Why Do So Many Neglect to Stray from the Herd?

 

Though sheep are fascinating creatures, I'm gonna assume you are talking about people and their insatiable desire to conform when you ask

Why Do So Many Neglect to Stray from the Herd?

 You know this question is loaded, right? I mean, it's legitimate and right and true, but it reveals something as well. We'll get to that in a minute. Here's the deal: Dr. Brian O'Leary, head of the UTC Psychology Department, says this about conformity:

All people have a need for affiliation. It's a personality trait that we have in varying degrees - some are low-need; others are high-need. Our affiliations - our pack - provide our social identity and a sense of importance as a member of a group. It is a discriminator - creating an us against them mentality, where we think of us as better than them. It also provides social norms, serving as a guide and basis for behavior. Finally, we are attracted to people similar to ourselves, so we will naturally gravitate to those who are like us.

Dr. O'Leary also mentioned Groupthink, which about.com defines as "a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group." It can be a scary concept, especially if you find people putting aside individual reservations to participate in a group activity that otherwise would not be appealing. For instance, hazing activities can be one of those things where you might question the behavior on your own, but in the moment, you choose the harmony of the group over disrupting that harmony - even if it means someone gets hurt.

Now, back to the loaded question and what it reveals. The words you use and the tone they set make me think you disapprove of such conformity, that you are the classic rebel who just can't understand why everyone - EVERYONE - has to have Croakies and Chubbies or athletic shorts and huge t-shirts. And maybe I'm wrong, but if you identify as a non-conformist, that's cool and fine and beautiful, but it's not altogether different from the conformists. You rebels out there still have a need for affiliation, for that sense of purpose and identity, but you have chosen to affiliate with or identify with a different set of norms. They're still norms. They are just less popular.

Whether conforming or rebelling, though, there's one thing that's true: THESE SHEEP ARE AWESOME

Cheers, Dr. Y