The pain and pleasure principle is a fundamental concept in understanding motivation, but it does not capture the full complexity and nuances of human behavior and decision-making.

Conforming to societal norms and expectations often represents a lack of courage to stand out and be true to oneself.

Conformity is not only motivated by fear. It is possible for decisions to be motivated by both pain and pleasure simultaneously.

Earl was paraphrasing the work of Rollo May in the wuote above. May, played a crucial role in founding existential psychotherapy in the United States and co-founded humanistic psychology alongside people like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Have a look at at his work (and others), then come back and let me know if you still think confomity is only caused by fear.