What Is Conformity? Types and Effects

The definition of “conformity” is the act of changing your behavior, values, or beliefs to match the behavior, values, and beliefs of those around you. There are several types of conformity—compliance, identification, normative influence, and more—ranging in severity. Social psychologists have tested the effects of social conformity for many years.

In one study, psychologist Solomon Asch asked participants to complete a line judgment task in which they had to compare the length of one standard line to three other lines. Some of the “participants” in the study worked for Asch; they purposely gave the wrong answer during the trial. The Asch conformity experiment found that the true participants answered in accordance with the group most of the time, even when they knew the answer was incorrect.

However, not all participants in Asch’s study were conformists. About one-fourth of the group did not agree, and gave the correct answer. Nonconformity is also a common response to group pressure, in which people do not feel the need to change their behavior to fit in with the group. Minority influence also overrides conformity by grouping the minority together so that they feel comfortable going against the group.

Another experiment that tested the limits of conformity was the Milgram experiment. In this experiment, Stanley Milgram instructed participants to shock people in a different room (they were actors and weren’t actually shocked). Though participants heard screams from the actors, they complied with instructions and delivered more intense shocks.

There are several explanations of conformity, chief among them social influence. People want to belong in the presence of others, so it is natural to want to give in to peer pressure to feel accepted. Conformity is also an embarrassment-avoidance behavior. If you act in accordance with social norms, you are less vulnerable to embarrassment.

There are many different types of conformity. A few types include:

• Compliance conformity: In compliance conformity, you may outwardly agree with the group norms, but have a different opinion that you keep to yourself. For example, if you watch a movie with your friends and they all say they love the movie but you didn’t like it, you may act like you liked it in order to comply.
• Identification conformity: Identificational social influence occurs when you conform your behavior or have an attitude change to maintain your identity as a certain social role. This type of conformity is common in the workplace (“acting the part”), particularly for authority figures.
• Informational conformity: Informational social influence occurs when you look to the rest of the group for information. This often occurs when you don’t know what to do. For example, if a teacher asks students to hold their answer to a question up on a small whiteboard, a student that doesn’t know the answer may look at other students for the correct answer to avoid giving an incorrect answer.
• Internalization conformity: Internalization happens when you accept the behavior, interests, or beliefs of others as your own, resulting in unanimity. You may experience this if you become friends with new people, so you change your interests to be like the members of the group.
• Normative conformity: Normative social influence occurs when you change according to group pressure, in order to fit in with a group (usually a social group).

The level of conformity someone experiences depends on the group size, individual differences, cultural differences (collectivist cultures value conformity more than others), and the type of social influence. The effects of conformity, both positive and negative, can be long-lasting. The most common effects of conformity include:

• A sense of belonging: Sometimes conformity helps people feel like they belong in groups. Conforming helps people assimilate to new cities, new friend groups, and new schools.
• Decreased self-image: If you realize your groupthink conflicts with your values or even causes you to change your appearance, it can damage your self-worth and leave you questioning which beliefs are the right ones.
• Distortion of judgment: Conforming to the behavior and decision-making of others often distorts your own judgment because you are prioritizing group acceptance over individual judgment.
• Resentment: If group members participate in risky behavior that you don’t agree with, you may resent those people or yourself.
• Reduced individuality: When you constantly try to comply with social pressure, you don’t have the opportunity to try new things or discover who you are on your own.

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