As we said before, the first and foremost reason people conform is that group members must do so to make decisions. The foremost reason for deviance in groups relates to this idea.
The power of the situation can lead people to conform, or go along with the group, even in the face of inaccurate information. Conformity to group norms is driven by two motivations, the desire to fit in and be liked and the desire to be accurate and gain information from the group.
THIS CHAPTER WILL DISCUSS: 1. How "good" conformity occurs when people privately accept their group's beliefs. 2. How "bad" conformity occurs when people voices what their group wants them to.
Influential Factors The difficulty of the task: Difficult tasks can lead to both increased and decreased conformity. Not knowing how to perform a difficult task makes people more likely to conform, but the increased difficulty can also make people more accepting of different responses, leading to less conformity.
People conform to group pressure because they are dependent on the group for satisfying two important desires: the desire to have an accurate perception of reality and the desire to be accepted by other people. People want to hold accurate beliefs about the world because such beliefs usually lead to rewarding outcomes.
Norms are implicit rules shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others and among society or social group. Herbert Kelman identified three major types of conformity: compliance, identification, and internalization.
1:418:30Why Do We Conform? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipLet's.MoreLet's.
In some cases, this social influence might involve agreeing with or acting like the majority of people in a specific group, or it might involve behaving in a particular way in order to be perceived as "normal" by the group. Essentially, conformity involves giving in to group pressure.
Several factors are associated with increased conformity, including larger group size, unanimity, high group cohesion, and perceived higher status of the group. Other factors associated with conformity are culture, gender, age, and importance of stimuli.
Examples of conformityA person going to work dresses in the same style as colleagues in order to fit in.A college student takes drugs because they don't want to appear 'boring' when all their friends are doing it.A person walks around the airport like a zombie acting very passively, to fit in with other passengers.More items...•
0:182:37What is CONFORMITY? What does CONFORMITY mean ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipConformity is the act of matching attitudes beliefs.MoreConformity is the act of matching attitudes beliefs.
1 : to be similar or identical also : to be in agreement or harmony —used with to or with changes that conform with our plans. 2a : to be obedient or compliant —usually used with to conform to another's wishesThe building doesn't conform to local regulations.
They're showing that conformity is not just a learned behavior, but one that is innate and much more pronounced in humans than in other primates. Now scientists are investigating the brain processes that drive conformity as well as deviation from it.
Conformity makes the work easier for everyone. The goal of conforming to society is one that seeks eternal harmony. People who choose to take this path want to see their society continue to benefit others in positive ways. One of the outcomes of this process is to distribute work fairly throughout the group.
Conformity influences the formation and maintenance of social norms, and helps societies function smoothly and predictably via the self-elimination of behaviors seen as contrary to unwritten rules.
One study found that if you blindfold students, hand them a rope and tell them to pull as hard as they can in a game of tug-of-war, the subjects will put in less work if they think they're part of the team instead of pulling by themselves . About 20% less, it turns out.
In this way, group behavior can be contagious. But overall, conformity describes how we adjust our behavior or thinking to follow the behavior or rules of the group we belong to. Social psychologists have always been curious about the degree to which a person might follow or rebel against their group's social norms.
Understanding conformity can help you make sense of the reasons why some people go along with the crowd, even when their choices seem out of character for them. It can also help you see how other people's behavior may influence the choices you make.
Essentially, conformity involves giving in to group pressure. Some other definitions include: "Conformity is the most general concept and refers to any change in behavior caused by another person or group;
The following are some of the major types of conformity. Normative conformity involves changing one's behavior in order to fit in with the group. Informational conformity happens when a person lacks the knowledge and looks to the group for information and direction.
Research and Experiments. Conformity is something that happens regularly in our social worlds. Sometimes we are aware of our behavior, but in many cases, it happens without much thought or awareness on our parts. In some cases, we go along with things that we disagree with or behave in ways that we know we shouldn't.
Some of the best-known experiments on the psychology of conformity deal with people going along with the group, even when they know the group is wrong. Jenness's 1932 Experiment: In one of the earliest experiments on conformity, Jenness asked participants to estimate the number of beans in a bottle.
When another student in the class provides an answer, the confused student concurs with the answer believing that the other student is smarter and better informed.