Effects of non-conformity on perceived status and competence: examining the moderating role of Physical attractiveness

Abstract

The present study attempts to examine how people perceive non-conforming behavior and what do they infer about subjects who demonstrate non-conformity.Interviews were conducted to determine the operational definition and perception about non-conformity. Analysis of the interviews revealed that non-conformity is attributed to not abiding by the rules that have been defined or laid out by an authority in a particular context. Scenario-based experiments were conducted, and the obtained data were analyzed to reach a conclusion regarding observers’ perception about non-conforming individuals in a collectivist culture. The results showed that non-conforming behaviour leads to a negative inference about status and competence.Also, we found that the attractiveness of non-conforming individuals does not lessen the negative inferences derived by the observers in a collectivist culture. The findings can be extended to devise several communication and signalling strategies to influence the mass behavior in a collectivist culture, like India. The study provides us insights about achieving social objectives as well as driving behavioral change in a collectivist context.