Conformity: Types and Explanations

• What are the 3 types of conformity?

  • Internalisation
  • Identification
  • Compliance
• What is internalisation?

  • Occurs when a person genuinely accepts the group norms. Results in a private as well as a public change of opinions/behaviour
  • This change is likely to be permanent because attitudes have been internalised, i.e. become part of the way a person thinks
  • The change in opinions/behaviour persists even in the absence of other group members
• What is identification?

  • We conform to the opinions/behaviour of a group because there is something about that group that we value. We identify with that group, so we want to be a part of it
  • This may mean we publicly change our opinions/behaviour to achieve this goal, even if we don't privately agree with everything the group stands for
• What is compliance?

  • Simply 'going along with the others' in public, but privately not changing personal opinions and/or behaviour
  • Results in only a superficial change. It also means that a particular behaviour or opinion stops as soon as group pressure stops
• How does motivation allow internalisation to occur?

  If one's prime motivation is to genuinely accept the group norms and take it for what it is, causing a permanent change of opinions
• How does motivation allow identification to occur?

  If one's prime motivation is to be part of a group, as there is something about it that they value
• How does motivation allow compliance to occur?

  If one's prime motivation is to comply themselves to what everyone else believes as they can be under group pressure
• What are Deutsch's and Gerard's two-process theories?

  • ISI (Informational Social Influence)
  • NSI (Normative Social Influence)
• What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)?

  • The reason individuals follow the behaviour of the group (the majority) is because people want to be right
  • For example, you may not know the answer to a question in class. But if most of the class agrees on one answer, you accept that answer because you feel they are likely to be right
  • ISI is a cognitive process because it is do with what you think
• What is Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

  • People do not like to appear foolish and prefer to gain social approval rather than be rejected
  • NSI is about norms, i.e. what is 'normal' or typical behaviour for a social group. Norms regulate the behaviour of groups and individuals so it is not surprising that we pay attention to them
  • So NSI is an emotional rather than a cognitive process
• Normative social influence leads to...

  Compliance and identification
• Informational social influence leads to...

  Internalisation