Defining Pluralistic Ignorance

Pluralistic ignorance is the phenomenon where individuals feel different from the majority, while in reality, they share the same views. It creates an illusion of deviance and a false belief that one is not aligned with the majority, even when the majority may have similar views. People in this situation tend to adhere to societal norms because they assume others genuinely believe in them, while in reality, the majority may also be conforming to play it safe. This leads to a collective shared false belief about everyone else's unshared true beliefs, resulting in a situation where everyone feels stuck following a norm that nobody wants to follow. Pluralistic ignorance is when a majority mistakenly believes they are in the minority, and no one believes, yet everyone thinks that everyone else believes.