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The Psychology of Social Influence: Conformity

Defining Conformity

What is Conformity?

Conformity refers to the process by which individuals change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours in response to real or imagined group pressure. There are several types of conformity, but two primary types are internalisation and compliance.

Depth of Social Influence

The level of change resulting from group pressure varies significantly, from superficial public agreement to deep, permanent personal belief adoption. Here are the two primary types of conformity:

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INTERNALISATION

This is the deepest level of conformity. Individuals accept the group's views both publicly and privately. This means the influence has led to a permanent change in their personal beliefs, not just surface behaviour.
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COMPLIANCE

Compliance is a more superficial form of conformity. An individual goes along with the group’s behaviour or opinions publicly but privately disagrees or maintains their original beliefs.
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Compliance Goal

Compliance often happens to avoid social disapproval or conflict. For example, a person pretending to agree with friends' opinions just to not stand out.
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Internalisation Source

Internalisation often occurs when the individual is uncertain and trusts the group as a valid source of information.

The Conformity Continuum

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Wait, why do we need both types if they both result in conformity?
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They differ in depth and permanence. Internalisation is genuine belief change, while compliance is purely situational behaviour change to avoid conflict.

Causes of Conformity: ISI vs NSI

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Informational Social Influence (ISI)Occurs when individuals conform because they want to be correct. They look to the group as a source of reliable information, especially in situations of uncertainty or ambiguity. ISI leads to internalisation.
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Normative Social Influence (NSI)Arises from a desire to be liked, accepted, or approved by the group. People conform to fit in with the group norms and avoid rejection, embarrassment, or ridicule. NSI results in compliance.

Key Variables in Asch's Study

Solomon Asch identified specific situational factors influencing the likelihood of an individual conforming during his line judgment tasks:

1

GROUP SIZE

When group size increased to three, conformity rates rose sharply. Beyond three people, further increases in group size had little effect.
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UNANIMITY

Conformity decreased significantly if there was at least one dissenter – someone giving a different answer from the majority. The presence of even one ally empowers resistance.
3

TASK DIFFICULTY

When the task became harder (more subtle differences between the lines), conformity increased. This is explained by informational social influence (ISI).

Summary Insight

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Interactions of Influence: Conformity is affected by both the nature of the social context (e.g., unanimity of the group) and the nature of the task itself (difficulty). Conformity varies according to the social environment and task demands.

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Types of Conformity Deck
Term
Conformity

What is conformity?

Answer
Definition

Changing attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours due to real or imagined group pressure.

Term
Internalisation

What is internalisation in conformity?

Answer
Explanation

Public and private acceptance of group views, leading to a permanent belief change.

Term
Compliance

What is compliance?

Answer
Explanation

Publicly going along with the group while privately disagreeing.

Term
Genuine Belief Change

Which type of conformity involves a genuine belief change?

Answer
Type

Internalisation.

Term
Motivation to Avoid Disapproval

Which type of conformity is motivated by avoiding social disapproval?

Answer
Type

Compliance.

Term
Informational Social Influence (ISI)

What is Informational Social Influence?

Answer
Definition

Conforming because individuals believe the group has accurate information, especially in uncertain situations.

Term
Normative Social Influence (NSI)

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer
Definition

Conforming to be liked or accepted by the group, often resulting in compliance.

Term
Group Size Effect

How does group size affect conformity according to Asch?

Answer
Effect

Conformity increases with group size up to three people, then plateaus.

Term
Unanimity Effect

What effect does unanimity have on conformity?

Answer
Effect

Unanimity increases conformity; even one dissenter reduces it significantly.

Term
Task Difficulty

How does task difficulty influence conformity?

Answer
Effect

Greater task difficulty increases conformity due to reliance on others for information.

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🌸 Types of Conformity Quiz

1. What type of conformity involves changing both public behavior and private beliefs?

Internalisation leads to genuine belief change, both privately and publicly.

2. Which of the following best describes compliance?

Compliance is surface-level conformity to avoid social disapproval without belief change.

3. Informational Social Influence is most likely to occur when:

ISI happens when people look to the group for accurate information in unclear situations.

4. According to Asch’s study, conformity increased significantly when the group size reached:

Conformity rises sharply up to a group size of three, then levels off.

5. What happens to conformity if there is at least one dissenter in a unanimous group?

Presence of a dissenter reduces normative pressure and supports resisting conformity.

📊 Results

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  • Psychology
  • AS & A Level
  • Social Influence
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