Social Influence - Types of Conformity Flashcards
Conformity
A change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group
Real pressure example
Pressure from authoritative figures (E.g. police and teachers) who bring about social conformity
Imagined pressure example
Thinking people are judging you if you do not conform
Who came up with three different types of conformity and when?
Kelman in 1958
Three types of conformity
Internalisation
Identification
Compliance
What is the deepest form of conformity? Why?
Internalisation because you are changing your own beliefs
Where will a person conform during internalisation? Why?
They will conform publicly and privately because they have internalised and accepted the views of the majority group
What do the views expressed by the majority become a part of during internalisation?
The views expressed by the majority become a part of the individual’s own belief system
When will views persist during internalisation?
They will persist when other members of the group are absent
How long are the views that you internalise in your mind for?
They are permanently in your mind
Example of internalisation: Jack
Jack went to uni and lived in a house with 4 people who were environmentalists. Now he believed it is crucial for human survival to protest against deforestation and he continuously does this, even when alone.
What is a moderate form of conformity?
Identification
Where do you conform during identification?
Publicly, but not privately - you agree with the masses when talking to them, but privately disagree with them
Is identification permanent?
No. It’s temporary
Why do we act the same as the majority group during identification?
Because we want to fit in
Example of identification: Jack
Jack’s girlfriend brought him to an environmentalist group with her friends and he protested with them to look good in front of her friends, but in private he doesn’t care about the environment
Example of identification: Nazis
People identified publicly as Nazis to avoid persecution if they didn’t
What is a shallow form of conformity?
Compliance
Where do you conform during compliance?
You conform publicly, but privately disagree and don’t change personal behaviours or opinions
What type of change is compliance?
A superficial change, meaning it exists on the surface
Why do people conform during compliance?
Because it makes their life easier or avoids an uncomfortable situation
When will the opinion stop during compliance?
As soon as the group pressure stops
Example of compliance: Jack
Jack will agree with actions of environmentalists and will be their friends, but will not agree with their actions and show any support
