Psychology- Social Influence; Conformity

Social Influence: Conformity

Social Influence- The ways in which external secial factors alter bahaviour

Conformity- A type of social influence where we choose to go along with the majority (Majority Influence). E.g. Peer Pressure or fashion trends. We can yield publicly or privately.

Jenness' (1932) Jelly Beans

1. Asked individuals to guess how many jelly beans were in a jar individually.

2. The group then had to arrive at a group estimate. 

3. He interviewed the individuals after and asked them if they would like to change their estimate. Almost all changed it in line with the group estimate.

Types of conformity

1. Compliance: The person conforms publicly but continues privately to disagree. This is the shallowest form of conformity. For example; a person might laugh at the joke that others are laughing at while privately not finding it very funny.

2. Identification: The person conforms publicly as well as privately because they have identified with the group and they feel a sense of group membership. The change of belief or behaviour is often temporary. For example; a person might support a new football team every time they move to a new town.

3.Internalisation: The person conforms publicly and privately because they have internalised and accepted the views of the group. It is the deepest form of conformity. For example; a person may become a vegetarian after sharing a flat with a group of vegetarians at university.

Explanations of…