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Psychology Factsheets
www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 147

Conformity and obedience: Same or different?

This factsheet outlines the broad types of social influence, focusing Obedience
on the main similarities and differences between conformity and In contrast to conformity, obedience is related to authority. It is
obedience and different explanations of why people conform and based on following the instructions and behaviour of an authority
obey. figure directly.

The Factsheet includes: B. Explanations of why people conform

a. Exam links – tips on what to include (or not to include) in an A range of explanations have been put forward in relation to why
essay answer, as well as how to structure your answer. people conform.
b. Examiner comments – tips on how to avoid common mistakes
and how to get the best marks. Explanations of conformity Example
c. Glossary – key words are defined in bold and defined in a glossary
Normative social influence A Massacre in Nanking (1937)
at the end.
want to be ‘liked’ and a fear It was made the norm by the
d. Worksheet – questions based on the factsheet that can be used
of ‘rejection’. Only on the Japanese government that the
to check your learning.
surface do these people Chinese were inferior, and that
conform – they may secretly these beliefs were the correct
The examiner will expect you to know:
disagree. ones to hold in Japan. This led
- The difference between conformity and obedience
to the murder of millions of
- Different types of conformity
Chinese people at the hands of
- Studies relating to conformity and obedience
the Japanese due to
- Real life application of conformity and obedience research
compliance.
- Explanations for conformity and obedience
- Ethical issues relating to social research Informational social Fein et al. (2007) During
influence Pressure from the presidential debates in the
A: Broad types of social influence group can make one doubt USA, people’s opinions on
What is social influence? their own beliefs and how well candidates stated
This refers to the way in which our beliefs and behaviours are genuinely change their their case was influenced by
influenced by other people. We are unaware of much of this influence, beliefs to that of the group. simply finding out what other
but it is something that affects most people in everyday life. The people thought about it. E.g.
term ‘social influence’ is an umbrella term encompassing different By finding out other people
types of pressure. thought X gave a good
argument, they would also
Examiner comment: A disappointing number of students answer express this opinion.
questions on conformity using obedience: and vice versa. Make Social impact theory Asch (1955) Conformity rose
sure you know which is which. Suggests people are more from 14% to 32% when a
likely to conform in certain majority of two was increased
Conformity situations. E.g. conformity is to a majority of three. The
This is based on changing your behaviour to make it more similar to more likely if there are more conformity rate was 37% when
that of a group. It could be that the group manages to change your people and those people are the majority grew to 7-9.
opinion so that you agree with their beliefs and/or actions OR it important to the person.
could be that you conform to not be the ‘odd one out’.

Examiner comment: When faced with questions relating to C. Explanations of why people obey
different types of conformity, some students become confused A range of explanations have been put forward in relation to why
and use obedience as a type of conformity – it is not. people obey – these are different to explanations to why people
conform.
Types of conformity The flag of the German Nazi party
Conformity can generally be split into three types (Kelman, 1958).
1. Compliance: Some people comply with others ideas/behaviours
by agreeing externally, but this is to fit in with the crowd.
Internally, the person does not change their beliefs.
2. Internalisation: Some people accept others’ points of view and
go along with these because they have internally changed their
opinion to agree.
3. Identification: Some people have the desire to be accepted by
others and therefore change their ideas/behaviours due to such
a strong desire to want to be liked.
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147 - Conformity and obedience: Same or different?
Explanations of obedience
Agency theory
If a person is being asked to do something by someone of a higher
authority, they may not feel personal responsibility for their actions
– that they are an ‘agent’ for someone else. This can lead to
obedience.
Justification
If the act can be clearly justified to the person e.g. if the importance
of the act is highlighted, and ‘makes sense’ to the person, they are
more likely to obey.
Buffering
If the consequences of the act are not immediate or are separated
from the person, they are more likely to obey. If the effects of what
they have done are not ‘real’ for them.
Exam Hint:- Exam questions relating to why people conform
or obey require you to outline the explanations and also
evaluate these explanations. You can do this by considering
supporting and refuting evidence, and issues of validity and
reliability and practical applications.
D. Similarities between conformity and obedience
Exam Hint:- There are a number of similarities between
conformity and obedience and it is important that you clearly
understand these, as well as the differences, to be able to
choose the correct material for an exam question.
1. Social influence:
One similarity between conformity and obedience is that they are
both types of social influence i.e. how our thoughts and/or behaviour
are affected by others.
Conformity: Social influence was exerted on participants in Latane
& Darley’s (1969) ‘smoke filled room’ experiment. Participants did
not leave a room or report a fire, if others were in the room and
ignored the smoke - thus suggesting conformity to others.
Obedience: In addition, Sheridan & King (1972) found participants
followed the orders of an authority figure to give electric shocks to
a puppy - thus suggesting obedience.
Examiner comment: It is important that you realise that there is
more to social influence research than Asch’s and Milgram’s
studies.
2. Yielding to social influence:
Research suggests that many people yield
to both conformity and obedience. Even
though people may not yield to group
pressure or orders constantly, evidence
suggests many people can be influenced
in some way.
Conformity: Asch (1955) suggested that around 75% of participants
conformed to the incorrect majority at least once.
Obedience: Milgram (1963) suggested that 65% of participants
obeyed orders to administer a ‘dangerous electric shock’ to another
human being.
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Example
Nazi Germany
This may explain why so many German soldiers, followed orders to
kill others who may have once been their neighbours.
Milgram (1963)
When participants tried to quit the research, they were reminded of
its scientific value. They then continued to obey.
Weapons of mass destruction
This may explain why people are willing to release weapons that
would kill thousands of innocent people. The impact is not immediate
nor close
3. Avoiding pressure/independent behaviour:
Another similarity is that some people can avoid the pressures of
both conformity and obedience.
Conformity: Perrin & Spencer (1980) found that only 1 of their 22
British pps (in a replication of Asch’s research) went along with the
‘wrong answer’ because the rest of the group did – thus suggesting
a lack of conformity.
Obedience: Rank & Jacobson (1977) found that only 2 of 18 nurses
followed ‘odd’ orders involving administering valium – thus
suggesting a lack of obedience.
4. Importance:
Conformity and obedience are both important for society to function
effectively as they lead to predictability in behaviour and prevent
chaos.
Conformity: Conformity is important, as it allows society to run
smoothly such as conforming to paying in a shop, or conforming to
wearing clothes when you leave the house.
Obedience: Obedience is also an important aspect of society, as it
ensures society works effectively e.g. at work, doing what your
boss tells you to get a job done.
5. Danger:
However, another similarity between conformity and obedience is
that they can both be dangerous. When people bow to social
pressure they may commit acts that they may not have every thought
they would. There are many devastating real life events in which
conformity and obedience have played a large role. One of the
biggest events is the Holocaust during World War Two. Millions of
people were killed due to soldiers going along with others and
following the orders of their superiors – even though it is highly
unlikely that they had a real belief in the cause.
Conformity: 1937 saw a quarter of a million Chinese inhabitants
killed at the hands of the Japanese. Many Japanese soldiers stood
and watched as others buried alive their Chinese captives. They
showed no sense of empathy or sorrow, suggesting they were
following each other’s behaviours and conforming to the norm of
the group.
Obedience: Arendt studied the case of the Nazi soldier Eichmann,
who arranged for over 6 million Jews to be transported to death
camps. It would seem that Eichmann was not an ‘evil’ person but
was simply following his orders – thus showing the horrific
consequences of obedience.
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147 - Conformity and obedience: Same or different?
6. Ethical issues:
In terms of ethical guidelines, research into both conformity and
research into obedience often falls short. This is generally due to
issues of deception and lack of informed consent.
Conformity: Asch did not gain informed consent from his
participants for his 1955 research ‘Opinions and Social Pressure’.
Participants were deceived about the nature of the research i.e.
they were told they would be taking part in a ‘line judgment task’
when they were really taking part in conformity research.
Obedience: Milgram did not gain informed consent from his
participants for his 1963 research ‘Behavioural study of obedience’.
Participants were deceived about the nature of the research i.e.
they were told they were taking part in a ‘teacher and learner task’,
when they were really being judge on what extent they would follow
orders.
In addition, possible protection from psychological harm issues
may have been a problem in both studies.
Conformity: Asch’s participants may have felt foolish for conforming
and this could have affected their own self-concept.
Obedience: Milgram’s participants showed signs of severe distress
e.g. digging nails into skin and seizures, when having to ‘shock’ the
learners.
However, it is important to point out that research such as Asch’s
and Milgram’s into conformity and obedience simply could not
happen if the participants were aware of the aims of the research.
This is due to demand characteristic. Both researchers debriefed
their participants after the research, and explained the full aims of
the study and offered support and guidance. Without breaking
ethical guidelines this type of research would not exists, thus there
is a delicate ethical balance to gain between the welfare of
participants and the value of the research.
Exam Hint:- Ethical issues in social influence research are
useful discussion points when answering questions regarding
the balance of scientific benefits measured against ethical
costs in Psychology.
7. Modern day applications:
Conformity and obedience are also similar
in that they can be applied to modern day
events. Psychologists can revert back to
mid-twentieth century research to explain
behaviours in contemporary society.
Conformity - London Riots 2011: Only 26%
of the rioters who took part in the summer
riots in London had previously spent time in prison. In addition,
many of those interviewed after the event argued they had never
stolen goods beforehand and got caught up in the atmosphere and
followed other’s behaviour. This suggests the rioters conformed to
the group norm.
Obedience - Abu Ghraib: In 2004 the world learned of the US military
treating Iraqi prisoners in a horrific manner. Many of the ‘privates’
followed the lead of their superiors in acts that included holding
prisoners on leashes and sitting on the prisoners. This suggests
that, still today, people will obey and follow their superiors.
However, as with Rank & Jacobson’s nurses, some people can defy
authority, and one soldier brought the abuses to the attention of
the press.
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Exam Hint:- When asked to consider the aims and context of
social influence research (e.g. Asch or Milgram) students should
ensure any research they discuss came chronologically before
the main study, otherwise no marks will be rewarded. Later
research can be discussed when evaluating studies in
reference to other research.
E. Differences between conformity and obedience
Exam Hint:- Exam questions ask about either conformity or
obedience, therefore you must be confident you understand
the difference between the two, which studies support the ideas,
and how they helps us to understand human behaviour.
1. Following who?
Obedience: Obedience relates to following orders of a perceived
authority figure. For example, this could be a police officer or a
teacher. It involves seeing someone as ‘above you’ and a feeling
you must complete tasks asked of you, even if you disagrees with
the task and outcomes. E.g. Milgram (1963) found people gave
supposed dangerous electric shocks to other people simply because
the perceived authority figure was telling them to.
Conformity: In contrast conformity relates to following others of
the same status as yourself. It is about ‘fitting in with the crowd’
and showing independent behaviour. You can conform to a majority
i.e. when a majority of people agree to viewpoints/actions different
to your own, and you change your view/behaviour to fit the majority.
Conformity to a majority can be based on compliance or
internalisation. E.g. Asch (1955) found (when interviewing
participants after his line task) a limited number of participants
conformed because they believed they were wrong and internalised
the view of the majority, and others conformed to avoid any
condemnation from the other group members but internally still
judge their own thoughts as reliable (compliance).
However, one can also conform to a minority. This usually involves
internalisation. E.g. Moscovici (1969) found that people’s opinions
could be changed by a minority when judging the colour of slides.
32% of participants doubted their perception that the slide was
blue and agreed with the minority – that it was green - at least once.
Exam Hint:- Research into both majority and minority influence
can be recycled and used again in more specific questions at
A2 level. For example, when examining the factors that can
affect juries decision making, Asch’s research into majority
influence and Moscovici’s research into minority influence can
be suggested as supporting research.
2. When is it more likely?
Rates of conformity and obedience vary depending upon the
situation, the type of people involved, the relationships of the people
involved and the number of people involved.
When is Conformity more likely?
a. Ambiguity of the situation
People are more likely to conform if the situation is ambiguous i.e.
when the task becomes more difficult conformity increases. E.g.
Asch found that when the differences between the lengths of lines
were made smaller (and hence more ambiguous and difficult) people
were more likely to conform.
However, Lalancetter and Standing (1990) completed a more
ambiguous version of Asch’s research but found no conformity in
their participants.

147 - Conformity and obedience: Same or different?
b. Self-worth
People are also more likely to conform if they are not confident in
themselves and do not have a high sense of self-worth. E.g. Lucas
et al. (2006) found that pps were more likely to conform to others
when trying to solve a maths question when they were not confident
in their own abilities compared to those who were.
c. Size of the group
When considering majority influence, the size of the group can
have an effect on conformity levels. Asch (1955) found that when
changing the size of the group from 1-15, conformity increased from
nearly none with only one other person present, to 14% when two
other people were present, to 32% when three other people were
present. However, Asch suggested there were no significant
increases to conformity with increases in group size after three.
d. Whether the group is unanimous
When considering majority influence, another persuading factor is
the unanimity of the group. If everyone in the group gives the same
answer/shows the same behaviour, then this produces higher
conformity levels than if someone in the group wavers from the
group’s decision. E.g. Asch (1955) found that participants conformed
1/3 less when one person in the group gave a different incorrect
answer to the rest of the group, and participants conformed only ¼
as often when another person gave the correct answer i.e. the
participant was given an ally.
Examiner comment: Sometimes students add irrelevant content
to their answers. For example, if a questions asked about the
‘procedures’ of Asch’s research, no marks will be gained by
explaining what he found.
e. Culture and time
There is some evidence to suggest that the type of culture a person
lives in will influence their likelihood of conformity, as will the time
in which they live. It is thought that since Asch’s (1955) famous
research, levels seem to have declined in individualistic cultures.
This perhaps suggests Asch’s findings lack historical validity –
producing results that only apply in that culture (USA) at that time
(1950s). E.g. Studying conformity, Smith and Bond (1988) suggest
that conformity is higher in collectivist cultures than individualistic
cultures. In addition, rates of conformity in individualistic cultures
have been declining since the 1950s.
Examiner comment: When asked to evaluate the methodology
of Asch’s or Milgram’s work, students should avoid a list-like
answer grounded on praising how the research was set-up. They
should consider a range of strengths and weaknesses which
may be based on validity or other methodological points such
as reliability.
Exam Hint:- Research such as Asch’s can be used when
answering questions based on issues of cultural bias in
Psychology.
g. Gender
Asch’s (1955) research included only male participants as it was
thought females would be more likely to conform anyway due to
women’s position in 1950s America. However, since then research
has suggested there are differing rates of conformity for males and
females. Eagly and Carli (1981) analysed 145 conformity studies
and found that women showed higher rates of conformity than
men.
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Interestingly, Mori and Arai (2010) in their modern twist of Asch’s
(1955) research, involving participants wearing glasses that changed
their perception of the lines, found rates of conformity for women in
modern society to be similar to that of men in the 1950s, yet men’s
conformity had dropped to close to nothing. This could be linked
to differing societal sex roles in which women prefer to be a part of
a group and get along in a group, thus being more likely to conform.
h. Consistency of the minority
Finally, when considering minority influence, the more consistent
the minority is in their ideas and beliefs, the more likely people are
to conform to their ideas (Wood et al. 1994).
When is Obedience more likely?
When we talk of obedience, we often talk of negative situations in
which people obey and cause harm to others. We are going to keep
this in mind when considering factors that effect obedience. In
particular, being able to disassociate yourself with the act e.g. by
blaming your actions on the person who gave the orders or by
separating yourself from the victim, can help a person deal with
their actions.
a. Proximity of the victim
Obedience levels can be increased with greater physical distance
from the victim. E.g. Milgram (1963) found obedience decreased
when the ‘learner’ was put into the same room as the participant,
the level dropped from 62.5% to 40%. Obedience levels were reduced
even further when the participant had to inflict the ‘pain’ themselves
– by holding the ‘learner’s’ hand onto the shocking device.
Exam Hint:- When discussing Milgram’s research in an exam
answer, make it clear that you understand that the ‘learner’ did
not receive any real shocks!
Examiner comment: When asked to consider the ‘findings and
conclusions’ of Milgram’s research, students should ensure that
they do not omit the conclusions and only discuss findings. In
addition, for all studies of social influence, students should not
draw their own conclusions but simply report those of Milgram
(or Asch).
b. Proximity of the authority figure
In addition, obedience levels can be increase with greater physical
closeness to the authority figure. Milgram found that when the
‘experimenter’ (the authority figure) was not in the room, the
participant’s obedience decreased e.g. by defying instructions
completely, or pretending they are following instructions but in fact
giving weaker shocks. Only 21%reached the maximum shock level
without the authority figure present.
c. Presence of allies
Obedience levels decrease when other people seem to defy the
authority. E.g. Only 10% of Milgram’s participants continued to
shock ‘learners’ when other teachers withdrew their co-operation.
In addition, Rank and Jacobson found 16 of 18 nurses refused to
obey ‘odd’ orders when they were allowed to discuss with other
colleagues.
d. Type of personality
People with certain types of personality are more likely to obey
than others. Adorno et al. (1950) suggested that people who have
an ‘authoritarian personality’ which tends to involve being
submissive to those of a perceived higher status than themselves
but unfriendly and unsympathetic to those perceived as of lesser
status are more likely to be obey orders than others.
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147 - Conformity and obedience: Same or different? Psychology Factsheet

e. Gender
Whereas conformity levels seem to differ between men and women, obedience levels do not. E.g. Milgram found the same rate of
obedience for both men and women (65%).

Exam Hint:- To clearly show you understand the difference between conformity and obedience, you must choose the correct studies
to illustrate your answer.

3. How it happens:
Obedience is generally clear and obvious e.g. completing a task in class because your teacher told you to, whereas conformity can be more
subtle or even fictional e.g. feeling pressure from friends to drink alcohol because they are doing so.

Conformity: Asch (1955) found that around 75% of participants conformed to the incorrect majority at least once, even though they were
never asked to come to a group decision, answer unanimously or take into account other people’s opinions.

Obedience: Hofling et al. (1966) found that when specifically asked by ‘Dr Smith’ to administer drugs against hospital regulations 21 of the
22 nurses did so. They responded to a direct order.

Examiner comment: when evaluating research such as Milgram’s with reference to other evidence (e.g. Hofling), students should not
describe the alternative evidence in detail. This will gain few marks. Instead they should concentrate on assessing how and why that
evidence supports or refutes the main study.

Glossary
• Abu Ghraib – prison in Baghdad known for human rights abuses by American soldiers on Iraqi prisoners during the war on Iraq.
• Chronologically – ordered in relation to time.
• Collectivist culture – where an individual sees themselves foremost as a member of a group, and puts the needs of that group before
their own.
• Compliance – going along with others but not necessarily agreeing inside.
• Conformity – behaving in a way that is similar to others.
• Deception – to mislead a person in some way e.g. by lying to them. In psychological research this may deceiving a participant about
the aims of research.
• Demand characteristics – when a participant ‘works out’ the aim of psychological research and changes their behaviour in accordance
to this.
• Holocaust – a Nazi-organised persecution and murder of around 6 million Jews and others in the 1930s-40s.
• Identification – a change of belief/behaviour due to a desire to be liked.
• Independent behaviour - when a person does not yield to social influence and acts/responds in an individual manner.
• Individualistic culture – where an individual puts the needs of themselves and people close to them before the needs of society in
general.
• Informed consent – telling a participant of psychological research exactly what they will be taking part in and having them agree to this.
• Internalisation – going along with others as you accept their ideas or behaviours as correct.
• Majority – most people within a group.
• Minority – few people within a group.
• Obedience – following the orders of an authority figure.
• Practical applications – how the findings of psychological research can be applied to real life e.g. to improve the quality of peoples’
lives.
• Protection from psychological harm – during psychological research participants should not be harmed in anyway. This includes
mental stress and the lasting effects this might have on a participant.
• Proximity – nearness in relation to place and people, time or order.
• Reliability –the extent to which results are consistent. I.e. whether the same results would occur if a study was repeated.
• Self-concept – a person’s belief about themselves
• Social influence – how other people can affect your behaviour.
• Unanimous – when everyone agrees.
• Validity – the extent to which results paint a true picture of behaviour in the real world. I.e. the extent to which people really do conform
in real life situations.

Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Alice Kettel.
The Curriculum Press, Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU.
Psychology Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136

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147 - Conformity and obedience: Same or different? Psychology Factsheet

Worksheet: Conformity and obedience: Same or different?

Name
1. Conformity and obedience are similar in that people yield to both. Briefly explain a study where people conform with others, and one
study where people obey orders.

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2. Conformity and obedience are similar in that some people can resist both. Briefly explain one conformity study and one obedience
study which suggest independent behaviour.

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3. Conformity and obedience can be applied to modern day events. Briefly explain one modern day event where people have conformed
and one modern day event where people have obeyed.

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4. Identify and briefly explain one factor that could make conformity more likely. Outline a study that supports this view.

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5. Identify and briefly explain one factor that could make obedience more likely. Outline a study that supports this view.
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