Final answer:
Churchgoers are more likely to adhere to group norms or expectations. Conformity is impacted by regular attendance and the social structure of religious communities. Young people are especially influenced by conformity factors within these settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Individuals who attend church are more likely to comply with group norms or expectations. Engaging in informal or individual practices within a religious community can contribute to this compliance. Moreover, conformity showcases the extent to which an individual aligns with the behavioral standards of the group. Regular attendance at religious services, such as those by Jehovah's Witnesses and certain Protestant denominations, builds a social structure that may influence newcomers to comply with the existing norms and also allows for discussions regarding moral and ethical standards among peers. This can result in a tendency to prioritize group cohesion, which might lead to altering behavior to please others within the church, rather than encouraging critical thinking.
Furthermore, just as adolescents might defer to their parents or peer groups when making decisions, conformity within religious settings can be influenced by various social agents, including religious authority figures, parents, or peers within the community. Importantly, this can impact young people's attitudes towards religious practices, beliefs, and overall social behavior, as they negotiate their identities within their reference groups.
Asch's conformity experiments further demonstrate the pressure to conform within any group setting, which suggests that church attendance can be a powerful factor in an individual's tendency to align with group norms or to comply with perceived expectations.