Cover Lesson- Types of conformity: internalisation, identification and compliance

Do It Now Task- Feedback 

Conformity – A change in behaviour or belief due to real or imagined group pressure.

Internalisation – A deep type of conformity where a person genuinely accepts the group’s norms both publicly and privately.

Compliance – A superficial type of conformity where a person publicly changes their behaviour to fit in but privately disagrees.

Identification – A type of conformity where a person changes their behaviour to be accepted by a group they value, both publicly and privately, but this may not be permanent.

Informational Social Influence (ISI) – Conformity that occurs because of the need to be correct, leading individuals to accept others’ opinions as reality.

Normative Social Influence (NSI) – Conformity that occurs due to the need to be liked and accepted by a group, even if the person privately disagrees.

 

Main Task Answers

1. Samantha is showing compliance because she is publicly conforming to wearing formal clothes at work but privately prefers casual clothes and continues to wear them outside of work.

2. This is an example of identification because Jake has publicly and privately conformed to his friends’ political views while at university, but the change was temporary, as he reverted to his original views after leaving university.

3. This demonstrates informational social influence (ISI) because the tourists conform due to their desire to be correct in an unfamiliar situation, relying on others for guidance.

4. Ellie is showing normative social influence (NSI) because she conforms to the group's music preference to be accepted and liked by her friends, even though she does not personally enjoy the music.

Challenge Task Answers

1. NSI occurs when people conform to be liked and accepted by a group, even if they do not privately agree.

2. Compliance is when a person conforms publicly but privately disagrees, while internalisation is when a person genuinely adopts the group’s beliefs both publicly and privately.

3. Compliance is when someone conforms publicly but privately disagrees (e.g., laughing at a joke they do not find funny). Identification is when they conform both publicly and privately but only temporarily (e.g., adopting military behaviours while enlisted but dropping them later). Internalisation is when they genuinely adopt beliefs publicly and privately, and the change is permanent (e.g., converting to a religion and maintaining the belief permanently).

 

Check Your Understanding: Multiple Choice Questions Answers

1. C – A change in behaviour or belief due to real or imagined group pressure
2. C – Compliance
3. B – Internalisation
4. C – Identification
5. B – Because they want to be correct
6. B – Compliance
7. A – To avoid standing out in a group
8. B – Internalisation
9. B – A tourist copies how locals eat at a restaurant because they are unsure how to eat the dish correctly
10. C – A teenager starts using slang to fit in with their new group of friends