Types and Explanations of Conformity
Types of Conformity
First we need to understand what is meant by the term conformity. This is when someone changes their behaviour or opinion from the pressure of those around them. This pressure can be either real or imagined.
In 1958, Kelman suggested three different types of conformity
Compliance
This happens when someone just wants to fit in, gain social approval. They change their public opinion do not change their private opinion and any conformity stops when the pressure from those around them is no longer present.
Identification
This happens when we identify with the ideas or values of a group or of a social role, such as a police officer or a teacher. We change our public opinions in order to follow these beliefs but may not change our private opinions
Internalisaiton
This is the the most extreme type of conformity. We public and privately change our opinions. The change is likely to be permanent, they are now part of the way that we think.
Have a look at the examples below and see if you can discuss what type of conformity they may be. Hover over “answer” to find out if you are correct.
1. Sam has just started work in an office. On his second day there his colleagues had a discussion about asylum seekers coming to the UK. His colleagues thought they received favourable treatment from the government and that this should stop. Sam doesn’t agree with this view, but when he was asked what he thought he said that his colleagues were right.
Answer
Sam is showing clear signs of compliance. He does not agree, privately, with the views of his new colleagues but goes along with them to fit in.
2. Jack, is a teacher enjoying his weekend off. He goes to the pub with some old friends from university for a few drinks but bumps into a couple of students enjoying a meal. Jack is careful to watch how much he drinks and encourages his friends not to be too loud like their normal nights at the pub.
Answer
Jack is showing signs of identification. He is conforming to the perceptions of what a teacher should be and therefore changes his behaviour in front of his students.
3. Emma is a student, when she first went to university she made friends with a group of students who were passionate about animal rights. At the time, Emma didn’t have very strong opinions on animal research but over the past few months she has become very much against it. Now she has joined a campaign against animal research and has started attending public demonstrations with her friends.
Answer
Emma shows signs if internalisation. She has changed her opinions both publicly and privately. She has changed her beliefs and now believes that animal research is wrong.
Explanations of Conformity
Deutsch and Gerrard (1955) proposed two main reasons why someone might conform: normative social influence (NSI) and informational social influence (ISI).
Normative Social Influence
NSI occurs when we seek to fit in with the wider group because we desire their approval or acceptance. We are motivated by a desire to avoid appearing foolish and to gain social approval. This is likely in situations where we are among strangers and fear rejection, or when we are with close friends and are concerned about their social approval.
Informational Social Influence
ISI occurs when we seek to be right or correct in a situation. When unsure, we rely on the beliefs or actions of the wider group as a source of information and conform to them. This is likely to happen in new situations, times of crisis, or when someone in the group is perceived to be an ‘expert’ in that situation.
Have a read through the next example and see if you can identify which explanation of conformity fits each persons actions.
James and Rachel have both recently started studying A-levels at a new school. James pretends to be interested in the other students conversations, even though he thinks they are very boring. Rachel is carefully watching other students and following their examples as she doesn’t want to make any mistakes.
James
James’ behaviour is an example of NSI. He is conforming to the social group and engaging in the conversations, even if he find them boring, to fit in. He wants to seek the approval of his new peers and may be worried about be rejected by them.
Rachel
Rachel’s behaviour is an example of ISI. She is conforming to those around her but to avoid making mistakes. This is a new situation for Rachel and she sees the others as “experts” so follows by their example.
Supporting and Contradicting Evidence
Normative Social Influence
Solomon Asch (1951) investigated conformity in his experiment and found that many participants reported conforming to majority pressure because they did not want to appear foolish and desired to fit in. When participants were asked to write down their answers instead of calling them out, rates of conformity fell to 12.5%. This supports the explanation of normative social influence.
However, Deutsch and Gerrard’s explanation of conformity, involving normative and informational social influence, doesn’t fully account for why not everyone conforms in social situations. Individual differences play a crucial role in shaping conformity behaviour. Some individuals, known as nAffilliators, have a greater need to feel accepted , and thus, they are more likely to conform to fit in.
McGhee and Teevan (1967) conducted a study with high school students in a group pressure situation, finding that those who had a greater need for affiliation were more likely to conform to normative social influence (NSI).
Informational Social Influence
Lucas et al. (2006) conducted a study asking students mathematical questions ranging in difficulty. As the questions became more diffuclt the levels of conformity increased. Those who marked their mathematical ability as poor also showed higher levels of conformity. This supports the explanation of informational social influence.
Asch (1955) replicated his study with various changes to the independent variable, one of which was task difficulty. He found that as the level of task difficulty increased, so did the rates of conformity. However he also found a difference in participants also affected the results such as when using students, the levels of conformity fell to 28%
Perrin and Spencer (1980) replicated Asch’s study using engineering students, who were assumed to have high confidence in comparing lines due to their familiarity with technical drawings. This resulted in a lower level of conformity compared to Asch’s original study.
These findings suggest that confidence may also influence conformity, beyond just the desire to be correct. Individuals who are more confident in their knowledge are less likely to conform, while those with lower confidence levels may be more prone to conformity.
NSI and ISI
Deutsch and Gerard suggest that someone may conform because of normative social influence (NSI) or informational social influence (ISI).
However, it’s important to recognise that conformity is not always straightforward, and multiple factors may influence individual behaviour in group pressure situations. For instance, increasing social support within a group pressure environment can affect levels of conformity by simultaneously activating normative social influence (NSI) and informational social influence (ISI). In such scenarios, individuals may conform not only to fit in with the group (NSI) but also because they believe the information provided by others to be correct (ISI).
Summary
