us to act in ways that contradict our personal values or views. Conformity can make it difficult for people to think critically or express views that might be different from the majority. 

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery paints a vivid picture of the dangers  of conformity. Jackson demonstrates how deeply established conformity can be by describing how a crowd as “cheerful,” despite the dreadful fact that they are going to stone someone to death. In the story. The townspeople follow an ancient ceremony without ever questioning its morality or purpose. The story begins with a conversation amongst  a family getting ready for a big town event. Then it moves to the gathering where children are laughing as their parents each take a piece of paper out of a box. When the mother of the family realizes she has the paper with the black mark she starts to panic. All of the townsfolk begin to pick up rocks and stone her to death before going on with their day. The lottery has become such a routine part of their lives that they don’t consider the harm it does. The villagers excitedly await the event, oblivious to the reality that it ends in a horrifying sacrifice. They’re so focused on preserving the tradition that they fail to recognize the repercussions, resulting in a tragedy.

This phenomenon has sometimes been described as “groupthink,” in which people are more concerned about maintaining group cohesion than they are about making ethical decisions. Individuals in this situation might be hesitant to speak up or question the group’s judgement, even if they are aware that something is wrong. Groupthink can reduce creativity and critical thinking, making it harder for people to make ethical choices or question harmful practices.

Group behavior can lead to people making more extreme decisions, a process known as “group polarization.” This occurs when people in group discussions take more extreme opinions than they previously held. The film, Blackfish, follows former SeaWorld trainers who were aware of their abuse of animals and continued to work anyway. Initially, several of the trainers were unsure how they felt about their time at SeaWorld and the group dynamic caused them to think the abuse was okay. After ethical concerns surrounding the captivity of killer whales was brought into question, their opinions changed causing a mass resignation. Both the abuse of animals and the mass resignation are perfect examples of group polarization: when members of a group begin to push one other to change their views.

Back in the classroom, the speaker continued the exercise. I started to rely on my own thoughts instead of trying to figure out what my peers were thinking. This proved more useful as I happened to get the majority of the remaining questions correct. It is critical for people to maintain their ability to think for themselves, especially in group settings. Encouraging open communication and welcoming different perspectives can help prevent group dynamics from influencing decisions in negative ways. By recognizing the psychological forces at play, we can be more mindful of how our desire to belong shapes our decisions and we can then take steps to ensure that our choices align with our beliefs, even when the pressure to conform is strong.