SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: CONFORMITY AND OBEDIENCE

 Conformity and Obedience: Why People Follow Social Norms

Do you ever agree to be in line with everybody's ideas even if you really don't believe in them? Possibly you have followed directions from an authority figure even if, deep inside, you felt it wasn't right? Well, you are not alone. Those were two examples of two very interesting behaviors, which are called conformity and obedience; both of these concepts have been studied within social psychology. Understanding these ideas may provide insight into what transpires when we behave in groups, why we follow particular rules, and what happens whenever authority comes into play. Let's unpack these ideas, one step at a time.

What Is Conformity?

Conformity is the process of our behaving, thinking, or feeling in ways that are in harmony with the wishes of others, such as adopting a fad because it is popular, agreeing with a friend's opinion to avoid a conflict, or shifting our view to go along with societal norms.

Conformity in its very core means the art of fitting in. Humans are social animals, and part of being social includes acquiring that feeling of fit and belonging-be it in a circle of friends, in our workplaces, or within society at large. We will conform to avoid conflict or because it is easier that way, or just to please.

Types Of Conformity

Conformity is not uniform; it is relative, considering the particular situation. The major types are as follows:

Normative Conformity:

This occurs when an individual conforms due to the reason of being liked or accepted. Suppose one is in the company of friends where all of them like a particular television serial and one does not. He will act just opposite to his liking, and this is because he would not like to be left behind or unliked.

Informational Conformity:

Ever been in a place where you do not know what to do, so you do what everyone else is doing? That is informational conformity. It occurs when we look towards others for guidance because the assumption is that others know more about what's going on than ourselves. If you're at a fancy dinner and do not know which fork to use, say, you might watch what the others are doing and mimic them.

Identification:

This type of conformity is about aligning because one values being part of the group. It might include everything from adopting a team's colors because one is a fan to taking on behaviors associated with fitting in to function within the culture of a new job.

Internalization:

This is the deepest form of conformity. It's not just a question of outwardly going along with others; you actually take the group's beliefs for yourself. Identification would be if one joined an environmental group and started to recycle, but with internalization, one deeply believes in sustainability and advocates for the same.

The Famous Line Experiment: How Groups Influence Us

We turn now to one of the most famous experiments ever conducted on the topic of conformity, the line study by Solomon Asch.

What Happened in the Study?

Asch put the participants in a room full of people who were in on the experiment. Participants would then be exposed to a card with a line on it, followed by a second card containing three lines of different lengths. They then were asked to choose which line matched the first card.

It was a super-easy task, and the right answer was as clear as daylight. Then the kicker: the panel of respondents who knew about the experiment gave the wrong answer. The actual test of the experiment was whether or not the participant would stay with their correct answer or if they would follow the incorrect answer given by the others.

The Surprising Results

• An amazing 37% of participants conformed and gave the wrong answer at least once.
• Even though the answer was rather obvious, such was the power of that pressure to agree with the majority that it distorted judgments.

Why This Matters

Asch's study powerfully illustrates the effect of groups on individual judgment even when the stimulus being judged is unambiguous. It also speaks to a sense of discomfort that most of us share when we find ourselves in a minority-nobody likes being the odd one out.

What Is Obedience?

While conformity refers to the act of going along with peers, obedience refers to following the orders of someone in a position of power, such as a teacher, boss, or even a stranger in a uniform. Unlike conformity, which tends to be implicit, obedience generally involves explicit instructions.

The Classic Obedience Study: Milgram's Shocking Experiment

One of the most creative studies ever designed to assess obedience was run by Stanley Milgram back in the 1960s. Milgram was interested in the kinds of questions such as why individuals perform acts that run completely counter to their own moral codes-for example, the "only following orders" soldiers from World War II.

What Happened?

• Participants thought they were signing up to participate in some sort of learning and memory experiment.
• They were to play the role of a "teacher" who would later be administering electric shocks to a "learner" every time the learner got an answer wrong. 
• The electric shock was at a low initial level, but with successive incorrect responses, the severity of the shock would escalate, and they were also advised that they should continue right through the scream of pain or silence on the part of the learner. 

The Shocker Results

• 65% of participants administered the full 450 volts, even though they most certainly thought they were causing harm.
• Indeed, many were visibly quite distressed-sweating, trembling, even crying-but they continued to obey.

Why People Obey

Milgram's experiment showed that people are very willing to obey an authority figure even when going against better judgment, particularly under conditions of:

• The authority figure appeared legitimate.
• The person is alienated from the consequences of their actions, for example, they are not in direct contact with the learner.
• The responsibility is perceived to rest with the authority figure and not the individual.

What Factors Influence Conformity and Obedience?

A number of factors influence whether people are likely to conform or obey:

Group Size:

The larger the group, the greater the level of conformity, although this levels off after three to five people.

Unanimity:

If all others in a group agree on something, then it is always tough to disagree with them. However, one voice of dissention can make a world of difference.

Cultural Norms:

Collectivist societies which emphasize harmony in groups show more conformance than individualistic societies where independence is promoted.

Legitimacy of Authority:

The person exerting the authority is seen as credible and of a higher order.

Proximity:

Greater proximity to the authority figure elicits more obedience whereas the increasing proximity to the victim lowers the urge to do the authority figure's bidding.

Why Do These Concepts Relate?

Conformity and obedience are not theories that remain in academia; rather, they have a big stake in our daily lives.

• At School: The students would follow norms from their peers, while the teachers would use obedience to get order.
• At Work: Organizational norms would be followed, and the managers took that use of obedience as a guarantee that the jobs would get done.
• In Society: Various public health campaigns which also include mask mandates have always relied on both conformity and obedience to be successful.

Further clarity on these concepts will help us navigate through social pressures in deciding when to go along with others and when to stand our ground.

Conclusion: Final Thoughts on Conformity and Obedience

Conformity and obedience are just two very human concurring phenomena; the fact that they do create harmonious and peaceful coexistence and cooperation notwithstanding, they nonetheless bear the potentials of harms like group thinking, discriminatory behaviors, and blind obedience to authority.

The next time one finds oneself following the crowd or an authority figure, let him or her stop for a moment to ask himself or herself, "Am I doing this because it is truly right, or am I just going along with the group?" It is through major awareness of these social influences that we could balance our desires to fit in with the need to be true to ourselves.