What is conformity

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 9 essays on Social Psychology that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

What is Conformity?

Conformity, which falls under the category of Majority Influence, occurs when individuals are exposed to types of behaviour, attitudes and values which differ from their own, and then 'take on' these behaviours, attitudes etc. Another definition of conformity is yielding to real or imaginary group pressure.

But why do people conform? The majority of the time, we are not physically forced to behave in a certain way or think in a certain way but yet people will conform to various ways of behaving, to what they believe and even allow themselves to change their personal beliefs. Throughout this essay, I am going to discuss the various studies on conformity and explanations of conformity.

There are various types of conformity. Deutsch and Gerard (1955) proposed:

> Normative - Occurs due to wanting to be liked by the group and not being rejected i.e. the desire to 'fit in'.

> Informational - Occurs as a result of the individual's uncertainty in situations and relies on their perception of the majority group abilities i.e. status, knowledge etc.

Kelman (1958) also suggested:

> Compliance - Agreeing to do something or act in a particular