Conformity

What is social comparison?

• The process of evaluation one’s abilities, opinions, and worth by comparing them to others to determine how they are supposed to behave or/and validate our own behaviour and opinions

• social comparison results in conformity

What is conformity?

• the change of behaviour as a result of real or imagined group pressure or norms.

What are the 2 key influences that cause conformity?

 informational and normative social influence

What is informational social influences?

• need for certainty

• when an individual is in an ambiguous situation, they engage in social comparison to figure out how to behave

what is normative social influences?

• the need for social acceptance and approval

•  Individual conforms in order to be accepted by others and fit in

What is pluralistic ignorance?

• special form of conformity

• social phenomenon where individuals personally rejects a group’s norm but mistakenly believe that most others accept it

• leads to lack of action and perpetuates the harmful behaviour

• bystander effect and issues arise in dangerous situations

What is the bystander effect?

A psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help someone in need when others are present

What studies support conformity?

Asch (1956)