A different sort of conformity involves reference groups. These are groups we choose as points of reference when we are trying to evaluate something or decide something. We look to these groups to get our criteria or standards as to what to do or not do. Think about this in your own life. The concept of reference group is closely related to that of role model, a person viewed as a pattern or guide for behavior.
Group size can also influence our behavior.
The smaller the group, the more responsibility each member has to assume for the group's functioning. Georg Simmel studied very small groups. Dyads, or two person groups, virtually require intense interaction because there are only two persons to make the group work. Partly because of the intensity, dyads are unstable. That is another source of instability.