...Consequences To Conformity, Compliance and Obedience Pertaining to Social Pressure Social Influence and Groups "Social influence is the process by which the actions of an individual or group affect the behavior of others" (Feldman, 2013). Many people know from their own experiences the undeniable pain, as well as changes in behavior, that is experienced by submitting to these type pressures, that otherwise, never would have resulted. Social pressures cause people to conform, comply, and obey. Furthermore, these actions and behaviors can have severe negative affects to our personal relationships, which will be address in the following paragraphs. Conformity: Following What Others Do Conformity can be defined as a change in behavior and attitudes that happens because of a need to follow other people (Feldman, 2013). Frequently, people conform to peers and social pressure because of their psychological need to be accepted. Everyone wants to feel loved and accepted. However, when this acceptance comes at the dangerous cost of conforming to social groups, changes occur that are sometimes not thought out and/or unexpected (Encyclopedia for Marriage and Family, 2003). For example, many times people lose their individuality and will not grow as a person because they do not feel they can voice their own thoughts and opinions. This is for fear that in so doing, they will go against their peer groups and become unaccepted. This type conformity usually begins during adolescents...
Words: 1370 - Pages: 6
...What is Conformity? Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group. This change is in response to real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms / expectations) group pressure. Conformity can also be simply defined as “yielding to group pressures” (Crutchfield, 1955). Group pressure may take different forms, for example bullying, persuasion, teasing, criticism, etc. Conformity is also known as majority influence (or group pressure). The term conformity is often used to indicate an agreement to the majority position, brought about either by a desire to ‘fit in’ or be liked (normative) or because of a desire to be correct (informational), or simply to conform to a social role (identification). Jenness (1932) was the first psychologist to study conformity. His experiment was an ambiguous situation involving a glass bottle filled with beans. He asked participants individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. Jenness then put the group in a room with the bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate through discussion. Participants were then asked to estimate the number on their own again to find whether their initial estimates had altered based on the influence of the majority. Jenness then interviewed the participants individually again, and asked if they would like to change their original estimates, or stay with the group's...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...The Power of Conformity Conformity refers to an individual’s behavior that is performed because of group pressure, even though that pressure might not involve a direct request. Many people want to think that they are conformist enough so that they are not looked upon as strange to others and nonconformist enough to demonstrate that they are capable of thinking by themselves. For many years, psychologists have been interested in human conformity. Usually when people are in groups, they behave according to how those in the group behave. That indicates that conformity can affect a person’s behavior and make a person do things that may be against their ethics, attitudes, and morals. The study of conformity was first studied in the 1950s by Solomon Asch. His experiments were very important to the study of conformity. Asch wanted to find out how conformity could influence behavior. He did not want to focus on the general concepts like ethics, morals, attitudes, and belief systems. Instead, he focused on a more obvious concept which was perceptional conformity. Since he performed the experiment on a simple task, he was able to study conformity in a controlled environment. Asch wanted to apply group pressure to the experiment so he could manipulate a person’s behavior. For the experiment, he made three pairs of cards with three different lengths of vertical lines on one side. On the other side, there was a single line that was the same length ... Conformity and Obedience in Society...
Words: 1049 - Pages: 5
...was inspired by the classic conformity study that has been done by Asch (1951,1956) and studies that have looked at gender differences in conformity and social pressures. There has been conflicting evidence in literature about whether there are gender differences in conformity, with some studies concluding that there is and that women in particular more likely to conform whereas other studies have concluded that there are not any gender differences in conformity. Other past studies concluded that age is...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...To start off, let’s begin with the definition of conformity. Conformity is the adaptation of one’s behavior or thinking in response to unspoken group pressure (Conformity The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology). Conformity is different from compliance, as compliance is the explicit pressure to adjust one’s behavior or thinking and conformity is the implicit pressure to adjust one’s behavior or thinking to some group standard (Conformity The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology). According to "Conformity." Student Resources in Context., Teens and adolescents are more prone to conformity for the reason that young people try to find themselves and construct the person they are and who they want to be. As a result, teens and students often face this indirect pressure daily in consequent to attending school with friends and peers as they aspire to identify themselves upon entering adulthood. The pressure to conform can be a result of trying to identify...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...following research personal derives from Solomon Asch's conformity study. The study reflects how human subjects conform to the majority social influence of their peers. The study design was in a controlled laboratory experiment. The following proposal is to determine if subjects will decrease or increase the level of conformity outside a controlled environment. Psychology in Action Part V There are benefits of a controlled laboratory experiment which researches control the variables such as Asch's Opinions and Social Pressures study. The study does have further questions and follow-up studies to determine the magnitude of conformity as a social phenomenon. The social phenomenon of group conformity in a controlled environment has provided further issues to examine. Even though conformity may not increase outside a controlled environment, subjects may conform more outside a controlled environment because subjects conform easily inside a controlled environment. Research Proposal To: From: Date: Subject: Research proposal Research Question: Will subjects be more willing to conformity outside a controlled environment? Thesis: Even though conformity may not increase outside of a controlled environment, subjects may conform more outside a controlled environment because subjects conform easily inside a controlled environment. Proposed Research Topic: Will subjects be more willing to conformity outside a controlled environment? Purposes Asch...
Words: 1513 - Pages: 7
...at work the atmosphere is professional and work related, but if you are out with friends having some fun the atmosphere is more party like. The change in social influences dictates our behavior and what we deem to be appropriate. Social influence is defined as “the process wherein one person's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors are changed as a result of interaction with another individual or with a group” (Stavrositu 2011). Social Behaviors There are various types of social behaviors that people exhibit depending on the influences around us. These influences can be conformity, the act of matching our attitude, beliefs and behaviors with a group of people. Conformity is when we would adapt what the culture deems normal and include that into our daily lives even when alone. Peer pressure is the influence put on us by a peer group or any individual to change our attitude, beliefs, or behaviors. Peer pressure is most common in children and the influences they are under at school. There is also obedience which is where a person will yield to instructions or orders from authority. Obedience was used by Hilter to get the Nazi’s to kill innocent people; it was considered the norm to follow orders. Leadership is a social influence in which a person is able to recruit the support of others...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...relation to individual differences • Skills of analysis, evaluation and application in relation to individual differences • Knowledge and understanding of research methods associated with this area of psychology • Knowledge and understanding of ethical issues associated with this area of psychology. |Content outline | |Social influence |Conformity (majority influence) and explanations of why people conform, including informational | | |social influence and normative social influence | | | | | |Types of conformity, including internalisation and compliance | | | | | |Obedience to authority, including Milgram’s work and explanations of why people obey | |Social...
Words: 10453 - Pages: 42
...According to Leon Mann, conformity means "yielding to group pressures". Everyone is a member of one group oranother and everyone expects members of these groups to behave in certain ways. If you are a member of an identifiable group you are expected to behave appropriately to it. If you don"t confirm and behave appropriately you are likely to be rejected by the group. Like stereotypes, conforming and expecting others to conform maintains cognitive balance. There are several kinds of conformity. Many studies of conformity took place in the 1950"s which led Kelman to distinguish between compliance, internalisation and identification. Compliance is the type of conformity where the subject goes along with the group view, but privately disagrees with it. Internalisation is where the subject comes to accept, and eventually believes in the group view. Identification is where the subject accepts and believes the group view, because he or she wants to become associated with the group. Leon Mann identifies normative conformity which occurs when direct group pressure forces the individual to yield under the threat of rejection or the promise of reward. This can occur only if someone wants to be a member of the group or the groups attitudes or behaviour are important to the individual in some way. Apart from normative conformity there is informational conformity which occurs where the situation is vague or ambiguous and because the person is uncertain he or...
Words: 1378 - Pages: 6
...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 clearly...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...several social psychological concepts. The one concept that stood out to me the most during this time was our chapters and discussions about conformity. Conformity is when a person relents their own beliefs or actions to satisfy those surrounding them. In society, human beings feel forced to change their opinions and judgements in order to fit in and not be an outsider. This type of behavior can be seen in numerous environments from one’s own house hold to their everyday social life with friends. I recently started a show called Thirteen Reasons Why, which shows how conformity can end up ending a person’s life. Thirteen Reasons Why was the most captivating, brutally authentic show I have seen in a while. Within the shows context there was no alleviating, it was straightforward, unaltered and honest. It showed how student, especially high school students, societies struggle with their experiences during their time in and out of school. This show is surrounded by two High School students, Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker who inevitably committed suicide. However, before she died she recorded 13 tapes, connecting her death to thirteen different students that attend the same school. Hannah is certain to make sure that the thirteenth people know that she left behind an ally who plans to release the tapes if they do not follow as...
Words: 1343 - Pages: 6
...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
...Peer pressure From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peer pressure is influence that a peer group, observers or individual exerts that encourages others to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform the group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, in which individuals are "formally" members (such as political parties and trade unions), or social cliques in which membership is not clearly defined. A person affected by peer pressure may or may not want to belong to these groups. They may also recognize dissociative groups with which they would not wish to associate, and thus they behave adversely concerning that group's behaviors.[citation needed] Contents [hide] 1 In Youth 2 Asch conformity 3 The Third Wave 4 Neural mechanisms 5 Explanation 6 References In Youth[edit] Peers become an important influence on behavior during adolescence, and peer pressure has been called a hallmark of adolescent experience.[1][2] Peer conformity in young people is most pronounced with respect to style, taste, appearance, ideology, and values.[3] Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes of adolescent risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviors,[4] and reckless driving) because these activities commonly occur in the company of peers.[2] Affiliation with friends who engage in risk behaviors has been shown to be a strong predictor of an adolescent's own behavior.[5] Peer pressure can also have positive effects when youth are pressured...
Words: 1013 - Pages: 5
...‘THE CATCHER IN THE RYE’ AND ‘IGBY GOES DOWN’ – NON-CONFORMITY Both J.D Salinger’s 1951 Bildungsroman novel The Catcher in the Rye and Burr Steer’s film Igby Goes Down, demonstrate that regardless of context, the youth will choose not to conform to socially held values. We can see that this is the manifestation of the vulnerability and hesitation experienced as adolescents like us grow up. Ultimately both these texts explore the search for identity and individualism as a cause for non-conformity. The Catcher in the Rye was written during a post war era and a time of drastic social change. However, many of its conservative values remained and most importantly, the notion of youth conformity was held in high regard. On the other hand, Igby Goes Down is set in the 1980s -1990’s American era, a time of expanding multi national corporations, materialism and commercialism. Salinger and Steers utilise the characterisation of their young, sardonic and rebellious protagonists, Holden and Igby to epitomise non-conformity. The composers allude to the recurring theme of isolation and alienation in both texts. As a result of their non-conformity, the protagonists experience rejection and depression as they search for their selfhood. Similarly, the national ethos of the American Dream is explored as a mere fallacy, and both composers portray this through their protagonist’s wealthy backgrounds and opulent upbringings and yet money doesn’t bring them happiness. Salinger, through literary...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
...How can we explain conformity? Draw on at least two examples Scott and Marshall (2005) explain conformity with people’s attempts on complying with other’s norms and rules in order to fulfill their expectations. But is it really that simple? Conformity is one of these terms in sociology that have too much different tones and shades, and thus requires deep examination. This essay looks at in detail at a number of classical studies on the subject of conformity as well as it analyzes a particular type of conformity, i.e. gender conformity. Examples and case studies given from both academic experiments and everyday life help this essay in arguing that conformity is a complex process happening to all of us most of the time even without our knowledge. Moreover, this essay provides information about why people actually conform. Every person is an individual. However, every person belongs to a group. The nationality of a person, their sex, their age, the colour of their skin, and even their hobbies are all different kinds of groups to which this person belongs to. Group membership helps building a type of social identity, while applying its norms and rules upon the individual (Brown 2000). Moreover, even in cases in which a clear hierarchy and roles are absent because of the instant development of the group, social influence remains existent. Social influence definition given by Allport (1968) is as it follows, ‘an attempt to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and...
Words: 2995 - Pages: 12
