Conformity is the act of changing one's attitudes or behaviors to match perceived social norms or the actions of others in the environment.
This process occurs in everyday situations, influenced by trends in fashion, politics, and behaviors, such as smoking or drinking.
Reasons for Conformity
Causes of conformity can be categorized into two primary types:
Normative Influence:
Involves conformity driven by the desire to fit in or not be judged by others.
Example: Solomon Asch's classic study (1956) showed that participants often conformed to incorrect answers in a line-judgment task due to pressure from others, despite knowing the right answer.
Findings:
76% of participants conformed at least once.
On average, participants conformed in about one-third of trials.
Conformity rates increase with the number of people in the majority group.
Collectivist cultures (e.g., Japan, China) tend to have higher conformity levels than individualistic cultures (e.g., United States).
Informational Influence:
People conform because they believe others have more accurate information, especially in unfamiliar situations.
Example: In ambiguous situations, individuals look to peers for behavior guidance, leading to reliance on descriptive norms (what most people do).
Misperceived norms can lead to excessive behaviors, such as binge drinking among college students.
Providing accurate information about social norms can help correct misunderstandings and reduce harmful behaviors (e.g., rates of binge drinking).
Binge Drinking and Norm Misperception
College students often overestimate the drinking habits of their peers, leading them to engage in similar excessive drinking.
Accurate norm information can reduce binge drinking, highlighting the impact of perception on behavior.
Obedience
Obedience refers to complying with an order or command from someone in a position of authority.
Milgram’s Obedience Study (1963):
A landmark experimental study aimed at understanding the willingness of participants to administer painful electric shocks when instructed by an authority figure.
Results:
About 65% of participants continued to give shocks up to the maximum level of 450 volts, despite hearing protests from the learner (not actually shocked).
Findings raised ethical questions about participant treatment and the nature of obedience, especially in contexts of atrocities and genocide (e.g., Holocaust).
The study reveals how an average person can engage in harmful behavior under authority pressure.
Variations indicated that physical presence of the learner and dissenters impacted obedience rates; participants were less likely to comply under duress or when seeing others resist.
Controversies and Ethical Considerations:
There remains debate over how Milgram's findings apply to real-world atrocities and whether societal awareness of obedience has changed.
Ethical guidelines for experiments have evolved partly due to the implications of Milgram's research on participant treatment and psychological stress.
Key Vocabulary
Conformity: Changing behavior to match social norms.
Descriptive Norm: Beliefs about what most people do in a situation.
Informational Influence: Conformity resulting from the desire to be correct according to social approval.
Normative Influence: Conformity driven by concern for how others perceive us.
Obedience: Compliance with commands or orders from authority figures.
Learning Objectives
Recognize the prevalence and impact of conformity in daily life.
Identify reasons for conformity, focusing on normative and informational influences.
Understand Milgram's obedience studies and their ethical implications for psychological research.
Engage in discussions regarding the influence of authority and societal norms on behavior.