Conformity

Conformity
Conformitycan also be simply defined
as yielding to group pressures
(Crutchfield, 1955).
Conformity is also known asmajority
influence(or group pressure).
Behaving in the same way as most
other people in a group.
When an individual adheres to group
norms and standards, it is called
conformity.

Conformity
Conformity - a "change in a person's behavior
or opinions as a result of real or imagined
pressure from a person or a group of people
Conforming is acting at odds with one's
beliefs or perceptions because others are
acting that way.
Conformityis a type of social influence
involving a change in belief or behavior in
order to fit in with a group.
Anti-conformity is not the same thing as nonconformity. It is acting contrary to the desires
and expectations of others (norms) as a
reaction to the others.

 In many situations, we are uncertain how to think

or to act. We use the behavior of others to help us
figure out what is going on in the situation and
what to do about it.
Informational social influence occurs when we
conform because we see other people as a source
of information.
We conform because we believe that others
interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more
correct than ours and will help us choose an
appropriate course of action.

 Man (1969)states that the

essence of conformity is yielding
to group pressure. He identified
three types of conormity:
Normative, informational and
ingratiational
Kelman (1958)distinguished
betweenthree different types
of conformity: Compliance,
Internalization and identification .

Types of Social Conformity

Normative Conformity

Informational Conformity

Yielding to group pressure

because a person wants to
fit in with the group.
Conforming because the
person is scared of being
rejected by the group.
This type of conformity
usually involves
compliance where a
person publicly accepts the
views of a group but
privately rejects them.

This usually occurs when a

person lacks knowledge
and looks to the group for
guidance or when a person
is in an ambiguous (i.e.
unclear) situation.
This type of conformity
usually involves
internalization where a
person accepts the views
of the groups and adopts
them as an individual.

Compliance

Internalization

Publicly changing behavior to fit

in with the group while privately
disagreeing.
Publicly changing behavior to fit
In other words, conforming to
in with the group and also
the majority (publicly), in spite
agreeing with them privately.
of not really agreeing with them
(privately).
Ingratiational Conformity

Identification

Where a person conforms to

impress or gain
favor/acceptance from other
people.
It is similar to normative
influence but is motivated by the
need for social rewards rather
than the threat of rejection, i.e.,
group pressure does not enter
the decision to conform.

Conforming to the expectations

of a social role.
Similar to compliance, there
does not have to be a change in
private opinion.

Why conform?

A.Informational influence- Behavior of others might convince

us that our original judgment was incorrect. The group's
behavior provides valuable info about what is expected.
B.Wish to avoid punishment(such as rejection or ridicule) or
gain rewards. We are concerned about our social image and
outcomes.
C.Groups create barriers to independent behavior.
1.Risk of disapproval from other group members. By
deviating too far, individuals risk rejection.
2.Lack of perceived alternatives. A member may not realize
he has any other choice but conformity. (In Milgram
experiments, subjects were told they had no other choice.)
3.Fear of disrupting the group's operations. People fear
independence will hamper the attainment of group goals.

4.Absence of communication among group members.

Lacking information that others might join in the
nonconforming action, they avoid going out on a limb.
5.No feeling of responsibility for group outcomes. Members
who conform may cause a group to fail to meet its
objectives. They hesitate to take the initiative to turn the
situation around, especially if they do not feel personally
responsible for the group's success or failure.
6.A sense of powerlessness. If a person feels that he
cannot change the situation, he is unlikely to try anything
new. The apathy becomes self-fulfilling. No one tries
anything different, and consequently, nothing improves.

Characteristics of
conformity
Influence by peers: People have the need to fit in with the
societynot many people dare to be different. Psychologists have
discovered that even the most independent-minded of us will
conform to social pressure when we are with a group of people
Emphasis on importance: People see being accepted by
others and the sense of belonging as something much more
important than actually being right or wrong in a situation.
Regulates behaviour: The fact that people want to be alike
and to beable to relate to others makes it easier for their
personal views tobe manipulated by the group norm,
sometimes, a look of disapproval canbe enough for someone to
keep their viewpoints quiet and decide toagree with the
majority.

Behaviour similarities to peers: Often with people within

the samesocial section, such as of the same age, gender,
race, or religion, tend to act like and behaviour by a
member of these social groups thatdoesnt fit in with the
tendencies it would be frowned upon withintheir social
group.
Psychological need to be accepted: If someone
persistently refuses toagree with the group, he or she is
frequently rejected and ignored.Humans have the need to
be in groups and have people to relate to, weall need some
form or companionship, and for this reason most of ustend
to tweak our attitudes slightly if these cause people to not
wantto be around us.

When Will People Conform to

Normative Social Influence?

1. When the Group Size is Three or More:

conformity does not increase much after group size
reaches 4 or 5 other people (Figure 8.6).
2. When the Group is Important: Normative
pressures are much stronger when they come from
people whose friendship, love, or respect we
cherish.
3. When One Has No Allies in the Group: when
only one other person gave the right answer, the
level of conforming to the group dropped to only 6%
(from 32%). This influence explains how members
of cults or other groups can maintain beliefs that
seem ridiculous to most others.

4. When the Groups Culture is Collectivistic:

Differences in cultures individualist vs. collectivist
orientation have implications for conformity. Berry (1967)
suggested that hunting cultures will favor independence
while agricultural cultures will favor cooperation and
conformity.
5. The Effect of Low Self-Esteem: Some evidence
suggests that people with low self-esteem are more likely to
conform.
6. Gender Differences in Conformity: The difference
between men and women appears most in group-pressure
situations where conformity occurs in public; in private the
difference virtually disappears.

What increases or decreases conformity?

A.Unanimity
Conformity was most likely when all the confederates agreed. If one of
the confederates disagreed, even if it was also an incorrect answer, the
participant was significantly less likely to conform.

B.Group size i) With only one confederate- 3% of participants conformed

ii) With two confederates- 14% of participants conformed
iii) With three confederates- 32% of participants conformed
iv) Larger group- did not increase the rate of conformity
v) Very large group- decreased the level of conformity
C.Cohesiveness. The more attracted individuals are to the group, the
more likely they are to conform to its dictates.

D.Status(of the person who is being asked to obey).

George C. Homans takes the view that both high and low
status individuals conform less than those intermediate in
status. He reasons that one deviation is unlikely to risk the
position of a high status person, and that low status people
have little to lose by nonconformity.
E.Self esteem. Individuals who have a generally low
opinion of themselves are far more likely to yield to group
pressure than those with high self-esteem. Participants with
hight self-esteem were less likely to confrom to incorrect
responses.
F.Culture. Norwegians conform more than the French.
Japanese students are more willing to take a minority
position than American Students.

G.Publicity and surveillance. The greater the publicity

and surveillance associated with the behavior, the greater
the conformity.
H.Prior commitment. Once people have given an
answer, they are much more likely to stick with it than
when they hear others first. Those who state own opinions
first are much less open to influence.
I.Legitimacy of authority. We have been conditioned to
believe that scientists are responsible, benevolent people of
high integrity.
J.Closeness of authority. When orders were given by
telephone, the number of fully obedient subjects dropped to
25%.

 K.Personality. Studies have tended to look at similar people in

strong situations. Dissimilar people in weak situations may show
more differences. i.e. put Mother Theresa and Charles Manson
together in an everyday situation, and personality may play a
more prominent role.
L.Difficulty and ambiguity. The more difficult the task or the
more ambiguous the stimulus, the greater the conformity. Where
the task is difficult, we are more likely to look to others as
sources of information regarding appropriate courses of action.
M.Allocation of resources. Equitable sharing of resources
heightens people's tendency to comply and requires less
surveillance to produce compliance.
N.Guilt. When we commit a wrong, we feel guilty. We seek to
atone by complying with another person's wishes.

 O. Confidence When individuals feel that they are more competent

to make decisions with regard to a field of expertise, they are less
likely to conform.
P. Dissent As soon as there's someone who disagrees, or even just
dithers or can't decide, conformity is reduced
Q. Self-presentation if one is trying to present himself as
intelligent, he will be perceived as more intelligent if he does not
conform (when the influence attempts are obvious to the audience)
R. Need for individuation the desire to maintain ones uniqueness
makes individual less conforming
S. Desire for personal control People who have desire to make
their control on group will not conform
T. Conformity and mood Moods can have complex effects on
conformity, but there's some evidence that we're more likely to
conform when we're in a good mood than a bad mood