Social Psychology by David G. Myers 8th Edition
Conformity
What is conformity?
Definition: A change in behavior or belief to accord with others.
Acceptance: conformity that involves both acting and believing in accord with
social pressure
Compliance: outward conformity while privately disagreeing
Obedience – compliance in response to a direct command
Classic Studies
Classic Studies
Classic Studies
Milgram’s obedience experiments
What Breeds Obedience?
Emotional distance of the victim
Closeness and legitimacy of the authority
Institutional authority
The liberating effects of group influence
Reflections on the Classic Studies
Behavior and attitudes – experiments illustrate effect of external influences on
behavior (hard to stand alone against a group or an authority)
The power of the situation (a few evil people in the right environment can lead
to great evil)
The fundamental attribution error – results surprise us because we believe
people who do bad things are bad people, and good people do good
When Do People Conform?
Influences on Conformity
Influences on Conformity
Why Conform?
Who Conforms?
Resisting Social Pressure