Conformity: Types and explanations

• Types of conformity:

  • Internalisation
  • Identification
  • Compliance
• Internalisation: When a person genuinely accepts the groups norms, and permanently publicly and privately changes opinions / behaviours because the attitudes have been internalised
• Identification: to publicly but not privately change your opinions / behaviours in order to be part of a group. They like the group!!
• Compliance: change in opinions and behaviours to ‘go along with others’. They don't like the group!!
• Deustch & Gerald developed the two way process theory, that people conform because of both ISI & NSI
• Informational social influence (ISI): A cognitive process of conforming because we want to be right. Most likely in a crisis or situation new to a person
• Normative social influence (NSI): A emotional process of conforming depending on what's ‘normal’ for a social group because we prefer to gain social approval rather than rejection. Most likely in situations with strangers
• Strength of NSI: Evidence support. Participants in Asch’s said they conformed because they felt self-conscious and afraid of disapproval + conformity fell when writing the answers down
• Strength of ISI: Research evidence. Lucus et al found that participants conformed to harder math problems
• Limitation of NSI: Some people are greatly concerned about being liked by others, called nAffiliators. McGhee & Teevan found that nAffiliators were more likely to conform. This underlies conformity for some people more than others