A conformist is a person who does not have great pretensions in the activity he performs or who, when faced with adverse situations, tends to resign himself easily. Conformism can come from fear and avoidance or from comfort and resignation.
Conformism is a limitation in our skiing development. There is no greater incongruity than not feeling good about the way we ski and yet, precisely because we are conformed, do not try to change it.
Adopting a conformist attitude destroys our aspirations because we reach such a comfort zone that we are not willing to cross it. Conforming to bitter skiing realities experienced day by day just because we do not believe that we can improve is fateful.
This conformist attitude leads us to think that it is socially accepted to be mediocre and may even contain traits of pessimism. On certain occasions, this behavior leads us to affliction because we renounce to our desires, which turns into harmful conformism; while on others we choose to be conformed with what we have, enjoying reality and accepting the present moment.
Social influence on the conformist skier
The social context establishes a significant disposition for our individual perception. In social conformity, we modify an attitude so that it is socially accepted. In other words, we possess a constituted opinion or norm and rectify it by adapting it to the judgments, opinions, and norms of other people due to pressures, real or imagined, exerted by them.
When acting within a specific group or in a general social context, if we are conformists, we tend to assume with resignation adverse or unfair circumstances and do not think, even if we need to, of modifying our situation. We let the influence of others act and comply with the behavior of the majority.
By allowing ourselves to be influenced by the opinion of others, we use a cognitive shortcut saving from having to think and decide for ourselves. This behavior, i.e., continually yielding to the beliefs of others, ends up deteriorating our self-esteem by making us feel less than others, leading to a negative self-perception.
As conformist skiers, we tend to externalize some of the following aspects:
- Unconsciously internalize ourselves by group norms.
- Exhibit excessive enthusiasm for compliance.
- Identify with the power figures of the group to which we belong.
- Want to be equal to others by avoiding being different, inferior, or appearing foolish.
- Doubt our own perspective on the issue, so we assume the decision of the majority.
- Tend to claim to be a participant in the behavior of others in order to give a good ‘image’.
Taking skiing as a social context, there are certain general patterns involved in private and public matters:
- In internalization, we modify our appreciation to align it with the opinion of others in terms of believing one thing (private matter) but then accepting what the majority believes (public matter).
- In complacency, we adjust our opinion in the eyes of others but privately we maintain our own position.
- In conversion, we produce a modification of our opinion but do not manifest it in public.
- In independence, we do not generate any modification in private or public matters.
The two main reasons for conformism are:
- Informational social influence referring to our tendency to conform to the behavior of others when we experience confusion about how to conduct ourselves in uncertain situations. This generates the need to reduce uncertainty by seeking certainty in the sources of information, i.e., perceiving other skiers as models to which we can compare ourselves to elucidate confusing situations. Here, the behavior of others tells us how to act in a similar way by taking advantage of ‘external information’.
- Normative social influence is the other component which refers to the need to be accepted by others (social approval) in terms of not making a fool of ourselves or not being labeled as ‘different’. Here, we are prone to act as others expect us to act and thus be regarded and accepted socially. We first form the idea of the social norms that prevail in a certain setting, e.g., in a group lesson or a new racing team, and then gradually conform to these norms. Both conditions demonstrate our dependence on the judgment of others.
Concluding, it can be considered that being a conformist skier is neither a negative nor a positive attitude but it is due to the conditions of the environments in which we develop. In our case, it is essential that we conform to the social norms established in our area, respecting the rules of conduct in the mountains so that our own behavior and that of others is predictable.
