CONFORMITY AND OBEDIENCE

WHAT IS CONFORMITY
• IS THE OVER ALL TERM FOR ACTING
DIFFERNTLY DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF
OTHERS.
• IS NOT JUST ACTING AS OTHER PEOPLE
ACT; IT ALSO BEING AFFECTED BY HOW
THEY ACT.
• IS A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR OR BELIEF TO
ACCORD WITH OTHERS.
• CHANGING ONE’S BEHAVIOR OR BELIEF
AS A RESULT OF GROUP PRESSURE–
COMES IN TWO FORMS.
FOR EXAMPLE
IF YOU RISE TO CHEER A GAME-
WINNING GOAL, DRINK COFFE, OR WEAR
YOUR HAIR IN A CERTAIN STYLE BECAUSE
YOU WANT TO, AND NOT DUE TO THE
INFLUENCE OF OTHER YOU ARE NOT
COMFORMING. BUT IF YOU DO THOSE
THINGS BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE DID
THEM, THAT’S CONFORMITY.
 ACCEPTANCE
• OCCURS WHEN YOU GENUINELY BELIEVE
IN WHAT THE GROUP HAS PERSUADED
YOU TO DO-YOU INWARDLY AND
SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT THE GROUP’S
ACTION ARE RIGHT.
• IS BELIEVING IS AS WELL AS ACTING IN
ACCORD WITH SOCIAL PRESSURE
FOR EXAMPLE
YOU MIGHT EXERCISE, AS MILLIONS
DO, BECAUSE YOU ACCEPT THAT EXERCISE
HIS HEALTHY.

YOU STOP AT RED LIGHT BECAUSE

YOU ACCEPT THAT NOT DOING SO IS
DANGEROUS.
 COMPLIANCE
• IN CONTRAST, COMPLIACE IS
CONFORMING TO AN EXPECTATION OR A
REQUEST WITH OUT REALLY BELIEVING
IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
• WITH A DIRECT COMMAND.
FOR EXAMPLE
IF YOUR MOTHER TELLS YOU TO
CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM AND YOU DO,
THAT’S OBEDIENCE.
 OBEDIENCE
• COMPLYING WITH A DIRECT COMMAND,
IS A VARIATION ON COMPLIANCE.
 CONFORMITY

ACCEPTANCE COMPLIANCE

OBEDIENCE
 WHAT ARE THE CLASSIC
CONFORMITY AND OBEDIENCE
STUDIES?
 SHERIF’S STUDIES OF NORM
FORMATION
Muzafer Sherif observed that other’s
judgment influenced people’s estimates of the
movement of a point of light that actually did
not move. Norms for “proper” answer emerged
and survived both over long periods of time and
through succeeding generation of research
participants.
ASCH’S STUDIES OF GROUP PRESSURE

Solomon Asch had people listen to

others’ judgments of which of three
comparison lines was equal to a standard
line and the make the same judgment
themselves. When the others unanimously
gave a wrong answer, the participants
conformed 37 percent of time.
 MILGRAM’S OBEDIENCE STUDIES
Stanley Milgram’s studies id obedience
elicited an extreme from compliance. Under
optimum conditions—legitimates, close-at-
hand comamander, a remote victim, and no
one else to exemplify disobedience– 65 % of
his adult male participants fully obeyed
instructions to deliver what were supposedly
traumatizing electric shock to a screaming,
innocent victim in an adjacement room.
THE ETHICS OF MILGRAM’S STUDIES
WHAT BREEDS OBEDIENCE?