Types of Conformity

How does Aronson define conformity?

‘A change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure’

What are the 3 types of conformity?

• Compliance

• Identification

• Internalisation

Compliance..

The shallowest level of conformity, in which the individual changes their behaviour to fit in with the group/avoid rejection. They don’t necessarily privately agree with the behaviour or belief, but they do agree publicly. Compliance is not permanent; it lasts only as long as the group is present. Compliance is generally due to normative social influence

Identification..

The intermediate level of conformity, the individual adopts the behaviour or beliefs of a group. The individual may or may not privately agree. They accept the groups norms out of a desire for a relationship or association with the group rather than a genuine internal agreement with everything the group stands for. This is liked to social identity, where an individual’s sense of who they are is based on their group membership

Internalisation..

The deepest level of conformity, the individual accepts the behaviour or belief of the majority publicly and privately, and it becomes part of their belief system. Internalisation is a permanent form of conformity, continuing even if the majority group is no longer present. Internalisation is most likely due to informational social influence

What are the two explanations for conformity?

• Normative social influence

• Informational social influence

Normative social influence..

Conforming to the majority to avoid rejection or being seen as an outcast; this is driven by a desire to be liked and gain social approval. An NSI is motivated by emotional reasons, the resulting change in view or behaviour is superficial and temporary

What does NSI lead to?

Compliance → where individuals publicly agree with the groups norms but maintain their private beliefs

Informational social influence..

Conformity to the majority because of a desire to be correct in situations where the right action or belief is uncertain (ambiguous); ISI is driven by the belief that others have more knowledge or correct information. An ISI is motivated by cognitive reasons (acceptance of new information), the resulting change in view or behaviour is genuine and permanent

What does ISI lead to?

Internalisation → where individuals genuinely accept the group’s norms or views, so they publicly align with the group’s stance and change their private beliefs

Asch’s research supports NSI - AO3

75% of participants conformed to the incorrect majority at least once despite the correct answer being obvious. Participants conformed not because they were unsure of the correct answer (which would suggest ISI) but because they wanted to avoid the discomfort of standing out or being rejected by the group. This is further supported by a variation in which participants could privately write down their responses, avoiding disapproval. In this variation the conformity rate dropped to 12.5%

Dispositional factors - AO3

There are dispositional (personality) factors that suggest conformity is not solely determined by situational factors (such as the desire for acceptance NSI or need for information ISI). nAffilliators strongly desire to belong to a group, be liked, and maintain positive interpersonal relationships (affilliation). As these individuals are more sensitive to social rejection, they are more likely to conform. In contrast, individuals with high confidence or an internal locus of control are less likely to be influenced by the pressure to conform

Difficult to separate the influence of the two explanations - AO3

When participants self report their reasons for conforming, people might not be fully aware of their true motivations. In real life ambiguous or uncertain situations, individuals might simultaneously seek accurate information (ISI) and social approval (NSI). Eg in a crisis, people might look to others for cues on how to react (ISI) while also wanting to stick together for safety (NSI)

Asch variation supports ISI - AO3

In one variation, Asch manipulated the task difficulty of the line judging task by making the differences between the line lengths less obvious. This increased the ambiguity of the correct answer; when participants were more unsure of the correct answer, they were more likely to rely on the judgements of others. This reliance suggests that participants were seeking information from the group to make the correct decision; this supports the ISI explanation of conformity