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Chapter 7: Social Influence

Social Psychology
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What is Conformity?
Conformity is a type of social influence involving a
change in belief or behavior to fit in with a group.
It occurs when people adjust their attitudes,
opinions, or actions to match those of others,
often in response to real or imagined group
pressure.
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Three (3) Types of Conformity

Compliance
Identification
Internalization
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Three (3) Types of Conformity

Compliance
Definition: Changing your behavior in response to group pressure, but privately
disagreeing.
Example: Laughing at a joke you don't find funny just because everyone else is laughing.
Identification
Definition: Adopting behavior or beliefs to be accepted by a group or role model, even if
the agreement is only temporary.
Example: Dressing or acting like your favorite celebrity or sports team when you're a fan.
Internalization
Definition: Genuinely accepting the group norms or beliefs both publicly and privately.
Example: Converting to a new religion because you truly believe in its teachings after
being exposed to it by friends.
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Conforming Influences
Normative Conformity
Definition: Conforming to be liked or accepted by the group.
Example: Agreeing with your friends' music taste to fit in.
Informational Conformity
Definition: Conforming because you believe the group is better
informed or correct.
Example: Changing your answer in class after seeing that most
of your classmates chose a different one.
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Classic Conformity and Obedience studies

about Asch, Sherif, and Milgram which helps
us understand how and why people or obey
Solomon Asch (Conformity Study)

Muzafer Sherif (Autokinetic Effect)

Stanley Milgram (Obedience Study)

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Classic Conformity and Obedience studies about Asch, Sherif, and

Milgram which helps us understand how and why people or obey
Solomon Asch (1951) : Conformity Study
Goal: To test whether people would conform to a group's wrong answer, even when the
answer was clearly incorrect.
Method:
Participants were shown lines of different lengths.
They had to say which line matched the target.
Only one person was a real participant; the rest were confederates who intentionally gave
wrong answers.
Results:
75% of participants conformed at least once.
People conformed due to normative social influence – they didn't want to be the odd one out.
Conclusion: People may conform to fit in, even if they know the group is wrong.
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Classic Conformity and Obedience studies about Asch, Sherif, and

Milgram which helps us understand how and why people or obey
Asch found that three different kinds of reactions had contributed to the conformity.
Distortion of perception.
A number of subjects said they were not aware their estimates had been distorted by the
majority. They came to see the rigged majority estimates as correct.
Distortion of judgment.
Most of the subjects who yielded to the majority concluded their own perceptions were
inaccurate.
Lacking confidence in their own observations, they reported not what they saw but what
they felt must be correct.
Distortion of action.
A number of subjects admitted that they had not reported what they had in fact seen.
They said they had yielded so as not to appear different or stupid in the eyes of other group
members.
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Classic Conformity and Obedience studies about Asch, Sherif, and

Milgram which helps us understand how and why people or obey
Muzafer Sherif (1935) : Autokinetic Effect Study
Goal: To see if people would conform to group norms in ambiguous situations.
Method:
Used the autokinetic effect (a stationary dot of light in a dark room appears to
move).
Participants estimated how much the light moved.
First alone, then in a group.
Results:
Alone: answers varied widely.
In a group: estimates converged into a common group norm.
Conclusion:
In uncertain situations, people look to others for guidance – informational social
influence.
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Classic Conformity and Obedience studies about Asch, Sherif, and

Milgram which helps us understand how and why people or obey
Stanley Milgram (1963) : Obedience Study
Goal: To examine how far people would go in obeying an authority figure, even if it
meant harming another person.
Method:
Participants were instructed to act as "teachers" and give electric shocks to a "learner"
for wrong answers.
The "learner" was an actor; shocks weren’t real.
The experimenter encouraged participants to continue.
Results: 65% of participants gave the maximum shock (450 volts), despite hearing the
"learner" in pain.
Conclusion: People will obey authority figures, even against their personal morals, due to
obedience to authority.
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Conformity and obedience are both forms of

social influence, but they differ in how they are
enacted.
Conformity involves changing one's behavior or
beliefs to align with group norms, while
obedience involves changing one's behavior in
response to a direct order from an authority.
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Main factors that affect obedience, based on

classic studies like Milgram’s and later research in
social psychology:
Authority Figure
Proximity of the Authority
Proximity of the Victim
Group Influence/Social Support
Institutional Context
Personal Responsibility
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Main factors that affect obedience, based on classic

studies like Milgram’s and later research in social
psychology:
Authority Figure
Status and legitimacy of the authority (e.g., lab coat,
title, setting) increases obedience.
People are more likely to obey someone they
perceive as having power.
Example: In Milgram's study, obedience dropped when
the experimenter wore ordinary clothes.
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Main factors that affect obedience, based on classic studies like
Milgram’s and later research in social psychology:
Proximity of the Authority
Obedience is higher when the authority figure is physically close.
If the authority is distant (e.g., giving orders by phone), obedience
decreases.
Proximity of the Victim
Obedience decreases when the person being harmed is physically
closer.
Seeing or hearing the victim increases empathy and moral conflict.
Example: In Milgram’s study, when participants had to physically
place the learner’s hand on a shock plate, fewer obeyed.
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Main factors that affect obedience, based on classic studies like
Milgram’s and later research in social psychology:
Group Influence / Social Support
If others refuse to obey, individuals are more likely to resist.
Presence of allies reduces obedience.
Example: When participants saw others disobey in Milgram’s setup, obedience
dropped to 10%.
Institutional Context
A prestigious setting (e.g., Yale University) increased obedience.
Moving the experiment to a less respected location reduced obedience.
Personal Responsibility
Obedience increases when people feel that the authority, not they, are responsible.
If participants feel they are responsible for harm, obedience drops.
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Why People Resist

Conformity or Persuasion?
Psychological Reactance Theory
(Brehm, 1966)
Need for Uniqueness (Snyder &
Fromkin, 1977)
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Why People Resist Conformity or Persuasion?

Psychological Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1966)
Definition: Psychological Reactance is a motivational reaction that occurs when
someone feels their freedom to choose or behave is being threatened.
What Happens:
When a person perceives a loss of freedom, they feel psychological discomfort.
To restore that freedom, they may do the opposite of what is being pressured or
suggested.
Examples:
A teenager drinks alcohol because they’re told not to.
A customer refuses to buy a product that’s “limited edition” because it feels like
pressure.
Key Concept: "The more you push me, the more I push back."
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Why People Resist Conformity or Persuasion?

Need for Uniqueness (Snyder & Fromkin, 1977)
Definition: This is a personality trait that describes how much an individual
desires to stand out from others in thoughts, actions, or appearance.
People high in Need for Uniqueness:
Prefer non-conformity.
Resist group pressure or trends.
Often make unusual choices in fashion, music, or opinions.
Examples:
Choosing a rare or unusual name for a baby.
Deliberately avoiding popular social media trends.
Creating a unique style to express identity.
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Psychological Reactance Theory

Outlines Four (4) Core Components
Perceived Freedom
Threat to Freedom
Reactance Arousal
Restoration of Freedom
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Psychological Reactance Theory Outlines Four (4)

Core Components
These components describe how individuals react when they
perceive their freedom to choose is threatened or restricted.
Perceived Freedom:
This is the individual's belief that they have freedom of
choice in a particular situation. It's not about freedom in an
abstract sense, but rather a perception of freedom to
engage in specific actions, behaviors, or hold certain
attitudes.
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Psychological Reactance Theory Outlines Four (4)

Core Components
Threat to Freedom:
This occurs when an individual perceives that their
freedom to choose is being limited, reduced, or
eliminated. This threat can come from external
factors like rules, social pressure, or even
persuasive messages that are perceived as
controlling.
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Psychological Reactance Theory Outlines Four (4)

Core Components
Reactance Arousal:
When a threat to freedom is perceived, it
triggers a motivational state known as
psychological reactance. This is a feeling of
anger or resentment towards the source of the
threat, and a desire to regain the lost freedom.
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Psychological Reactance Theory Outlines Four (4)

Core Components
Restoration of Freedom:
The final component involves the individual's
attempts to regain the freedom they perceive as
having been lost or threatened. This could
involve engaging in the restricted behavior,
rejecting the source of the threat, or even
becoming hostile towards it.
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Why Conform?
Informational influence.
Behavior of others might convince us that our original
judgment was incorrect.
The group's behavior provides valuable info about what is
expected.
Wish to avoid punishment (such as rejection or ridicule)
or gain rewards.
We are concerned about our social image and outcomes.
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Why Conform?
Groups create barriers to independent behavior.
Risk of disapproval from other group members.
By deviating too far, individuals risk rejection.
Lack of perceived alternatives.
A member may not realize he has any other choice but conformity.
(In Milgram experiments, subjects were told they had no other
choice.)
Fear of disrupting the group's operations.
People fear independence will hamper the attainment of group
goals.
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Why Conform?
Groups create barriers to independent behavior.
Absence of communication among group members.
Lacking information that others might join in the nonconforming action, they avoid
going out on a limb.
No feeling of responsibility for group outcomes.
Members who conform may cause a group to fail to meet its objectives. They
hesitate to take the initiative to turn the situation around, especially if they do not
feel personally responsible for the group's success or failure.
A sense of powerlessness.
If a person feels that he cannot change the situation, he is unlikely to try anything
new. The apathy becomes self-fulfilling. No one tries anything different, and
consequently, nothing improves.
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(8) Factors That Increase Conformity

Group Size
Unanimity (Group Agreement)
High Group Cohesiveness
Low Confidence or Ambiguity
Cultural Influence
Status of the Group
Public Responses
Task Difficulty
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(8) Factors That Increase Conformity

Group Size
Conformity increases with group size — up to about 3–5 people.
After that, the effect levels off.
Example: You're more likely to follow what others say when 4 people agree
than if only 1 person does.
Unanimity (Group Agreement)
If everyone else agrees, you’re more likely to conform.
If even one person disagrees, conformity drops sharply (social support).
Example: In Asch’s experiment, having one ally reduced conformity by 80%.
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(8) Factors That Increase Conformity

High Group Cohesiveness
People conform more when they feel connected to or identified with the
group.
This includes friends, family, or admired peers.
Example: Wanting to dress like your classmates or social media group.
Low Confidence or Ambiguity
When people are unsure of what’s right or lack knowledge, they’re more
likely to conform.
This is called informational social influence.
Example: Unsure of the answer in class, you follow what others say.
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(8) Factors That Increase Conformity

Cultural Influence
Collectivist cultures (e.g., many Asian cultures) tend to value group
harmony more, so conformity is higher.
Individualist cultures (e.g., U.S., U.K.) value independence, so conformity
may be lower.
Status of the Group
People conform more to groups that are seen as important, high status, or
expert.
Example: Agreeing with a doctor or teacher even if unsure.
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(8) Factors That Increase Conformity

Public Responses
People are more likely to conform when they must
respond in front of others than when responses are
private.
Task Difficulty
Harder or more confusing tasks increase conformity
because people look to others for guidance.
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(7) Factors That Decrease Conformity

Presence of an Ally (Social Support)
Private Responses
Low Group Cohesion
Confidence and Expertise
Cultural Influence
Awareness of Social influence
Moral or Ethical Convictions
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(7) Factors That Decrease Conformity

Presence of an Ally (Social Support)
Having even one person who disagrees with the group gives individuals the
courage to dissent.
It breaks the pressure of unanimity.
Example: In Asch's experiment, when one confederate gave the correct answer,
conformity dropped sharply.
Private Responses
People conform less when they can give answers anonymously.
There's no fear of judgment or embarrassment.
Example: You're more honest on an anonymous survey than in a group discussion.
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(7) Factors That Decrease Conformity

Low Group Cohesion
If the person doesn’t feel emotionally connected to the group,
they’re less motivated to fit in.
Example: You won’t care to follow strangers’ opinions as much
as your friends'.
Confidence and Expertise
Individuals who are confident in their knowledge or skills are
less likely to conform.
Example: A math whiz is less likely to change their answer just
because others disagree.
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(7) Factors That Decrease Conformity

Cultural Influence
People from individualist cultures (like the U.S., U.K.) are less likely to
conform than those from collectivist cultures (like Japan, Korea).
Awareness of Social Influence
People who are aware of how conformity works or have been taught to
think critically are more likely to resist.
Moral or Ethical Convictions
Strong personal values can reduce conformity, especially in situations
involving right and wrong.
Example: A person refusing to follow discriminatory group behavior
despite pressure.
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(6) Why Conformity is Important

Promotes social order
Encourages group cohesion
Provides guidance in uncertainty
Reinforces social norms and values
Aids in social learning
Reduces conflict
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(6) Why Conformity is Important

Promotes Social Order
Conformity to laws, rules, and norms prevents chaos and ensures predictable
behavior.
Example: People stop at red lights or line up in queues.
Encourages Group Cohesion
Conforming helps individuals fit in and bond with others.
Shared behavior strengthens teamwork, friendships, and cultural identity.
Provides Guidance in Uncertainty
In unfamiliar situations, we look to others to learn what is appropriate.
Example: Conforming to local customs when visiting a new country.
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(6) Why Conformity is Important

Reinforces Social Norms and Values
Conformity helps transmit cultural norms from one generation to the next.
Promotes traditions, moral values, and shared practices.
Aids in Social Learning
Especially in children, conformity helps them learn behaviors by observing and
imitating others.
Example: Children learning politeness by copying adults.
Reduces Conflict
When people follow shared norms, there’s less disagreement or tension.
Conformity allows for smoother group interactions.
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(6) Why Conformity is Important

Conformity is important because it helps

societies function, individuals feel

included, and cultural values survive. But

like all social forces, it must be balanced

with independent thinking.

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Thank you for listening!

Any questions? :)