Conformity to social roles

• Conformity to social roles 


  When an individual adopts a particular behaviour and belief, while in a particular social situation. This type of conformity represents identification.
• What is the key study for this topic

  Zimbardo
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's study

  To examine whether people would conform to the social roles of a prison guard or prisoner when placed in a mock prison environment. He also wanted to examine whether the behaviour displayed in prisons was due to internal dispositional factors, the people themselves, or external situational factors
• What were the guards made to wear

  They were given uniforms, dark reflective sunglasses, handcuffs and a baton
• What was the conclusion to Zimbardo's study

  It was concluded that people quickly conform to social roles, even when the role goes against their moral principles. Furthermore, he concluded that situational factors were largely responsible for the behaviour found, as none of the participants had ever demonstrated these behaviours beforehand