Conformity: Types and explanations

There are 3 types of conformity in psychology, as proposed by Kelman (1958). These are:

Internalisation- The majority view is accepted by a person as the genuinely correct view, therefore they change their opinion internally as well as externally permanently. For example, if a homophobic person was to hear the views of those who were gay/supported gay rights, they may change their opinion because they believe it is the right way to live in society.

Identification- A person will change their view in order to be identified with a particular group, as the majority of views are what the person wants to identify with and agrees with. For example, a teacher has to enforce certain policies even if they may not privately agree in order to identify as a teacher.

Compliance- A person changes their view in order to go along with other people. It is a completely superficial change, and occurs due to the desire to fit in. As soon as the person is away from the influencing group, their behaviour stops. For example, a person may not agree with antisocial behaviour, but wants to fit in with a group, and so follows them in it.

Deutsch and Gerard (1955) developed a two-process theory arguing there are two main reasons for conformity. These are:

Informational social influence (ISI)- Concerning who has the better information. If a group seems more well informed, then a person is more likely to go along with their view. Sometimes, this can occur simply if the group has no dissenters. It often is found to happen when a person is new to a situation, and the person wants to be…