...Influences of Conformity and Obedience Jamie Tyler University of Phoenix Social Psychology Psych555 Prof. Kimberly Kinsey May 7, 2012 Influences of Conformity and Obedience “Social influence broadly encompasses any changes on beliefs, attitudes, or behavior that result from interpersonal interaction” (Fiske, 2010). There are several concepts that aid in the analysis of social influence. Two of these concepts are conformity and obedience. Conformity is the influence of the majority on an individual and obedience is the influence authority has on subordinates. Conformity and obedience are related in the fact that they both have the ability to persuade an individual or group of individuals to change his or her thoughts, actions, and behaviors, regarding a particular situation. Conformity and obedience are also related in that they can change the way individuals view others within a certain community, culture, ethnic group or environment. This paper will evaluate the effect of group influence on the self using both classical and contemporary literature, compare and contrast concepts of conformity and obedience and analyze individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from group norms. Conformity and obedience are important factors in groups because they command members of a group to follow societal norms. Conformity is a needed concept of social influence because it can enhance members of a group sense of belonging, as well as, self esteem. Conformity can be...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...Influence of Conformity and Obedience “Social influence broadly encompasses any changes on beliefs, attitudes, or behavior that result from interpersonal interaction” (Fiske, 2010). Humans are known as social beings that live together forming diversity of groups forming and improving relationships within their groups. Social influence, which is very natural, is the result of communication and interaction in between groups. Conformity and obedience are concepts that support the analysis of social influence. Conformity and obedience both can persuade and change an individual(s) thoughts, actions, and behaviors. They also can change the individual(s) views of others within the community, culture and/or ethic group. In this paper I will discuss the issues of conformity and obedience; I will compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience, analyze a classical study concerning the effect of group influence on the self, analyze a contemporary example of the effect that group influence has on the self and analyze individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from dominant group norms. Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience. Conformity is an important concept of social influence for it increases individuals or groups sense of belonging and self-esteem. Conformity is clearly observed when people are in groups that pressures individuals to say or do things that they normally would not do to be compatible with the group, to fit in...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
...we will have internet access, or you can bring in a DVD (or even a VHS tape), or you may create the entire presentation on DVD to show in class. (b) describe in detail the social-psychological principle you believe is relevant. Your job here is to demonstrate that you understand the principle or theory, and that you can describe it in your own words. You don’t need to do library research for this – using your text or your lecture notes as resources is fine. You need you to show us that you have a good understanding of the concept/principle. It’s best if you are specific about the principles you discuss. For example, don’t just indicate that your scene illustrates helping, or conformity, or persuasion, or aggression. Instead, indicate what specific theory, or principle or aspect of helping/conformity/persuasion/aggression, etc. that your scene illustrates. (c) Elaborate on how the selected scene illustrates the...
Words: 1832 - Pages: 8
...Obedience to Authorit Obedience to Authority Obedience is a term that can take place in many forms and with diverse individuals, especially with those who are authoritative figures. With many forms of destruction and life-threatening violence taking place during the middle part of the 20th century, many psychologists and scientists took interest in how ordinary individuals reacted to individuals in authority. One psychology in particular, Stanley Milgram, conducted a series of experiments investigating individuals’ obedient behavior to authoritative figures, whether positive deeds or acts of violence. This paper will summarize Milgram’s famous research as well as analyze the most current research of conforming to authority. Additionally, this paper will examine the current research on Milgram's findings from the early part of the 1960s. Summary of Milgram's Research Stanley Milgram (1963) was a social psychologist who set out to investigate human obedience, especially following the Second World War and in particular, the Holocaust (Milgram, 1963). Milgram’s interest was to conduct a study to answer the research question, are Germans different? However, as Milgram began to develop a tool used for studying obedience, he soon discovered that all individuals are remarkably obedient to people in authority. Milgram chose a naive subject to administer a dangerous electric shock to a victim, which releases voltage ranges from 15 to 450 (Milgram, 1963). Throughout the experiment...
Words: 1126 - Pages: 5
...Running Head: SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR Social Influences on Behavior Paper Destiny Kloepfer Psych 300 March 20, 2011 Mr. Avery Social Influences on Behavior Behaviorism, explores ways in which observable behavior is learned and shaped by the environment (McAdams, D. P., 2006). “Social influence, refers to the influence of the presence of other people on thought, feeling, and behavior” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 663). The affects of social influence from environments can have both positive and negative consequences. Each individual approaches situations with their own set of personal characteristics (McAdams, D. P., 2006); however different aspects of influence determine how an individual may modify their behaviors to react in a given situation. Let us explore two examples of socially influenced behaviors to better understand the affects they may have on an individual. Obedience The blind obedience to authority study conducted by Stanley Milgram is an example of how social influence can actually change the way an individual will behave regardless of personal belief in the presence of an authority figure in a hierarchical situation (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). The Milgram experiment measured obedience to an authority figure through electric shocks which were given by study participants to another person upon directives given from whom the participants thought of as an authority figure (Kowalski & Westen...
Words: 1179 - Pages: 5
...Abstract The use of power to influence others within a social group has evolved over centuries. Gaining dominion, wealth and social standing are central motives for gaining power over others within a communal group. Those with power can leverage off humans innate psychological leanings toward normative and informative influences to create the norms which others in society will accede to. Psychological experiments by Stanley Milgram and Solomon Asch demonstrate humans predisposition to obedience and compliance, in order to secure their acceptance within society, mean many can are influenced by those in power. It is an astonishing power, to influence another person or a whole society to buy into a reality created by another. To first understand how those in power can influence others, an understanding of ‘power’ is required. Power is a currency, a power currency, that’s desired by others which affords the holder the ability to exert both influence and dominion over people and surroundings. The ‘currency’ can be power of knowledge, love, charisma, wealth, fear, acceptance, social status, strength, or beauty to identify just a few. An individual or group possessing a power currency desired or feared by others ultimately holds a social balance of power and subsequently gains the ability to influence. Those in power use the media to tell others how they should look, who they should like, how they should act and what they should believe. The powerful use media to sell...
Words: 1699 - Pages: 7
...Social influence occurs when one's emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others.[1] Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing. In 1958, Harvard psychologist, Herbert Kelman identified three broad varieties of social influence.[2] 1. Compliance is when people appear to agree with others, but actually keep their dissenting opinions private. 2. Identification is when people are influenced by someone who is liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity. 3. Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and agree both publicly and privately. Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard described two psychological needs that lead humans to conform to the expectations of others. These include our need to be right (informational social influence), and our need to be liked (normative social influence).[3] Informational influence (or social proof) is an influence to accept information from another as evidence about reality. Informational influence comes into play when people are uncertain, either because stimuli are intrinsically ambiguous or because there is social disagreement. Normative influence is an influence to conform to the positive expectations of others. In terms of Kelman's typology, normative influence leads to public compliance, whereas informational influence leads to private acceptance. [edit] Types Social Influence is a broad term...
Words: 4418 - Pages: 18
...historical events of massive genocides include the Holocaust; where Nazi soldiers killed six million innocent Jewish people based on their political and ethical reasoning. Troubled by situations of this nature, Stanley Milgram held a collection of experiments that his book “Obedience to Authority” outlines. Milgram tells us that “the aim of the study was to find when and how people defy authority in the face of clear moral imperatives” ( 4). Milgram found that there are social forces which allow populations to commit morally conflicting acts against other populations. The fundamental variable for this influence is ideology; which is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “a systematic body of concepts, especially about human life or culture”(“ideology”). Ideologies accompanied by social contagions, admit ordinary individuals to transgress in inhumane conformed evils. The obedient subjects of Milgram’s studies and the Nazi soldiers alike are not all necessarily sadistic psychopaths. Rather, they’re a result of ideological social conformity. It has been a commonly accepted idea that those who participated in the holocaust were all individually psychopaths, but conformity to a corrupt authority’s dogma influences ordinary people to behave malevolently. Between 1941- 1945, fifty-five thousand Nazi soldiers worked at death and work camps (Wikipedia, World War 2 casualties). Considering that there were so many participants in this genocide, it is not logical to simply label all of them...
Words: 1825 - Pages: 8
...Foot-in-the-Door Technique Role Playing Affects Attitudes CONCEPT LEARNING CHECK 16.2 Person Perception and Musical Tastes Culture and Attitudes CONCEPT LEARNING CHECK 16.4 Explaining Persuasion 16 Learning Objectives Social Psychology 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 Define social psychology. Compare and contrast social cognition, social influence, and social norms. Describe the core social motives. Illustrate social categorization. Discuss how stereotypes and subjectivity impact personal perception. Explain the various types of attribution. Describe the components of attitudes. Illustrate the different ways to influence attitudes. Differentiate between conformity, obedience, and compliance. Describe the biological, psychological, and sociocultural aspects of prejudice, aggression, and attraction. Discuss the pros and cons of group influence on an individual. 16.5 Conformity and Obedience Conformity The Power of the Situation: The Stanford Prison Experiment Obedience Milgram’s Experiment Media Impact: The Impact of TV, Movies, Music, and Videogames Group Polarization Groupthink Individual Influence Factors in Attraction Competence Proximity Physical Attractiveness Similarity Reciprocity CRITICAL THINKING APPLICATION...
Words: 20082 - Pages: 81
...Abstract Extreme cases of social roles or influences usually need treatment. Such as in the case of social influences and altruism were in the extremes it is necessary to correct behaviors that occur. However, choice is the clear decision maker in determining actions, whether good or bad, correct or incorrect, education needs to be available for people to make the right decision. Social Influences on Behavior Paper By examining the basic concepts and of human interaction in social situations and the way behavior changes by examining altruism and social influence we can get a better understanding of these concepts through a psychological perspective. What happens in these situations and if the effects of the situations require treatment or if the behaviors require correcting. Altruism is “behaving in a way that helps another person with no apparent gain, or with potential cost, to oneself.” (Kowalski, R., & Westen, D., 2009) There are several theories within altruism, there is ethical hedonism, “…asserts that all behavior, no matter how apparently altruistic, is and should be designed to increase one’s own pleasure or reduce one’s own pain.” (Kowalski, R., & Westen, D., 2009) This theory offers that giving money, food, etc. is only done by an individual to compensate for their own sorrow and making themselves feel better. Another theory is reciprocal altruism, “…natural selection favors animals that behave altruistically if the likely benefit to each individual over...
Words: 1020 - Pages: 5
...In the modern world, people find it difficult to defy the odds. Women must wear makeup to be beautiful, and young boys must not play with dolls to be masculine. Both genders must not weigh more than society’s perception of “perfection”. Both genders must alter their way of life to satisfy society’s standards for their gender, religion, ethnicity, etc., but need to find a way to be comfortable in their own skin. All these things follow the concept of “conformity”, or living based on the guidelines set up by others. The obedience one endures within conformity, sometimes goes unnoticed. For example, Juan Ramon Jimenez writes, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” The reference to ruled paper has to do with the way, in some languages, people learn to write after the margin on the left side of ruled paper, although they are never told specifically to do so. People do this in these languages because it is what everyone else does, which explains the power of conformity. However, in this quote, Jimenez is telling people to oppose the actions of everyone else by writing on the opposite side....
Words: 411 - Pages: 2
...Mollaneda, Dr. Araceli P. Villacarlos, and Dr. Louise Anne D. Librando for their valuable suggestions and intellectual advice for the refinement of this study; Dr. Leovigildo Manalo, the researcher’s statistician for sharing his knowledge and skills with the statistical procedure needed for the study. Dr. Renita Calago, Principal for the Elementary Department Main Campus of Southwestern University and Ms. Milagros Pinili, the adviser, for accommodating and assisting the researcher’s needs to have their pupils as subjects; And to all, the researchers take this opportunity to express their gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this project. The Researchers APPROVAL SHEET The research paper...
Words: 7304 - Pages: 30
...[pic] Definition “Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes, beliefs or behaviours to adhere to existing social norms” Baron et al, 2006 Explanation of social norms (you must learn this for small mark answer) ➢ Social norms are one of the key causes of why people conform to the majority view. ➢ Social norms (group norms) are the standard rules of behaviour for individuals in any given society/culture. ➢ Unspoken rules develop spontaneously, unconsciously usually through force of habit and if you do not conform to these rules you will be excluded… ➢ For example, behaviour at a bus stop, the type of clothes that are popular, the type of drinks to be drinking, the type of music to listen to, the places to travel in the world Jenness (1932) The first informal experimental study of conformity where participants were asked to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. When asked for a group estimate they almost all changed their individual guesses closer to the group estimate. This persisted when asked again individually. They conformed. NB: Remember for every study in this topic and obedience try to give a methodological and ethical issue (or advantage) for each study |Methodological issues |Ethical issues | | ...
Words: 3763 - Pages: 16
...1 Socialization Paper Keith R. McDonald PSY 211 April 21, 2015 Trent Koide !2 Socialization Socialization starts shortly after birth and refers to the process by which both children and adults learn from others, mainly in a group setting, throughout life; or in other words, monkey see monkey do. As some studies suggest, trying to go through life without this unique characteristic, which is supposed to be learned in the most critical stages of a child’s life, is very difficult and makes most a victim of certain mental illnesses. During the coarse of this paper we will discuss mainly about behavior, which is influenced by socialization. Groups are collections of people who have something in common. Two important areas related to the study of groups are social cognition and social influence. Social cognition refers to the way our thoughts and assumptions about other people help shape our attitudes and behaviors toward them. Social influence refers to the way other people and events directly influence and change our attitudes and behavior. Jones & Bartlett (2014). In a group setting, it is common for one to, at some point, conform to or obey something someone is telling them, to fit in and to be excepted. The difference between the two is, with conformity, one is shifting their ideas or thoughts to align with someone else’s. Obedience is transforming themselves because someone instructed them to do so. Generally speaking, obedience and social psychology...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...something that is alien but promises them something in return or will save their souls from whatever will harm them. There are many causes that affect people s minds to make them join cults. Cults are very promising, can be very eye-opening, and may be the only option left for some people because of what has happened to them in their life or the mental state they are in. Cults, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, are systems or communities of religious worship that may include obsessive devotion to a person or ideal. In our society, cults are common and have the potential to be destructive. This paper will focus on the factors such as education, stake in conformity, turning points, and strength of local religious organizations that may cause people to join cults, as determined by Stark and Bainbridge. It will also discuss the methods used by cults to influence new recruits and current members. Cult leaders employ tactics such as information deprivation, extinction of former identities, and scarcity in order to maintain their authority. All these techniques combined create an environment that can be classified as a cult. Traditionally, cults have formed after or during turbulent periods of history, when people are most vulnerable. However, not until the nineteen seventies did cults begin to raise considerable alarm among the general population. In 1978, over nine hundred followers on the Reverend Jim Jones committed suicide in Jonestown, Guyana (Hall, 1981, 1987...
Words: 1899 - Pages: 8
