Conformity within a group entails members changing their attitudes and beliefs in order to match those of others within the group. Those that conform tend to be obedient and compliant. In order to conform, the group member must attribute someone as having the legitimacy and credibility to lead or influence the group's behaviour. Without this "leader", conformity toward the group's goals will be less prevalent. If a member of the group fails to conform to the groups needs, he/she would lose credibility with the rest of the group.
Why do people conform? Explanations(theories of conformity) There are two type of social influence. One of it is normative social influence, it is based on our desire to be liked. We conform because we want to be appear ‘normal’ and we think that others will approve of and accept us. Going against the majority might lead to exclusion or rejection from the group.
The presence of others affects our behaviors through influence. Peer pressure being the best example of this. Through peer pressure our peers influence us by encouraging use to change our attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs in order for us to conform to the group norm. A person who is influenced by peer pressure may not want to actually be a part of the groups or associate with them and as such change their behavior accordingly to the group behavior when around that group. A person may change his or her attitudes and behaviors when around social groups in order to feel accepted even if they don’t particularly believe in the group behaviors.
Human behaviour can change depending on the setting we are put in. There are different aspects which can affect our behaviour, influencing how we feel, think and behave. People are part of the causal effect as we as human beings want to belong; no one wants to be left out on their own. All human beings act differently in different situations, because no one is the same. However in today's society, psychologists have been able to do research on the way human’s behaviour react in different situations with different participants to be able to get a generalized result but to do so they must first distinguish if the participant is showing social or personal identities.
Social connections with people and event even though they don’t know about them). – Tajfel & Turner (1979) - Social Identity Theory (S.I.T) - Creates in-groups and out-groups - Due to comparison we make to maintain our self-concept - Part of being a social self - In-group = positive distinctiveness – positive in our favour - Out-group = negative side – how do you maintain this - 4) People’s views of the world are resistant to change
Considering the opinions of others can be used as a tool to assess the accuracy of our own conclusions. We conform because we consider that others may have correct data. Normative social influence can also cause conformity. When we are exposed to this type of social influence we mirror the conduct of others in the same situation because it is believed to be the proper normal behavior. Human beings in general do not like standing out from a crowd or feelings of rejection; so, although we logically consider the circumstance, we also are motivated to behave a
The extent in which individuals are influences can depend on self-esteem levels, and individual strengths from moral, values to self-identity. Daily influences may include common courtesy, or inappropriate agreements within group settings based on demands for consensus. Individuals are guided by internal compass’s, which form parameters of perceiving, that is what information is considered to be right or wrong according to individual social and value expectations. Many actions done by individuals are simply done to ensure a place for familiarity and acceptance, while avoiding exclusions. For many, the need for approval and acknowledgement may exceed values of authentic identity.
Culture is also crucial in the development of prosocial behaviour. Prosocial behaviour promotes morality in the society and ultimately non-offending behaviour. Cultural factors a) Societal differences in expressing prosocial behaviour Altruism is expressed differently between individualistic and cooperative societies. In the United States of
Lastly, Cultural Relativists often argue that it is mere arrogance for us to judge the conduct of other societies, and that we should adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures. Although it may be a display of arrogance to judge the conduct of other societies, it is sometimes necessary to do so and convey disagreement when the situation arises. Given these revised interpretations of the 5 claims commonly made by Cultural Relativists, individuals and cultures ought to be guided by a revised philosophy known as Centralized Cultural Relativism, where societies may have different moral codes, but they all inherit certain properties from a parent code, which is influenced by factors including human biology, physiology, and what is necessary for a society to
Social normative theory can help explain why the subjects in the experiment obeyed. According to Brown, 1986 “Obedience may be an ingrained habit that’s difficult to resist” (Gross, 2010, pg 419) Socialisation makes it a norm to follow the hierarchy of society and view obedience as necessary. When someone from a seemingly legitimate source says something contradictory to our beliefs and morals it creates tension and conflict within us as our first reaction is to obey. This is demonstrated in Milgram’s experiment when the subjects “displayed fears similar to those who defied the experimenter; yet they obeyed” (Milgram, 1963, pg 376). The subject followed the expected behaviour despite his reluctance to continue.