3 Types Of Social Influences

Social influence is a powerful thing that affects the behaviors, feelings and beliefs of all people. Social influence is shown through marketing, the media and daily life situations. The three main types of social influence is conformity, compliance and obedience. Conformity is the change in outward thoughts or behavior that is brought on by the pressure one feels to relate to a group and to be socially accepted by them. Compliance is when someone agrees to change something about themselves due to a direct request from another person. Obedience is similar to compliance, except that the request is more of a demand and it comes from an authority figure. All three of these concepts are alike in that they change an individual’s behavior or thoughts,

Changing ones attire or appearance to match others is a form of conformity. Applause after a speech can be considered a conformity as well; the individual may not agree or even like what the speaker said, but will likely applaud with everyone else because that is what is considered socially acceptable. This is not to say that some people refuse to conform to certain situations. The failure to conform brings about social change, this change can be positive or negative. The benefit received from conformity is commonly social acceptance; people are able to make new friends this way, impress other people and achieve certain goals. Adapting good manners whilst conforming will help protect other’s feelings and aid in making relationships

An authority figure can be anyone from a teacher, manager, police officer or anyone who is considered to hold a higher status. From a young age people are taught and conditioned to obey their parents, teachers or other adults; it is because of this that many people are unlikely to question an authority figure when they are told to do something. This can have very dreadful consequences, but sometimes it can benefit a person very much. If an individual obeys the demands of their boss and works hard to meet the expectations set by them, they are then likely to rise in status and possibly gain favors or privileges in the future, assuredly helping one achieve their personal or career