从众 (cóngzhòng)

从众 describes the social phenomenon where individuals change their behavior, opinions, or actions to match the majority or the group. It is a core concept in social psychology, closely related to peer pressure and groupthink. While 从众 can promote social harmony, excessive conformity may suppress individuality and independent thinking.

Meanings

noun/verb conformity; to conform, to follow the crowd, to go along with the majority

Example Sentences

从众心理是人类社会中普遍存在的现象。 Cóngzhòng xīnlǐ shì rénlèi shèhuì zhōng pǔbiàn cúnzài de xiànxiàng. The conformity mentality is a universally present phenomenon in human society.

她拒绝从众，坚持了自己的看法。 Tā jùjué cóngzhòng, jiānchí le zìjǐ de kànfǎ. She refused to conform and stuck to her own view.

从众行为在青少年群体中尤其常见。 Cóngzhòng xíngwéi zài qīngshàonián qúntǐ zhōng yóuqí chángjiàn. Conformist behavior is especially common among teenagers.

盲目从众可能导致错误的决策。 Mángmù cóngzhòng kěnéng dǎozhì cuòwù de juécè. Blindly following the crowd can lead to wrong decisions.

研究发现压力越大从众倾向越明显。 Yánjiū fāxiàn yālì yuè dà cóngzhòng qīngxiàng yuè míngxiǎn. Research finds that the greater the pressure, the stronger the tendency to conform.

他不愿从众，总是寻找独特的解决方案。 Tā bù yuàn cóngzhòng, zǒngshì xúnzhǎo dútè de jiějué fāng'àn. He was unwilling to conform and always looked for unique solutions.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
从众心理	conformity mentality
从众行为	conformist behavior
盲目从众	blindly following the crowd
从众倾向	tendency to conform
拒绝从众	to refuse to conform

Usage Notes

从众 is used both as a verb (to conform) and as a noun modifier (conformity). The compound 从众心理 (conformity psychology/mentality) is extremely common in Chinese social psychology discussions. 从众 carries a slightly negative connotation of losing one's individuality, but it can be neutral in descriptive contexts.

Do not confuse 从众 with 服从 (to obey/submit), which implies obeying authority rather than following a peer group.

Memory Hook

从 means "to follow" and 众 means "the masses/crowd" — 从众 is literally following the crowd.