Conformity involves changing your behaviour to “fit in” or “go along” with the people around you. In some cases, this social influence might involve agreeing with or acting like the majority of people in a specific group, or involve behaving in a particular way to be viewed as “normal” by the group. Actually, conformity is something that happens regularly in our social world. Sometimes we’re aware of our behaviour, but in many cases it happens without much thought or awareness on our parts. And even in some cases we go along with things we disagree with or behave in ways we know we shouldn’t.

There are countless examples of conformity in life. For instance, a teenager dresses in a certain style because he wants to fit in with the rest of the teenagers in his social group. A woman reads a book for her book club and really enjoys it. When she attends her book club meeting, the other members all dislike the book. Rather than go against the group opinion, she simply agrees with the others that the book is terrible.

Why do we conform? In many cases, looking to the rest of the group for clues for how we should behave can actually be helpful. Others might have greater knowledge or experience than we do, so following their lead can actually be instructive. And in some cases, we conform to the expectations of the group to avoid looking foolish. This tendency can become especially strong in situations where we aren’t quite sure how to act. Additionally, there are some situations where we conform just in order to avoid punishments or gain rewards.

There are many factors that influence conformity. For example, not knowing how to perform a difficult task makes people more likely to conform. Personal characteristics such as motivation to achieve and strong leadership abilities are linked with a decreased tendency to conform. And people are more likely to conform in situations that involve between three and five other people.

It was 11:30 at night in the Alaskan village of Igiugig, population 70. Nelson heard the rumble of a small airplane circling the nearby airport. “Any time a plane flies over that late, you know something is wrong,” as she told New York Times.

Nelson and her sister ran to the window, and saw the problem: The airport's runway lights were out.

Nelson threw on some clothes, jumped into her ATV, and floored it to the airport, where she found a local pilot trying to turn on the lights manually.

“Normally, if you push the button 10 or 15 times, the lights will just light up,” Nelson told KTOO out of Juneau. Not this time. Meanwhile, she and the pilot learned of the plane's urgent mission: It was a medevac, there to transport a seriously ill local girl to the nearest hospital, 280 miles away in Anchorage.

Nelson had a plan. Driving her ATV to the end of the runway, she shone her headlights on the tarmac(停机坪) for the plane to follow. Great idea, but it wasn't enough. More light was needed, so a neighbor called nearly every home in the village—32 of them, Within 20 minutes, 20 vehicles arrived at the airport, many of the drivers still in pajamas. Following directions from the medevac pilot, the cars lined up on one side of the runway.

The medevac made its final approach and, guided by the headlights, landed safely. The young patient was loaded onto the aircraft, and the plane immediately took off again. Her illness was never publicly revealed, but she has since been released from the hospital.

In a world filled with uncertainty, the little community's positive activism was a big deal. Not so much for Nelson. As she told CNN, in Igiugig, coming together “is kind of a normal deal.”

One of the most important things in the world is friendship． In order to have friends， you have to be a friend． But how can you be a good friend at school？

Listen ﹣ Listen when they are talking． Don't say anything unless they ask you a question． Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say； they just need someone to talk to about their feelings．

Help them ﹣ If your friend is ever in need of something， be there to help them． You should try to put them first， but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do． Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one． Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need．

Be there for them ﹣ Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times． Marilyn Monroe， a famous U．S． actor， once said， "I often make mistakes． Sometimes I am out of control， but if you can't stay with me at my worst， you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best．" Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times， then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!

Make plans ﹣ Try to make plans with your friends． Go shopping， go for ice cream， have a party， go to a movie and so on． Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy． By planning things together， you both can have a good time． And you'll remember these things when you're all old!