Conformity: How Does Culture Influence Behaviour? (SL IB Psychology)

What is conformity?

• Conformity refers to the behaviour of an individual when faced with (usually) a majority (minority influence can also produce conformity but it is much less usual than majority influence)
• Conformity is a form of social influence which is different to obedience in that it involves a kind of group consensus as to how to behave whereas obedience is a behaviour which stems from following the orders of a legitimate authority e.g. teacher, boss, doctor, military commander, police etc.
• Normative social influence occurs when people conform to group social norms when they want to be included in the group, to feel that they belong (even if at times they secretly do not agree with the group’s behaviour)
• Information social influence occurs when people conform to group social norms because they believe that the group is better informed than they are i.e. they don’t know what to do so they just follow what the majority of other people are doing
• It could be argued that conformity is a positive force as it helps people to agree; to work together and to form cohesive attitudes, beliefs and behaviours e.g. in running a workforce, in making decisions in a meeting, in queuing up for a train or in a shop, in knowing when to stay quiet and when to speak out
• It could be argued that conformity is a negative force as it prevents people from acting according to their innermost beliefs; it can result in a loss of identity as the group is surrendered to; it can result in tragedy e.g. if everyone is ignoring a fire alarm when in fact there is a fire in the building

What is the relevance of culture to conformity?

• Conformity is the act of putting aside true beliefs, attitudes and values for the sake of group harmony, so it appears to be more aligned to collectivist cultural values as individualistic cultures value the individual over the group
• A collectivist culture is one in which the group takes precedence over the individual: family, community and social groups are at the forefront of the attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and values of collectivist cultures
• An individualistic culture is one in which the individual takes precedence over the group: self-reliance, ambition and independence are considered to be positive and desirable traits in individualistic cultures
• Researchers have focused on conformity as a variable by which to measure cultural differences because – as outlined above – the nature of each type of culture may be easily seen in attitudes towards conformity i.e. forming a hypothesis based on conformity as a marker of cultural difference appears to be a valid place to start

Is conformity a cultural – or a universal – behaviour?

Which research studies investigate culture and conformity?

• Smith & Bond (1996) – conformity may be higher in collectivist cultures
• Takano & Sogon (2008) – conformity may not be higher in Japan, which is a collectivist culture

Smith & Bond (1996) and Takano & Sogon (2008) are available as separate Key Studies – just navigate the Cultural Origins of Behaviour & Cognition section of this topic to find them (Two Key Studies of Culture & its Influence on Behaviour)