The first type of social influence is conformity. Conformity is defined as yielding to group pressures (Crutchfield, 1955). The examples for group pressure are bullying, teasing, and criticism. According to Man (1969), there are three types of conformity such as normative, informational and ingratiational. However, Kelman (1958) dignified the differences between the three different types of conformity through the course of compliance, internalization and identification. The normative conformity states that the yielding to group pressure occurs in accordance where a person wants to adjust themselves in the group by accepting the point of views given by the group while privately disagreeing their perception which is known as compliance. This …show more content…
Compliance means an individual only does a work by following the instruction, suggestion or request of someone else. There are many techniques used by a person to ensure compliance such as the foot in the door technique, the door in the face technique and the low-ball technique. Freedman and Fraser (1966) assumes that the foot in the door technique usually involve where an individual agrees to make a small request which will increases the likelihood of asking a largest request which apparently difficult to refuse it. For example, when one of your friend ask you a favor to lend her the psychology notes since she missed the last psychology class although it seems to be a small reasonable request yet again after a week she asks to borrow all of your psychology notes which seems to be a large request. This technique entirety with the principle of consistency (Petrova et al, 2007) which means that as long as the request asked is constant with the original small request. The door in the face technique usually involve when a person refuse a large request which indeed increases the likelihood of accepting the second, smaller request which it is difficult to refuse it as they should not deny all the time. For example, you make a request to your boss to increase 20% of your salary since it does not meet the demands of your family expenses. Then, when it is refused, you make a smaller and realistic request where you ask for 10%
The most basic concept in social psychology is conformity. Conformity is the idea that behaviour or a belief is changed in order to follow, or conform, to what is considered the “norm.” One of the oldest experiments to support this notion was conducted in 1935 by Muzafer Sherif (Song, Ma, Wu, Li, 2012 p. 1366). There are two different types of
So far, conformity has been discussed in terms of group identification and social roles. However, individuals also tend to change prior beliefs to seek group acceptance. Asch (1951) investigated the effect of group pressure on conformity by asking participants to make a line judgment with seven confederates that gave the same obviously incorrect answer. Yet, 37% of participants conformed by giving the incorrect majority answer, whereas in the absence of group pressure, less than 1% of participants conformed (Asch, 1951). There are implications on normative influence as individuals, despite knowing the majority opinion was incorrect, may conform to avoid social punishment (Breckler et al., 2005). However, Turner and colleagues (1987) argued
The definition of conformity is the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. The motivation behind normative conformity is the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers
Participants were not under any explicit demand to conform, as they received no physical or verbal coercion to do so. The specific hypothesis centered on the idea, “if group pressure can play influence and effect individuals perception, decision and attitudes”. The independent variable will be “Procedure”, and the dependent variable is the “level of conformity did change”.
People have been changing their behavior or obeying someone else’s commands for years. This continues today in our everyday lives. Conformity and obedience seem similar but differ in several ways. Conformity is defined by psychologists as a change in behavior or belief to accord with others. Similar to this, is obedience. Obedience is defined acting in accordance with a direct order or command. Normally people conform to reap a reward or to avoid punishment. If we comply with a direct order or command it is considered obedience. Most of the time when people comply, it is to be accepted among others so they are not seen as outsiders. On the other hand, when we obey, we are obeying a command an authority figure gives. Conformity and obedience like this can be seen in groups such as cults.
Elliot Aronson (2012) provides a definition of conformity, two social psychological processes that underlie a conformity and cited examples of reasons why people conform in the book, The Social Animal. Aronson (2012) defines a conformity as “a change in a person’s behavior or opinion as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people” (p.19). In accordance with Aronson’s (2012) definition of conformity, people do conform owing to the social influence, which are two main social psychological processes: belonging and getting information.
Cialdini, Robert B, & Trost, Melanie R. (1998). Social Influence: Social Norms, Conformity, & Compliance. Interpersonal Phenomena. Retrieved from: angel.elmira.edu/section/default.asp?id=w114_PSY3010_01.
The fear of social rejection and punishment led members to conform to Jones’s ideals, demonstrating normative social influence because they were willing to conform. As negative as the outcome was, the members' conformity makes sense, they believed Jones knew better than they did, and they just wanted to fit in with the group. Both aspects are normal human behaviors and can be seen in almost any situation worldwide. Research Article: Power and legitimacy influence conformity The article Power and legitimacy influence conformity examines the idea that people in positions of power influence conformity through the legitimacy of their position. The authors hypothesize that both power and legitimacy affect the level of conformity displayed by individuals, specifically legitimate power will decrease conformity while illegitimate power will increase it.
One psychological process underlying majority influence is through direct public compliance. The dual-process dependency model which was postulated by Deutsch and Gerard, (1955 in Hogg and Vaughan 2007) proposes two important motives for conformity: normative social influence and informational social influence. Normative social influence refers to the need to be accepted and approved by society. This involves individuals to modify their behaviours and to adopt new/current ones that are associated with the particular social group so that they are not rejected (in Hogg & Vaughan 2007). An example of this situation can be reflected in Asch’s (1956 in Baron et al. 2008) study of conformity in which participants conformed to the majority group but at the same time maintained their own private opinions and disagreed. This process is known as compliance (in Bailey, J.et al. 2008).
In a society that is overrun by social networks, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, the idea of nonconformity is obsolete. Two great philosophers of the Transcendentalist Movement, Henry David Thoreau and Waldo Ralph Emerson, have commented on conformity in the modern world. Thoreau took the idea of nonconformity to a completely new level in his philosophical novel Walden, and Emerson, a great friend and contemporary of Thoreau, made various comments on conformity in the modern world. Thoreau advocates complete nonconformity in all areas of life, but this view is controversial among many individuals. In contemporary society, many individuals believe that people should always follow the accepted norm or should always march to their own drummer, but people should take a moderate approach and march to their own drummer in some areas of life and follow the accepted norms in others.
In the three essays; The Perils of Obedience by Stanley Milgram, Group Minds by Doris Lessing, and Opinions and Social Pressure by Solomon E. Asch, the mutual question is how people act when pressure is being put on them. From experiments of obedience with authority to experiments with pressure in group situations, they cover human reactions. The main points are how someone acts under the pressure of obedience when the authority is in the room, the obedience when the authority is on the phone and also the pressure being put on in group situations. The argument being how people can alter their beliefs or answers when put under pressure.
Comparatively, compliance and obedience may result in intentionally acting in opposition to internal beliefs, so long as there is a motivating force behind doing so, but obedience must have some figure of authority in a hierarchy guiding the action.
Conformity is defined as the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. Normative conformity is motivated by the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers are smoking,
This world is full of opposing forces. Good and bad, followers and leaders, rebels and tyrants. When it comes down to it all these forces are recurring instances of conformity and nonconformity. Conformity is excellently portrayed by Benjamin the donkey from George Orwell's animal farm, and contrarily nonconformity is excellently displayed in Ruby Bridges’s revolutionary role as the first african american girl to attend a formerly all white elementary school. Conformity involves subservience while nonconformity involves rebellion and and pushing boundaries. Both conformity and nonconformity can cause positive and negative repercussions. What we’ll see is that nonconformity usually produces positive repercussion and vice versa.
According to “Psychology The Study of Mind and Behavior”, by Michael Passer, there are certain times when, due to certain variables, people are more or less likely to conform. People are more likely to conform if informational social influence or normative social influence are present. Informational social influence is when people conform because they believe it is right or that the information supporting the social norm is correct. Normative social influence is when people conform to fit in or be accepted, therefore also reaping any rewards from being apart of the group. The power of conformity is also strongest when the whole group agrees, but people are more likely not to conform if there is someone in the group who disagrees. This minority influence, as it is called, is even more effective in lessening conformity if the person or people disagreeing hold their position over time (Passer). I personally believe the best way to learn how to resist social influence is to thoroughly analyze the situation. Consciously process what the group is doing, why, and if you personally believe in or agree with it. By working to be consciously aware of the social norms, and reasons for them, we can learn to better resist