CONFORMITY

JULY 16 2019
 CONFORMITY
• 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.
 TYPES OF CONFORMITY

• COMPLIANCE.
• IDENTIFICATION.
• ​INTERNALIZATION.
 COMPLIANCE
• the lowest level of conformity.
Here a person changes their
public behavior, the way they act,
but not their private beliefs. This
is usually a short-term change
and is often the result of
normative social influence
 COMPLIANCE
• For example, you might say that you
like dub-step music because many
other people in your class like dub-
step music and you wish to fit in,
however privately you dislike this
style of music.
 IDENTIFICATION
• the middle level of conformity. Here
a person changes their public
behavior and their private beliefs,
but only while they are in the
presence of the group. This is a
usually a short-term change and
normally the result of normative
social influence.
 IDENTIFICATION
• For example, a person may decide to
become a vegetarian because all of
his new flat mates are vegetarian.
However, whenever he walks past a
MacDonald’s he can’t resist a Big
Mac and when he is away from his
flat mates he still eats meat.
 INTERNALIZATION
• the deepest level of conformity.
Here a person changes their
public behavior and their private
beliefs. This is usually a long-term
change and often the result
of informational social influence
(ISI)
 INTERNALIZATION
• For example, if an individual is
influenced by a group of Buddhists
and converts to this faith, then their
new religious way of life will
continue without the presence of the
group and they have internalized this
belief.
 Deutsch and Gerard (1955) identified
two key reasons why people conform:.
• INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCE
• NORMATIVE INFLUENCE
 INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCE
• happens when people change their
behavior in order to be correct. In
situations where we are unsure of
the correct response, we often look
to others who are better informed
and more knowledgeable and use
their lead as a guide for our own
behaviors. In a classroom setting.
 INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCE

• for example, this might involve

agreeing with the judgments of
another classmate who you
perceive as being highly
intelligent.
 NORMATIVE INFLUENCE
• Normative influence stems from a
desire to avoid punishments (such as
going along with the rules in class
even though you don't agree with
them) and gain rewards (such as
behaving in a certain way in order to
get people to like you).