The article, “Conformity and Group Mentality: Why We Comply” by Samantha P. Lumbert, from the Rochester University of Institute, argues that conformity causes individuals to lose their identity in order to fit in with a certain group. Another article, “Chapter 6-Conformity and Deviance,” found on the University of Kentucky website, claims that conformity causes a person to develop a need to be accepted or have a higher social status. Conformity is taking away the identity of individuals, leaving them with nothing but the question of, “who am I?”

Why people conform/the effects of it:

“There have been numerous studies that illustrate the ways in which human beings strive to be accepted as part of--or at least avoid being rejected by--a social group” (University of Kentucky 23). Humans have an innate desire to fit in, regardless of what it will cost them. As a result, individuals wear a mask to conceal their true self. They believe that in order for them to fit in, they cannot express who they truly are, and they must keep their beliefs to themselves. In the Puritan community that Hester Prynne lives in, the townspeople all have the same beliefs, besides Hester, of course. Hester believes that she should not be publicly shamed and shunned for her sin, but instead should be punished by God, which does not sit well with the town.

Another reason for conformity

“When people feel they belong to the minority of a group they become reluctant to express their own opinions because they can foresee negative consequences of not fitting in with the majority” (Lumbert 6). Even when individuals are happy with the group that they are in, they still feel the need to conform. They feel like they have to remain in their current state of not expressing themselves to prevent rejection. Dimmesdale, in The Scarlet Letter, is pleased because he knows that the townspeople adore him, but, eventually, his guilt weighs him down. Although his guilt is constantly tugging on his heart, he chooses not to reveal the truth until the last minute, because he is afraid of the Puritans hating and shunning him.

Conclusion
Conformity is seen everyday, especially in smaller communities where there is less of an option to be yourself. With conformity leaving individuals identity-less, these people begin to question and search for who they are. This can spiral out of control, leaving the individual with a sense of longing to know their identity, like it happened for Dimmesdale. Instead of conforming, people should wonder whether they are doing something for the benefit of pleasing others or pleasing themselves.