Social Influence

Conformity: Types and Explanations

 Types of conformity
• Kelman (1958) proposed three ways of
conforming with the majority
– Internalisation
– Identification
– Compliance
 Internalisation
• genuine acceptance of group norms
• opinion/behaviour change occurs both in private
and in public
• change is likely to be permanent and becomes
part of the individual’s thinking
• change persists in the absence of other group members
– Change of opinion following a group debate on a
particular issue
 Identification
• conforming with a group that we ascribe
value to or that we identify with
• opinion/behaviour is altered in order to
become a part of the desirable group
• change may occur only in public while private
opinion/behaviour remains unchanged
– Following a dress code to get into a club
 Compliance
• Going along with other people in a public
setting
• No change in private opinion/behaviour –
superficial change
• Usually a result of pressure or threat –
individual feels they have no other choice
– Peer pressure to remain part of a friend group
Explanations for conformity
• Deutsch and Gerard (1955) suggested
two main reasons underlying conformity
• Need to be right - Informational Social
Influence (ISI)
• Need to be liked - Normative Social
Influence (NSI)
Informational Social Influence (ISI)
• Being well informed
• Right and wrong not always certain
• In these cases relying on the majority judgement is
usually a good strategy
– Most likely to occur in cases where there is low
expertise or high ambiguity
– Decision making under pressure
– When surrounded by perceived experts
 Normative Social Influence (NSI)
• Conforming with normal/typical behaviour
• Norms regulate group cohesion
• Defying norms upsets the group dynamic and may result in
expulsion or exclusion from the group
– Most likely to occur in situations where an individual
fears rejection
– Seeking social approval
– May be exacerbated by stress and the need for social
support
 Is conformity good or bad?
• Living in the Western world may encourage the
defiance of conformity
– YET
• Individualists may be perceived as deviant
• Conformists are more likely to be viewed as team players
– Conformity and obedience have an important role to
play in society
– Research suggests that conformists are generally more
popular with peers (Schachter, 1951)
Is conformity good or bad?
• Conformity is essential to maintain
group cohesion and reduce conflict
• Conformity also ensures group survival
by enhancing cooperation and the
strive towards a common goal
Non-conformity
• It’s not that
easy!
Apply it
Apply it
• Turner (1991) makes the significant criticism that the
two-process theory is a simplistic and incomplete
explanation of conformity. This is because it fails to take
into account the crucial factor of social identity. Our
natural needs to be liked and to be right do not explain
every instance of conformity behaviour. Instead, we
sometimes conform to a group because of our desire to
belong to it. In such cases, the group's norms have a
great deal of influence over us
• There is some evidence for this. Abrams et al (1990) found that their
participants were much more likely to be influenced by people they
considered to be part of their group, rather than outsiders.
• Turner therefore argues that there is a third explanation for
conformity, which he calls referent social influence (RSI). This
suggests that we conform because we want to maintain the norms
of the group we see ourselves as belonging to. Doing this reinforces
our self-categorisation as a member of that group. The great
strength of this triple-process theory is that it can explain why
majority opinion continues to influence individuals long after the
group itself no longer exists.