Types of conformity

Conformity attempts to explain how and why a person may change their attitude, thoughts and behaviour in response to pressure from a larger group of people. Psychologists have outlined three main types of conformity: compliance, identification and internationalisation.

Each type of conformity can be explained in relation to three key ideas:

1) Does the person change their public behaviour (e.g. the way they act)?

2) Does the person change their private beliefs (e.g. their attitude)?

3) Is the change short or long-term?

Compliance is seen as the lowest level of conformity. With compliance, a person will change their public behaviour in the short-term but not their private beliefs. Conformity is often the result of normative social influence (NSI – see below). For example, when in a meeting, Mr Sparks may laugh at a joke his Principal makes because everyone else around the table is laughing; however, privately he thinks that the joke isn’t funny.

Identification is the next level of conformity. With identification, a person will change their public behaviour and their private beliefs, but only in the short-term. This change in behaviour and beliefs usually exists while the person is in the presence of the group. Identification is usually the result of NSI, as the person does not change their beliefs in the long-term. For example, a teenager may start smoking when they are with their friends. In this example, the teenager might change their public behaviour (e.g. they smoke) and their private beliefs (e.g. they believe that smoking is ‘cool’); however, they only demonstrate this behaviour and set of beliefs when they are with their friends. When they are not with their friends, they believe the smoking is ‘uncool’ and bad for their health.

Internalisation is the highest level of conformity. With internalisation, a person will change their public behaviour and their private beliefs in the long-term. Internalisation is often the result of informational social influence (ISI – see below). For example, if a person is influenced to change their voting preferences from Labour to the Liberal Democrats, and they continue voting for the Liberal Democrats for many years, this new behaviour (e.g. voting Liberal) will continue without the presence of the group, suggesting that the person has ‘internalised’ this belief and made a long-term change.