SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BOOKLET

MARCH
2017
BY:JAMIE V.
CANAUAY
MA-PSYCHOLOGY
TO: D R. H AZEL
MARTINEZ

TABLE

CON
OF

CONTENTS
I.INTRODUCTION
II. CONFORMITY
DEFINITION
CONSEQUENCES
III. REASONS WHY PEOPLE CONFORM
IV. OBEDIENCE
DEFINITION
KEY FACTORS OF OBEDIENCE
V. ACTIVITY I
VI. ACTIVITY II
VII. REFERENCES

Introduction
This booklet focuses on the social influence that would
lead a person to follow, and believe in the opinions and behaviors
of other, whether the consequence or the outcome would be
good or bad. This kind of social influence is called conformity.
According to David Myers (2010) conformity is a change in
behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group
pressure.
Human beings to some degree would like to be part of a
community, to fit in a group. People conform to social influence to
be able to learn more about the social world, and to be able to be
accepted by those around them. Conformity is one way for
people to belong to a community. The sense of belongingness is
always a comfort to many. However, there are dangers to social
influence as more often people sees the need to please others
more than think about their well-being.
This booklet aims to help the reader form a better
understanding of conformity, and why people submit themselves
to social influence.
What is Conformity?
Have you ever decided on what food to eat for lunch by
asking advice from friends? Or crossed the street, but not on a
designated pedestrian crossing because everyone else traversed
there? Have you ever changed your opinion on something after
knowing your teachers own belief? Most likely your answers to
the questions would be yes. This is because you, like many, are
influenced by the people around you. These situations are called,
social influence. Social influence occurs when a person's
emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others. The
outcome of social influence is called conformity.
Conformity is the extent to which an individual complies
with group norms or expectations. According to Crutchfield
(1955), conformity is simply, yielding to group pressures. Group
pressures could be negative like, bullying, criticism, and coercion.
People can change their behavior or belief due to real or
imagined group pressure.

Real group pressures

involves
physical
presence
of other
people. One good example of this would
be a child being influenced by a friend or
his/her friends to do something he/she
doesnt want to do. This could have a
negative effect as any young person strive to belong or be part of
a certain group. Many young people start vices like drinking
alcohol or smoking due to peer pressure.
Another form of group pressure is imagine group
pressure, it involves the pressure of social norms and
expectations. In tradition men are expected to be tough, and
masculine, while women are to be dainty and beautiful. Men are
supposed to look rough and rugged, and women are supposed to
look soft and slim, many to adhere to the societal pressure. This
is a danger most especially to young women who are quite
impressionable to be pressured into look like
the people they see on TV and in magazines.

Types of Conformity
There are three types of conformity:
1. Compliance (group acceptance) -
Conformity that involves publicly acting in
accord with an implied or explicit request while
privately disagreeing. Compliance occurs when
an individual accepts influence because he
hopes to achieve a favorable reaction from
another person or group.

Linda sings Um, yeah! She

terribly!! does.

In truth, Linda
sings well.

In the situation above, one lady is told that Linda sings terribly
and she verbally agrees to her friend that she does. However,
she quietly disagrees with her in her mind. Compliance is a way
to get a positive reaction from a person or group, or in order to
avoid conflict with someone or the whole group.
Anna and Dorothy are studying Math together. Anna is just
doing okay on this subject while the other girl is excellent on it.
When Dorothy checked her friends work, she saw that there
were some mistakes and errors on the formula she used. She
told Anna these and explained it to her. Once Joy finished her
explanation, Anna agreed and followed her instructions. Anna
conformed outwardly and inwardly because Joy is more
 2. Internalization (genuine acceptance of knowledgeable
group norms) - Internalization always involves than her in Math.
public and private conformity. A person publicly Joy is seen as
changes their behavior to fit in with the group, an authority
while also agreeing with them privately. It is figure in that
going along with a group because of an particular subject
acceptance of their views. that she is not
good at.

A person is sometimes compelled to act and do as his/her

other friends would. It gives them a sense of belongingness, to
be a part of society is what a lot of people would like to have in
life; regardless if he/she shares the same belief. It becomes a
danger to an individual if he/she loses his individuality, and starts
losing his identity in order to identify with a group. Other than
that, people are coerced, or forced to comply to a group out of
fear of being ostracized.

Two Reasons Why People Conform

3. Identification (group membership) -

Identification occurs 'when an individual accepts
influence because he wants to establish or
maintain a satisfying self-defining relationship to
another person or group.
 Normative
Influence

Normative influence is conformity based on a

persons desire to fulfill others expectations,
often to gain acceptance. People conform due to
their fear of being detested or not accepted by
the group. This type of conformity usually
involves compliance where a person publicly
accepts the views of a group but privately
rejects them.
According to Solomon Aschs study, Asch
Conformity Experiment (1951), people yield to Informatio
group pressure because a person wants to fit in
with the group. nal
Informational influence is when people accept
Influence
evidence about reality provided by other people.
This usually occurs when a person lacks
knowledge and looks to the group for guidance.
Informational influence usually involves
internalization where a person accepts the
views of the groups and adopts them as an
individual.
In Omar Sherif's study (1935), the results show
that when in an ambiguous situation, a person
will look to others (who know more / better) for
guidance. They want to do the right thing, but
may lack the appropriate information.
What is Obedience?
Finish eating your vegetables before starting on dessert.
Sit down and do your seatwork. These are common instructions
that parents and teachers give to their children and students.
Acting in accord with someones direct command is called
obedience. We often comply with an order, request, or law or
submission to another's authority.
An example would be a child correct his/her behavior due
to a parents instruction. However, obedience could go both
ways, it could have a positive or a negative consequence. One
real example of a negative effect of obedience is the Nazi
officers part in the holocaust. Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi officer that
was put into trial, wrote in his jail diary, The orders were, for me,
the highest thing in my life and I had to obey them without
question. He didnt think that what he was doing was wrong he
simply just followed orders. Psychologists deemed him sane.
This prompted Stanley Milgram to conduct a study to find
out the conflict between obedience and moral conscience. The
Milgram Study (1963), found that people are more likely to obey
superiors and/or authority figures, even as to kill another human
being. It is quite natural for people to obey
Factors that Influence Obedience

Closeness. We are more likely to obey orders from

people we know and respect.
Physical Proximity. The immediacy affect states that
the closer a person is in proximity and time, the more
people will obey him/her.
Legitimacy. People have higher levels of obedience if
the authority figure is credible.
Institutional Authority. People are more likely to
obey commands given by police, government and
other organizations.
Process of Gradual Commitment. More people will
obey if the task is of gradually increasing levels of
immoral actions.
Depersonalization. If a victim is made less human
then it is easier to obey and perform heinous acts on
them.

Activity I
Complete the crossword puzzle below

Across
1. It means yielding to group pressures.
2. Conformity that involves publicly acting in accord with an
implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing.
3. A kind of group pressure that involves the physical presence
of others.
4. It's an experiment on conformity. It states that a person
conforms due to the desire to fit in.
5. A study that focused on people's obedience to authority.
Down
1. Submission by a member of a group to an authority, a leader,
or other members of the group.
2. A factor of obedience that makes a person obey someone
that has a higher education than his.
 Activity II
Write T if the statement is true and F if false.

__ 1. Normative influence is when people

accept evidence about reality provided by
other people.
___2. Adolf Eichmann had a psychological
problem that's why he obeyed all commands.
___3. Dora told Andy that dogs are the best
pets, and cats are terrible ones. She agreed
with her but in truth she hates dogs. This is
an example of compliance.
___4. Closeness is to obey orders by people
we know while physical proximity is to obey a
person near to us.
___5. To depersonalize a person you have to
befriend him/her.
___6. Conformity is the outcome of social
influence.
___7. Group pressures can be positive or
negative.
___8. Omar Sherif studied about obedience
and personal conscience.
 Answer Key
ACTIVITY I
Across
1. Conformity
2. Compliance
3. Real
4. Asch
5. Milgram
Down
1. Obedience
2. Legitimacy
ACTIVITY II
F 1. Informational influence is when people accept
evidence about reality provided by other people.
F 2. Adolf Eichmann according to psychologist was
sane.
T 3.
T 4.
F 5. To depersonalize a person you have to make them
less than human
T 6.
T 7.
F 8. Stanley Milgram studied about obedience and
personal conscience.

References

DAVID G. M YERS (2009). S OCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 10TH

EDITION. NEW YORK, USA: MCGRAW-HILL .
MCLEOD, S. A. (2007). O BEDIENCE TO AUTHORITY.
RETRIEVED FROM http://www.simplypsychology.org
KELMAN , H. C. (1958). C OMPLIANCE , IDENTIFICATION ,
AND INTERNALIZATION : THREE PROCESSES OF
ATTITUDE CHANGE . J OURNAL OF CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
DEUTSCH, M., & G ERARD, H. B. (1955). A STUDY OF
NORMATIVE AND INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCES
UPON INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT . T HE JOURNAL OF
ABNORMAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY