Conformity•The Change of behaviour and or attitudes of an individual that takes place in response to group pressure or to fit into the groups norms. Deutsch and Gerrard (1955) identified and theorised two reasons why people conform called normative social influence and informational social influence.
Normative social influence includes an individual cracking to group pressure because a individual wants to fit in with the group and conforming to the groups behaviours, views or ideas because the individual fears being outcasted by the group. This type of conformity usually involves compliance. This is where a individual accepts the same views of the group publicly, but privately rejects them. Nazi Germany, 1933 - 1945 Adolph hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. under the leader ship of the Nazi leader, the people of Germany woefully conformed to the Nazi regime of brutality and racial prejudice towards Roma , Jewish and Black communities living in Germany. This policy of state enabled racism led to inhumane treatment, including beatings, executions , vandalism of property and torture. The people of Germany conformed to Hitlers ideals through Fear of the regimes “Gestapo” secret police and were convinced through the Nazi propaganda to do so. If people did not conform to these practices, such as reporting jewish people to the government, they were condemned by the state and by their fellow citizens which encouraged people to conform to the ill treatment of the other ethnic groups. |
Solomon Asch (1955)• Created a visual judgment task involving cards containing a single line on the left, then other three lines of varying length labeled A , B & C.
•Participants are asked which labelled line matches the length of the line on the left. The experiment consisted of 12 participants, however 11 of them were actors with heavily scripted roles in the experiment, the participants are placed in order so that the only real participant in the experiment hears the actors answers first, which were intentionally and blatantly the wrong answer. •However being the last person to be asked the length, the 75 % of the real participant chose the answer the other participants chose on at least one trial out of conformity of the group in the fear that what he thought was clearly right, was wrong or to simply agree with the rest of the group. |
Factors that influence conformity:• Group size:
depending on the size of the group the individual may feel more or less pressured (Big group = More pressured) (Small Group = Less pressured) • Degree of unanimity: If the individual is given anonymity in the experiment there is no pressure on that individual to conform. • Strangness of situation: The experience the individual has with the situation / experiment may make the difference between conformity or not. ( If a experienced plumber was told that he had fit his pipes wrong by a group of lesser experienced plumbers, he may feel less inclined to conform to that groups opinion ) |
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