Authenticity, Conformity, and Social Identity among Young Adults

Authenticity and conformity are two important aspects of life and development that seem at odds.We were interested in additional nuances in authenticity and conformity during early adulthood.Using a sample of 560 college adults (64.3% women), we tested the ways authenticity was: relatedto conformity with current social group memberships (e.g., political affiliation, scripted faithinvolvement); related to pressures to fit in with close others (e.g., family, friends, romanticpartner); relevant to life storytelling about changes in personal values; and operated for identitydevelopment between majority and minority group members. We found support for nuanced rolesof authenticity and conformity with others that fit our expectations. Authenticity complementedadherence to current group values (e.g., religious involvement among faith practitioners); wasnegatively related to pressures to conform to close figures’ values; was negatively related to theuse of social motives in recollecting previous value changes and development; and authenticitywas negatively related to ethnic identity assimilation to dominant values among Black andMultiracial adults but was positively related to assimilation among White adults. We discuss theways fit with longstanding views about fundamental motives for affiliating with others and theneeds for genuine and well-integrated self-presentation.