Because compliance is a group phenomenon, factors such as group size, unanimity, cohesion, status, previous commitment, and public opinion help determine an individual`s degree of compliance. A reason is called social proof; It is common to assume that when most other people do something, it must be correct. The desire for social harmony is another important driver of conformity. Joining others is doing reduces the possibility of disagreements that could lead to ostracism of one group member. In 1961, Stanley Milgram published a study in which he used Asch`s paradigm of conformity with audio tones instead of lines; he studied in Norway and France. [26] It found a much higher level of compliance than Asch, with participants complying 50% of the time in France and 62% of the time in Norway in critical studies. Milgram also conducted the same experiment again, but told participants that the results of the study would be applied to the design of aircraft safety signals. Its compliance estimates were 56% in Norway and 46% in France, suggesting that individuals were slightly less compliant when the task was related to a significant issue. Stanley Milgram`s study showed that Asch`s study could be replicated with other stimuli and that there was a high degree of conformity in sounds. [48] Experience with procedures similar to Asch`s showed that there was significantly less agreement in groups of six friends compared to groups of six strangers.
[22] Since friends already know and accept each other, there may be less normative pressure to adapt in certain situations. However, field studies on cigarette and alcohol abuse generally show that friends exert a normative social influence on each other. [23] We all want to integrate. This is something that happens to all of us, of course. But did you know that there`s a psychology behind trying to adapt? Yes, it`s called compliance psychology, and here we`re going to discuss what it does to a person and aspects of why we adapt. Conforming is not just something we do naturally, there is a reason for this, and here we will look at the reasoning. For German and Gérard (1955), conformity results from a motivational conflict (between the fear of being socially rejected and the desire to say what we think is right) that leads to normative influence, and a cognitive conflict (others create doubts about what we think) that leads to informational influence. [17] In summary, social responses to compliance along a continuum range from transformation to nonconformity. For example, a popular experience in compliance research, known as ash situation or ash compliance experiments, primarily involves compliance and independence. Other responses to compliance can also be identified in groups such as juries, sports teams, and work teams. [10] Although compliance pressure generally increases with increasing majority size, a meta-analysis suggests that compliance pressure in Asch`s experiment peaks once the majority reaches about four or five in number.
[46] In addition, one study suggests that the effects of group size depend on the type of social influence at work. [47] This means that in situations where the group is clearly wrong, compliance is motivated by normative influences; Participants will adapt to be accepted by the group. A participant may not feel much pressure to adapt if the first person gives the wrong answer. However, the pressure to comply will increase as each additional member of the group also gives the same wrong answer. [47] While often ridiculed, compliance is not necessarily a malicious force. At best, compliance provides a sense of belonging and group identity, and can encourage people to adhere to moral norms. At worst, however, it can evoke a person`s darkest impulses and even be used to justify and commit large-scale atrocities. The desire to adapt is either congenital or develops very early in life, a recent study suggests. The study showed that people, even children as young as two, often hide an ability to better fit into a group. Often, compliance with a group`s standards occurs unconsciously.
This is evident in how peer groups tend to reflect each other`s body language and idioms, and in how families adopt their own standards for greetings, time spent together, and acceptable behaviors. The social influence of information occurs when one turns to the members of one`s group to obtain and accept accurate information about reality. A person is more likely to use informational social influence in certain situations: when a situation is ambiguous, people no longer know what to do and they are more likely to rely on others for the answer; and during a crisis where immediate action is needed despite panic. Looking at others can help relieve anxiety, but unfortunately, they are not always right. The more knowledgeable a person is, the more valuable they are as a resource. Thus, people often turn to experts for help. But here too, people need to be careful, because even experts can make mistakes. The social influence of information often leads to internalization or private acceptance, when a person truly believes that the information is correct. [11] As mentioned earlier, normative and informational influences are two important types of compliance, but there are also a number of other reasons why we are compliant. .