Conformity

Herbert Kelman (1958) suggested there are 3 ways in which people conform to the opinion of a majority:

• Internalisation: occurs when a person genuinely accepts the groups norms, resulting in a private and public change in behaviour. This is likely to be permanent because attitudes have become a part of a way that person thinks. The change in behaviour persists even in the absence of group members
• Identification: sometimes we conform to the opinion/behaviour of a group because we want to be a part of it. We publicly change our opinions/behaviour even if we don't privately agree with everything the group stands for
• Compliance: simply 'going along' with others in public but not changing our…