Types and explanations for conformity

• Conformity

  Adjusting one's behaviour or thinking to coincide with a group standard to gain rewards or approval.

  
• Types of conformity

  Compliance, Identification, Internalisation

  
• Explanations for conformity

  Informational Social Influence (ISI) and Normative Social Influence (NSI)
• Publicly agreeing with the views or actions of the majority but privately disagreeing.

  Compliance
• An individual accepting influence and adopting the attitudes and behaviours as they want to be associated with a person or group.

  Identification
• Accepting the views or actions of a group as the content is consistent with their private views and values.

  Internalisation
• The desire to be liked. An individual conforms with the majority to gain social approval or avoid disapproval.

  Normative Social Influence
• The desire to be right. Usually occurs when an individual is unsure how to act and relies on the information of others.

  Informational Social Influence
• Studies for NSI

  Linkenbach and Perkins (smoking in adolescents), Schultz (hotel guests), Nolan (neighbours).
• strengths of NSI

  Research support, NSI shaping behaviour through normative beliefs, people thus shape behaviour to fit with reference group.
• limitations of NSI

  Possibility of oversimplistic explanation, people do not recognise behaviour of others as a factor in their own, thus underestimating the impact of normative influence.
• Strengths of ISI

  Demonstrates support that exposure to other beliefs/info shapes aspects of social behaviour - shifts of judgement.