Do you think everyone in a group has the same ideologies and interests? If not, how do they follow the same interests of the group? Do you often agree with your boss or other authority figures? Maybe not. But still, many of you follow their rules and suggestions. Why do people behave against their own will in certain situations?
Conformity and obedience are two important concepts in social psychology that explain why people behave in certain ways in a social situation. This article delves into these two concepts and makes them more understandable to you.
What is Conformity?
As Indians, living in a collectivistic society, most people often try to align with societal norms to ensure their membership in the community. Sometimes these ideologies will not align with one’s ideologies but still many follow them to ensure a safe zone in society. In such situations, people are following conformity — changing their behavior to fit in with the people around them. This helps them to ensure their position in the community.
Causes of Conformity
Conformity is not always negative. Sometimes, it’s about learning certain behaviors from more knowledgeable others. We also act similarly to others in ambiguous situations. Deutsch and Gerard (1995), identified two causes of conformity among people – informational influence and normative influence.
Informational Influence
Sometimes we rely more on others than our own opinions. Suppose you have an opinion regarding a social issue. Then you find that someone you feel is very knowledgeable and influential is sharing their opinion which is contrasting to your ideology. Many famous people are also supporting that. In such cases, you will probably change your attitude because the source is more reliable for you. In this case, we are unsure about our own attitude. So, we change it based on a more knowledgeable person believing that they must be right.
Normative Influence
As mentioned before, we often try to align with the societal norms. People generally follow them to avoid punishments or other threats. Sometimes people follow them to get rewards such as liking from others.
Influential Experiments on Conformity
There are several groundbreaking experiments in the history of social psychology on the concept of conformity.
Sherif’s Experiment
One of the popular experiments on conformity is Muzafer Sherif’s experiment on the autokinetic effect. The autokinetic effect is a perceptual illusion in which people perceive the movement of a static light in a dark room. The perception of movement differs among individuals. However, in Sherif’s experiment, people’s responses converged when they were asked to report the movement of light by saying aloud. Here, people implicitly create a group norm and follow that. This further shaped their responses.
Asch’s Experiment
Another groundbreaking experiment was from the psychologist Solomon Asch. He gave a perceptual task to the participants to identify a line of similar length from three given lines. While done individually, they accurately predicted lines. However, when asked to identify the correct line after some confederates were given wrong answers continuously, participants changed their answers to wrong as reported by the confederates. This is an example of normative influence.
Stanford Prison Experiment
This experiment raised several ethical concerns but is still a significant experiment in Psychology. In this, participants were given the role of prisoners and guards. Those with guard roles started behaving cruelly to those with prisoner roles. Here, participants adopted the given roles by completely conforming to them. They lost their original identity and began acting harshly. This is an example of how peer pressure and traditional societal expectations influence the behavior of people.
Read More: 10 Great Experiments in the field of Psychology
Cons of Conformity
Conformity may bring some negative consequences to you.
- Changing your behavior to fit into a group may lower your self-esteem.
- Conforming to peer pressure may lead to illegal behaviors, like substance abuse or reckless driving.
- This can also result in a bystander effect where you fail to act while conforming to others’ inaction.
- Conformity also reduces your creativity and openness to novel ideas.
- Conformity can also result in feelings of prejudice.
What is Obedience?
According to the American Psychological Association, obedience is the behavior in compliance with a direct command, often one issued by a person in a position of authority. We are often taught to be obedient in many settings. In our home, we are supposed to follow the rules set by our parents. In educational settings, they have their own rules. Violating them often results in negative consequences. So we often follow them and show obedience.
Milgram’s Experiment
Another controversial experiment in Psychology was by the psychologist Stanley Milgram. He was curious to know to what extent people can be obedient to authority. In his experiments, participants were asked to provide electrical shocks to a learner. In reality, the person receiving shock is a confederate and he didn’t actually receive a shock. The intensity of the shock increased gradually. The participants obeyed giving severe shocks to the learner based on the order by the experimenter. That is, 65% of participants delivered severe amounts of shocks.
This study shows the presence of an authority figure often influences people to obey them and most often people feel anonymous about what they doing. They attributed the unethical part of their action to the authority figure and didn’t feel responsible for that.
Factors Influencing Obedience
- Personality traits like conscientiousness and obedience are more associated with obedience.
- Psychological distance: people often show obedience to even unethical tasks if they find themselves distant from the consequences of those actions.
- Ambiguity: In situations in which people are uncertain and lack information, they are supposed to show obedience to the authority.
- Fear of consequences: people often obey the authority if they anticipate negative consequences for disobedience.
Difference Between Conformity and Obedience
Obedience and conformity may seem similar but they are different in many ways. Obedience is always about following an order whereas conformity involves acting according to a request or expectations. Secondly, obedience often involves an individual of a lower status obeying the order of an individual from a higher status. In contrast, individuals conform to people of equal status in conformity. Lastly, obedience is more associated with social power whereas conformity is more connected to social acceptance.
Conclusion
Conformity and obedience are two common and important concepts in social psychology. We often experience them in different social settings from simple interactions to large societal structures. Conformity and obedience can be beneficial to you in some settings to secure your safety and societal acceptance. However, they have negative consequences too. They can reduce your individuality and exploration of different perspectives and different ways of action. Moreover, they can also result in harm to others if followed blindly. Hence, understanding them is crucial to follow them in a balanced mode. You need to be very aware of their pros and cons and ensure the ethicality of such behavior according to the context. Try to maintain your individuality in every situation and take accountability for your actions.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between Conformity and Obedience?
Conformity refers to changing one’s behavior, beliefs, or attitudes to match those of a group, often due to social pressure. Obedience, on the other hand, is following direct orders or commands from an authority figure, regardless of personal beliefs or opinions.
2. Why do people conform?
People conform for various reasons, including the desire to fit in (normative influence), the belief that others have more knowledge (informational influence), and social expectations. Conformity helps maintain social harmony but can also suppress individuality.
3. What are some famous psychological experiments on Conformity and Obedience?
Some well-known studies include Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment, which demonstrated how individuals conform to group pressure, and Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Study, which showed how people obey authority even when asked to perform harmful actions.
4. Is conformity always negative?
No, conformity can be positive when it encourages social cooperation, adherence to beneficial norms, and collective progress. However, it becomes problematic when it leads to the suppression of critical thinking, unethical behavior, or blind adherence to harmful norms.
5. What are the dangers of blind obedience?
Blind obedience can lead to serious consequences, such as unethical actions, suppression of individual judgment, and participation in harmful or oppressive systems. Historical examples include obedience in authoritarian regimes and unethical corporate practices.
6. How can individuals resist undue conformity and obedience?
Resisting undue influence involves developing critical thinking, questioning authority when necessary, fostering self-confidence, seeking diverse perspectives, and being aware of social pressures. Encouraging independent thought and ethical reasoning can help people make better decisions.
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