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Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group.
This change is in response to real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms/expectations) group pressure.
Conformity can also be simply defined as “yielding to group pressures” (Crutchfield, 1955). Group pressure may take different forms, for example bullying, persuasion, teasing, criticism, etc. Conformity is also known as majority influence (or group pressure).
Jenness (1932) was the first psychologist to study conformity. His experiment was an ambiguous situation involving a glass bottle filled with beans.
He asked participants individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. Jenness then put the group in a room with the bottle and asked them to provide a group estimate through discussion.
Participants were then asked to estimate the number on their own again to find whether their initial estimates had altered based on the influence of the majority.
Jenness then interviewed the participants individually again and asked if they would like to change their original estimates or stay with the group’s estimate. Almost all changed their individual guesses to be closer to the group estimate.
Types of Conformity
Kelman (1958) distinguished between three different types of conformity:
Compliance(or group acceptance)
In other words, conforming to the majority (publicly) in spite of not really agreeing with them (privately). This is seen inAsch’s line experiment.
Compliance stops when there are no group pressures to conform and is, therefore, a temporary behavior change.
Internalization(genuine acceptance of group norms)
This occurs “when an individual accepts influence because the content of the induced behavior – the ideas and actions of which it is composed – isintrinsically rewarding. He adopts the induced behavior because it is congruent [consistent] with his value system” (Kelman, 1958, p. 53).
Internalization always involves public and private conformity. A person publicly changes their behavior to fit in with the group while also agreeing with them privately.
This is the deepest level of conformity, where the beliefs of the group become part of the individual’s own belief system. This means the change in behavior is permanent. This is seen in Sherif’s autokinetic experiment.
This is most likely to occur when the majority has greater knowledge and members of the minority have little knowledge to challenge the majority’s position.
Identification(or group membership)
This occurs “when an individual accepts influence because he wants to establish or maintain a satisfying self-defining relationship to another person or group” (Kelman, 1958, p. 53).
Individuals conform to the expectations of a social role, e.g., nurses and police officers.
It is similar to compliance as there does not have to be a change in private opinion. A good example isZimbardo’s Prison Study.
Man (1969) identified an additional type of conformity:
Ingratiational
This is when a person conforms to impress or gain favor/acceptance from other people.
Why Do People Conform?
Deutsch and Gerrard (1955) identifiedtwo reasons why people conform:
Normative Conformity
Informational Conformity
Conformity Examples
Sherif (1935) Autokinetic Effect Experiment
Aim: Sherif (1935) conducted an experiment with the aim of demonstrating that people conform to group norms when they are put in an ambiguous (i.e., unclear) situation.
Method: Sherif used a lab experiment to study conformity. He used the autokinetic effect – this is where a small spot of light (projected onto a screen) in a dark room will appear to move even though it is still (i.e., it is a visual illusion).
It was discovered that when participants were individually tested, their estimates of how far the light moved varied considerably (e.g., from 20cm to 80cm).
Results: Sherif found that over numerous estimates (trials) of the movement of light, the group converged to a common estimate. The person whose estimate of movement was greatly different from the other two in the group conformed to the view of the other two.
Sherif said that this showed that people would always tend to conform. Rather than make individual judgments, they tend to come to a group agreement.
Conclusion:The results show that when in an ambiguous situation (such as the autokinetic effect), a person will look to others (who know more / better) for guidance (i.e., adopt the group norm). They want to do the right thing but may lack the appropriate information. Observing others can provide this information. This is known as informational conformity.
Non Conformity
Not everyone conforms to social pressure. Indeed, there are many factors that contribute to an individual’s desire to remain independent of the group.
For example, Smith and Bond (1998) discovered cultural differences in conformity between western and eastern countries. People from Western cultures (such as America and the UK) are more likely to beindividualisticand don’t want to be seen as being the same as everyone else.
This means that they value being independent and self-sufficient (the individual is more important than the group) and, as such, are more likely to participate in non-conformity.
In contrast, eastern cultures (such as Asian countries) are more likely to value the needs of the family and other social groups before their own. They are known ascollectivist culturesand are more likely to conform.
References
Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.),Groups, leadership and men. Pittsburg, PA: Carnegie Press.
Crutchfield, R. (1955). Conformity and Character.American Psychologist, 10, 191-198.
Deutsch, M., & Gerard, H. B. (1955).A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgment.The journal of abnormal and social psychology, 51(3), 629.
Jenness, A. (1932). The role of discussion in changing opinion regarding a matter of fact.The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 27, 279-296.
Kelman, H. C. (1958).Compliance, identification, and internalization: three processes of attitude change.Journal of Conflict Resolution,2, 51–60.
Mann, L (1969).Social Psychology. New York: Wiley.
Sherif, M. (1935). A study of some social factors in perception.Archives of Psychology, 27(187) .
Smith, P. B., & Bond, M. H. (1993).Social Psychology Across Cultures: Analysis and Perspectives. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
