Social Influence On Conformity

In today’s society, the public is commonly influenced by something, whether its friends, social media, or even television. We are all looking to be accepted one way or another, and to gain that acceptance we are willing to comply to be acknowledged or welcomed into a group. Human beings are peer pressured to conform to certain types of behavior in fear of being rejected by their group. When in a group, there are expectations one must meet and obey, so as to not be rejected, some expectations can vary from what type of music you listen to, or even as to what clothing store you should buy your clothes at. The influence people can have over you can vary from moderate to severe (Social Psychology, 2013). There are many types of social influence,

There are two categories of pressure, indirect and implied social pressures that may lead to conformity. Individuals may conform to information given to them by a group of friends without question (Cialdini, 2004). Four subjects have been found to be centered on conformity---characteristics of a group, situation in which the individual is responding, the kind of task, and the unanimity of the group (Social Psychology, 2013). The more alluring a group is the more power that group holds, thus the greater ability to make people conform. A person’s social status in a group determines how much power the group has over that person; the lower their status the more power the group has to make that certain individual conform to their liking (Social Psychology, 2013). Conformity is also higher when the person is required to answer or reply publicly, when responding publicly over privately, the pressure to respond correctly produces a response the responder thinks they want, not one which they believe to be correct. In addition, when people are asked questions that have no real answer, such as a question referring to fashion, most people will choose to answer what they think is the correct answer, not their personal answer. Lastly, groups that will not oppose the group are more susceptible to conformity, unless there is someone in the group that will

Obedience is a when there is a change in response that comes from the response of others. Unlike compliance, when a person gets you to do a task they want, obedience is when you do it on your own will. Many people are obedient when they are given orders from a higher power, such as their boss or a person of authority. In a social experiment that was conducted by Milgram, participants were ordered to shock another person each time that person made a mistake, increasing the shock level each time the answer was wrong. This experiment is evidence that most people will do whatever it is they are asked, and when asked why they did it, they would just respond that they were following orders (Social Psychology, 2013). In some cases were the person caused hurt or tormented the person they were asked to torture, they did so because they believed they wouldn’t be held accountable or responsible for their actions since they were simply following