What is Conformity?

Social Influence – Conformity

In this course, Mr Kevin Silber (University of Derby) discusses conformity, a type of social influence which describes changes in a person’s behaviour, thoughts and feelings in response to a group norm. In the first lecture, we begin with a definition of the term ‘conformity’. In the second lecture, we think about some early studies on conformity. In the third lecture, we look at the factors that affect conformity, including group size, unanimity and task difficulty. Next, we discuss different types of conformity, including compliance, identification and internalisation. In the fifth lecture, we investigate the question why people conform. In the sixth and final lecture, we conclude the course with a closer look at a classic study of conformity: Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment.

What is Conformity?

In this lecture, we discuss how conformity can be defined, focusing in particular on: (i) how we differentiate it from obedience as a form of social influence; (ii) the fact that it is elicited in response to group norms; (iii) the role conformity plays in our everyday lives.