Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Moynihan A.;Igou E.;van Tilburg W.
2019
April
European Journal Of Social Psychology
Lost in the crowd: Conformity as escape following disbelief in free will
Published
6 ()
Optional Fields
conformity existential psychology free will meaning self-awareness
49
3
503
520
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Belief in free will is founded on the idea that people are responsible for their behavior. People who believe in free will derive meaning in life from these beliefs. Conformity refers to succumbing to external pressures and imitating others¿ behaviors. Sometimes, conformity involves a loss of self-awareness, which reduces perceived meaninglessness. We tested if disbelief in free will increases perceived meaninglessness and if people subsequently become more conformist to address this negative existential perception. We conducted three studies to test this hypothesis. In Study 1, experimentally induced disbelief in free will resulted in perceived meaninglessness. In Study 2, perceived meaninglessness correlated with conformity. Finally, in Study 3, perceived meaninglessness mediated the relationship between disbelief in free will and conformity, especially under high self-awareness. We conclude that perceptions about meaning play a central role in the relationship between disbelief in free will and conformity.
0046-2772
10.1002/ejsp.2499
Grant Details