social influence

• define conformity

  A change in behavior or attitudes due to real or imagined pressure from a dominant group
• how many types of conformity are there?

  there are 3 types of conformity, as noted by Kelman 1958
• what are the three types of conformity?

  • Compliance
  • Identification
  • Internalisation
• describe compliance


  • its the lowest level of conformity
  • this is when someone changes their behaviour / opinions to go along with others in a group
• with compliance what type of change is it?


  the person changes their PUBLIC opinions and behaviours but NOT their private behaviours or opinions
• is compliance a temporary or permanent change?

  temporary
• what explanation for conformity is linked to compliance?


  normative social influence, NSI
• describe identification


  • the middle level of conformity
  • a person changes their behaviour to match that of the group because there is something about the group that they value
  • this may involve looking up to a role model in a group
• is identification a public or private change in opinions/behaviour?

  its a public AND private change

  ONLY while the person is part of that group
• is identification a temporary or permanent change in opinions/behaviours?


  temporary change until the personal leaves the group
• describe internalisation 


  • the deepest level of conformity
  • a person changes their belief system based on the opinions / behaviour of others
  • they accept their views as their own
• is internalisation a public or private change in opinion/behaviour?

  both a persons public and private behaviour / opinions change
• what explanation of conformity is internalisation linked to?

  informational social influence, ISI
• is internalisation a permanent or temporary change?


  it is a permanent change due to ISI
• what are the 2 reasons for conformity?

  • normative social influence
  • informational social influence
• describe and give an example of normative social influence

  • the need to be liked:
  • Its about norms - what is normal? what is accepted?
  • an emotional process
  • most likely to occur in situations with strangers where you might feel concerned about rejection
  • most likely to lead to compliance - a public change but not a private change
• describe informational social influence

  • the need to be right:
  • it is about who has the better information - you or the group. we want to be confident that our beliefs/ideas are correct so we look to others
  • a cognitive process
  • most likely to occur in situations that are new to a person, or situations where there is some ambiguity
  • most likely to lead to internalisation, a public and private change