2. Types and explanations

• Compliance


  • Changing your views in public but not private
  • There is usually a group pressure required and the behaviour stops when the group is not present
  • Temporary change so belief in ideas is weak
  • Reason - To gain approval, avoid rejections and disapproval
• Identification


  • Views are maintained in public but sometimes private
  • Only there when part of the group
  • Permanent whilst in group but may start processing the behaviour
  • To be a part of group
  • Often around friends and people we feel obligated to be agreeing with
• Internalisation


  • Both private and public acceptance
  • Group presence not always required
  • Opinion/ way of life always maintained
  • Permanent change and belief in views is strong
  • You may want to accept group norms and not feel left out
• Informational social influence (ISI)

  • Conforming when we believe we are incorrect
  • The task is too hard, so we look to others who we deem as smarter and more able
  • When task is ambiguous
  • Often leads to internalisation
• Normative social influence (NSI)


  • Conforming to gain approval from a certain group of people
  • To get accepted and avoid rejection
  • Don't necessarily believe in what they are saying
  • Among friends and strangers - wherever we feel we will be rejected
  • Often leads to Compliance
• Research support for NSI
• Asch asked his participants why they conformed and some felt they needed to conform they said they felt like they needed to be felt a part of the group
• Research support of ISI
• When the answer became more ambiguous they relied on each other to figure out what the answer was
• This shows that ISI is a valid explanation for conformity
• It can be hard to distinguish between ISI and NSI
• Asch found that conformity decreased when there was only one confederate