Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Conformity, Compliance, Obedience
Conformity, Compliance, Obedience
Conformity
• Sherif’s study
– Participants turned to others for guidance
– When faced with ambiguity and uncertainty about
personal judgment, others can serve as a valuable source
of information.
• Asch’s study
– Participants felt they were in an awkward position.
– People will sometimes conform, even when they are not
convinced the group is right, to avoid feeling
“conspicuous” and “crazy,” or like a “misfit.”
• Sparks innovation
• Forces other group members to think more carefully,
more openly, in new and different ways, and more
creatively about a problem
• Enhances the quality of a group’s output
• Lone individuals must exhibit “authentic dissent”—not
merely play “devil’s advocate,” a tactic that actually
bolsters a majority’s position.