Social Psychology: Conformity and Obedience
Introduction
Conformity: widespread tendency to act and think like the people around us
Conformity
Humans may possess an inherent tendency to imitate the actions of others
We often mimic the gestures, body postures, language, talking speed, and many other behaviors of the people we interact with
Mimicking increases the connection between people and allows our interactions to flow more smoothly
2 Primary Reasons for Conformity
Normative Influence
People go along with the crowd because they are concerned about what others think of them
More conformity is found in collectivist countries such as Japan and China than in individualistic countries such as USA
Compared with individualistic cultures, people who live in collectivist cultures place a higher value on the goals of the group than on individual preferences
More motivated to maintain harmony in their interpersonal relations
Informational Influence
We sometimes go along with the crowd is that people are often a source of information
Descriptive Norms
Not clear what society expects of us
We act the way most people like us to act
We sometimes rely on a flawed notion of the norm when deciding how we should behave
Obedience
Interested in how people react when given an order or command from someone in a position of authority
Good Thing:
Obey parents, teachers, and police officers
Important to follow instructions from judges, firefighters, and lifeguards
Military would fail function if soldiers stopped obeyed orders from superiors
Dark Side
People can violate ethical principles and break laws
Often is at the heart of the worst of human behavior – massacres, atrocities, and even genocide
Conformity
A change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure
You just have to think that the pressure exists
Collectivistic (POSITIVE): tolerance, self-control
Individualistic (NEGATIVE): submission or compliance
Types of Conformity
Compliance: conforming without believing in what we are doing
Reward or punishment
Obedience: acting in accord with a direct order or command
Acceptance: uniformity that involves acting and believing in accord with social pressure
Suggestibility
Muzafer Sherif studied norm formation
Autokinetic Phenomenon: the suggestion that something would happen is all a person needed to see it happen
Conformity breeds acceptance
Mass hysteria
Group Pressure
Solomon Asch
75% conformed at least once
37% conformed every time
No obvious pressure to conform
Authority vs Conscience
Stanley Milgram
Survey of predictions
Self-serving bias
65% shocked all the way
63% shocked with heart condition known
Factors of Obedience
Victim’s distance
Closeness and legitimacy of authority
Institutional authority
Group influence as liberation
Value of Experiments
Strength of social pressure
Compliance over moral sense
Sensitization to moral conflict
Confirm link between behavior and attitude
demonstrate power of the situation
Predicting Conformity
Group size: 3-5 ideal
Unanimity
Cohesion: how close you are to the group
Status: social class, racial group, political group
Public Response
Prior Commitment
Social Influence
Normative Influence: conformity based on our desire to gain acceptance and meet expectations
Informational Influence: conformity based on evidence about reality provided by others
Conformer Personality
Internal factors can’t predict specifics, but can predict average behavior
When social influences are weak, personality is more predictive
Temporary moods
Conformer Roles
Performance conformity
Conformity breeds acceptance
Role reversal can change conformity
Is Resistance Futile?
Reactance -> choice
Asserting uniqueness
Social Psychology: Conformity and Obedience
Introduction
Conformity: widespread tendency to act and think like the people around us
Conformity
Humans may possess an inherent tendency to imitate the actions of others
We often mimic the gestures, body postures, language, talking speed, and many other behaviors of the people we interact with
Mimicking increases the connection between people and allows our interactions to flow more smoothly
2 Primary Reasons for Conformity
Normative Influence
People go along with the crowd because they are concerned about what others think of them
More conformity is found in collectivist countries such as Japan and China than in individualistic countries such as USA
Compared with individualistic cultures, people who live in collectivist cultures place a higher value on the goals of the group than on individual preferences
More motivated to maintain harmony in their interpersonal relations
Informational Influence
We sometimes go along with the crowd is that people are often a source of information
Descriptive Norms
Not clear what society expects of us
We act the way most people like us to act
We sometimes rely on a flawed notion of the norm when deciding how we should behave
Obedience
Interested in how people react when given an order or command from someone in a position of authority
Good Thing:
Obey parents, teachers, and police officers
Important to follow instructions from judges, firefighters, and lifeguards
Military would fail function if soldiers stopped obeyed orders from superiors
Dark Side
People can violate ethical principles and break laws
Often is at the heart of the worst of human behavior – massacres, atrocities, and even genocide
Conformity
A change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure
You just have to think that the pressure exists
Collectivistic (POSITIVE): tolerance, self-control
Individualistic (NEGATIVE): submission or compliance
Types of Conformity
Compliance: conforming without believing in what we are doing
Reward or punishment
Obedience: acting in accord with a direct order or command
Acceptance: uniformity that involves acting and believing in accord with social pressure
Suggestibility
Muzafer Sherif studied norm formation
Autokinetic Phenomenon: the suggestion that something would happen is all a person needed to see it happen
Conformity breeds acceptance
Mass hysteria
Group Pressure
Solomon Asch
75% conformed at least once
37% conformed every time
No obvious pressure to conform
Authority vs Conscience
Stanley Milgram
Survey of predictions
Self-serving bias
65% shocked all the way
63% shocked with heart condition known
Factors of Obedience
Victim’s distance
Closeness and legitimacy of authority
Institutional authority
Group influence as liberation
Value of Experiments
Strength of social pressure
Compliance over moral sense
Sensitization to moral conflict
Confirm link between behavior and attitude
demonstrate power of the situation
Predicting Conformity
Group size: 3-5 ideal
Unanimity
Cohesion: how close you are to the group
Status: social class, racial group, political group
Public Response
Prior Commitment
Social Influence
Normative Influence: conformity based on our desire to gain acceptance and meet expectations
Informational Influence: conformity based on evidence about reality provided by others
Conformer Personality
Internal factors can’t predict specifics, but can predict average behavior
When social influences are weak, personality is more predictive
Temporary moods
Conformer Roles
Performance conformity
Conformity breeds acceptance
Role reversal can change conformity
Is Resistance Futile?
Reactance -> choice
Asserting uniqueness