Types of Conformity

• What is the definition of conformity?


  A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
• What are the three types of conformity according to Herbert Kelman?


  • Internalisation
  • Identification
  • Compliance
• Which type of conformity is considered the deepest form?

  Internalisation.
• What is internalisation in the context of conformity?

  It is when a person genuinely believes and accepts a group norm, both publicly and privately.
• What is a real-life example of internalisation?

  Religion.
• What does identification mean in terms of conformity?

  It is when a person conforms to the behaviors of a group because they value something about that group.
• Provide a real-life example of identification.


  Being part of a football team.
• What is compliance in the context of conformity?

  Compliance is when a person goes along with what others are doing to fit in, but reverts to their original behavior when away from the group.
• What is a real-life example of compliance.

  Laughing at a joke you don’t find funny.
• How can you differentiate between internalisation, identification, and compliance?

  • Internalisation: Genuine acceptance of group norms, both publicly and privately.
  • Identification: Changing behavior publicly to fit in with a valued group, but not necessarily privately.
  • Compliance: Going along with the group to fit in, but reverting to original behavior when away from the group.
• What is informational social influence (ISI)?


  It is a cognitive process where individuals conform because they want to be right and look for information in ambiguous situations.
• In what situations is ISI likely to occur?

  When a person is new to a situation, the situation is ambiguous, or in times of crisis.
• What is normative social influence (NSI)?


  NSI is concerned with emotion and the desire to be accepted, leading individuals to conform to social norms.
• Provide an example of normative social influence.


  Taking out documents in an interview waiting room to fit in with others.
• What are the key differences between informational social influence and normative social influence?

  • Informational Social Influence (ISI):
  • Cognitive process
  • Desire to be right
  • Occurs in ambiguous situations

  
  

  • Normative Social Influence (NSI):
  • Emotional process
  • Desire to be liked
  • Occurs in social settings for acceptance