Conformity types Flashcards
what are the 3 types of conformity?
*Compliance
*Identification
*Internalisation
what are the 2 explanations of conformity?
*NSI
*ISI
what is compliance?
Conforming PUBLICALLY but NOT privately.
SHALLOWEST form of conformity, simply going along with others in public and CHANGING opinion back in privately.
Behaviour/opinion STOPS as soon as group pressure stops.
E.g. laughing at a joke you dont find funny
what is identification?
Act the SAME as the group because we want to SHARE their values to be ACCEPTED.
PUBLICALLY change our opinions/behaviours to achieve this goal even if we DONT privately agree with the group.
Change of belief is TEMP.
what is internalisation?
DEEPEST conformity where a person GENUINELY accepts the group norms in PRIVATE as well as just public.
Change is likely to be PERMANENT because attitude have been INTERNALISED and a part of the way a person thinks.
Same even with the ABSENCE of the group.
e.g. becoming a vegetarian.
what is NSI as an explanation of conformity?
Occurs when we want to be ACCEPTED by the group so we go along wit them even when we DISAGREE.
Used to gain SOCIAL SUPPORT and AVOID rejection, fit with the norm and be LIKED by the group.
what is ISI as an explanation for conformity?
ISI occurs when we look to the group for INFO as we are unsure often in AMBIGOUS situations as we view the majority to be RIGHT and we also want to be right.
(typical is situations where decisions have to be made QUICK or where one is regarded as an EXPERT.)
A STRENGTH of NSI as an explanation of conformity is that it is supported by RESEARCH by ASCH
PPTS went along with a WRONG answer because other people did. Supported by them saying that they were AFRAID of social disapproval.
Therefore conforming to be ACCEPTED by the group which SUPPORTS nsi.
This is FURTHER supported by the fact that the conformity fell to 12.5% when they wrote answers in PRIVATE as they didn’t feel the need to conform as much as they did NOT worry about the social approval/ being accepted because the answer was PRIVATE.
Therefore, as the NSI becomes less relevant to them the conformity LOWERS supporting NSI as an explanation of conformity.
One PROBLEM with NSI as an explanation for conformity is that NSI does NOT necessarily PREDICT conformity for everyone in the SAME way.
nAffiliators are people who have a GREATER need for affiliation ( be in a relationship with others.) So nAffiliators are MORE likely to conform due to NSI to be ACCEPTED by others, than those who DONT have this need for affiliation.
This is a problem for the theory because it suggests that it is NOT as straight forward as first thought, as NSI may be an explanation of conformity for CERTAIN types of people, but NOT others.
So there are INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES in conformity that CANT be explained by this ONE general theory of situational pressure
A strength of the ISI theory is that it has research support.
Lucas asked students for answers to maths problems that were easy or difficult. MORE conformity to incorrect answers when they were more HARD.
Bc when they were easy, ppts “knew their own minds”, but when difficult, the situation became AMBIG.
This supports ISI because they were MORE likely to conform when they did NOT know the answer i.e., when it was more difficult as they may DOUBT they are right and ASSUMED others were RIGHT and so CONFORMED with them as they also WANTED to be right, supporting ISI as an explanation of conformity.
