Types of conformity Flashcards
What is conformity?
is a type of social influence defined as a change in belief or behavior in response to real or imagined social pressure. It is also known as majority influence
What is compliance?
This refers to instances where a person may agree in public with a group of people, but the person privately disagrees with the group’s viewpoint or behavior. The individual changes their views, but it is a temporary change
Name an example of compliance
A person may laugh at a joke because their group of friends find it funny but deep down the person does not find the joke funny
What is internalisation?
Publicly changing behavior to fit in with the group while also agreeing with them privately. An internal (private) and external (public) change of behavior. This is the deepest level of conformity were the beliefs of the group become part of the individual’s own belief system
What is an example of internalisation?
An example of internalisation is if someone lived with a vegetarian at university and then decides to also become one too because they agree with their friend’s viewpoint / someone converting religions would also be a good example.
What is identification?
Identification occurs when someone conforms to the demands of a given social role in society. For example, a policeman, teacher or politician. This type of conformity extends over several aspects of external behavior. However, there still be no changed to internal personal opinion
What is an example of identification?
A good example is Zimbardo’s prison study.
Sonya and Sasha have just finished their first year at university where they lived in a house with six other students. All the other students were very health conscious and ate only organic food. Sasha had listened to their point of view and now she also eats only organic food.
Sonya was happy to eat organic food while in the house, but when she went home for the holidays she ate whatever her mother cooked. Both girls conformed, but for different reasons.
Explain which type of conformity each girl was showing.
Explain which type of conformity each girl was showing.
“Sasha shows internalisation. She has publicly and privately changed her attitudes and now permanently only eats organic food. Norah is showing compliance.
She only conformed publicly to her friends’ behavior but had obviously not privately undergone attitude change to eating organic as she reverted to eating non-organic in the holidays.
Sonya probably conformed to gain group approval and membership whereas Jan believed the other students to be ‘right’ in their belief that organic food was ‘good’.”
