conformity: types & explanations

• Kelman, in 1958, identified 3 kinds of conformity: compliance, identification and internalisation.
• compliance is 'going along with others' in public but not changing your views in private.
• compliance is the shallowest form of conformity, and only temporary.
• identification is a moderate form of conformity, and only temporary.
• identification is conforming to a group because they have something we value and want to be a part of it, we change our views publicly even when in private we dont agree wholeheartedly.
• internalisation is the deepest form of conformity, and is permanent change.
• internalisation is the genuine acceptance of a groups norms and beliefs, changing both public and private views.
• Deutsch & Gerard identified a two-process model for explaining why people conform:

  1. Normative social influence (NSI)
  2. Informational social influence (ISI)
• NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE (NSI):

  • for social approval.
  • an emotional process.
  • type of conformity associated: compliance - temporary change.
  • occurs when we are with people that may reject us.
• INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE (ISI):

  • in order to be right.
  • cognitive process.
  • comformity associated = internalisation - permanent change.
  • occurs when we are in new situations, with ambiguity or crisis.
• STRENGTH OF ISI:

  • Lucas et al (2006).
  • asked students to give answers to mathmatical problems, either easy or more difficult.
  • greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were more difficult questions.
  • most true for students who rated their maths ability as poor - didn't want to be wrong.
• STRENGTH OF NSI:

  • Asch (1951).
  • when interviewing ppts after, some said they conformed because they were self-concious.
  • when they wrote down answers, conformity dropped to 12.5%.
• LIMITATION: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN NSI AND ISI

  • research says NSI does not affect everyone's behaviour in the same way.
  • those less concerned with being liked are less affected than those who are concerned with being liked- called nAffiliators (greater need for affiliation and relations with others).
  • same can be said for the affect of ISI.
• STRENGTH: ISI AND NSI WORK TOGETHER:

  • it isnt always possible to be sure whether NSI or ISI that has caused the conformity - seen in the study by Schultz (2006).
  • 132 hotels - 794 hotel rooms - 1 week study.
  • guests randomly allocated to a condition:
  • control condition - door hanger about environmental benfits of reusing towels.
  • experimental condition - door hanger + told them 75% of guests chose to reuse each day.
  • findings : experimental reduced need for fresh towels by 25%.