Conformism in psychology is: definition, examples, test

Conformity studies directly related to the study of interactions in small social groups. In social psychology, small groups are considered “basic”. Small groups include, for example, a family, a school class, or a peer group. The distinguishing characteristic of a small group is the close relationship between its members.

Initially, interaction in small groups was not studied in the framework of the study of group dynamics, but in a separate new approach - the study of conformism.

Among social philosophers and sociologists, A. Tocqueville, A. Schopenhauer, I. Hoffmann and Durkheim. Among psychologists, conformism was given special attention by S. Ash, S. Milgrem, M. Sheriff and E. Thorndike.

Conformity studies have been borrowed by Russian psychologists and sociologists from Western currents. There, the phenomenon was defined as a socio-psychological orientation that manifests itself in a suppressed by society, but moreover, a thoughtful existential choice of values. This choice, on the contrary, is manifested not by psychological activity, focus on solving the problem, but by the passivity of the individual and the trend under the rule of the majority or authority.

Experiments and research

The first scientist to compose the structure and model of conformity was S. Asha. In 1951 g. he experimented with students. The sample of subjects was faced with the task of determining the length of the line located at a certain distance from them.

The essence of the experiment was to study the pressure of the majority of the group. The experimenter colluded with all but one of the group members. It is worth noting that for the first time (without discussion, but during the individual performance of the task) all students coped. Later, when the experimenter set the task to decide which of the lines are equal in length, presenting the results in turn, the entire "conspiring group" presented a deliberately incorrect answer.

The only naive subject had to answer last. About 37% of the “naive”, who had to answer in defiance of the whole group, answered in the same way as the conspiring participants. This was the manifestation of conformism - suppression of an individual by a group, herd feeling or agreement with the majority.

The subjects noted that it is rather difficult to resist the opinion of the majority, even if there are obvious contradictions before their eyes and even if the subject considers himself independent. Every time when asked for the opinion of the "independent", they noted that they began to feel as if they were wrong.

Similar experiments were carried out by R. Crutchfield. His technique was a modification of S. Asha: The sample was carried out in a laboratory setting and was more valid. In 1963 g. conformism was explored by Migram and Eichmann.

However, research conducted with such modifications has been critically accepted by social psychologists. Most insist that the results of these experiments cannot be applied to real dynamic processes in a small social group, since the sampling is carried out in laboratory conditions, as well as experiment.

There are many phenomena, such as “anticipating an experiment” or “guessing,” “collusion with the experimenter,” or even interactions between members of the group who may have blabbed about the conditions set by the experimenter, for example, to other individuals, already interfere with validity experiment.

The qualities that influence the emergence of conformity are evidenced by the results of experiments conducted by Christina Maslach and Richard Santi. The sample consisted of small groups, which were given a task: the subjects had to express themselves about the problems of human relationships. Three participants first discussed this issue with the experimenter, and after a while the fourth a participant who could listen to the previous discussion could agree with their opinion, or refute it.

It is not so much the complexity and versatility of its manifestations that complicates the study of this phenomenon, but the prevailing negative attitude that originated in political science.

Definition

Conformism in psychology is a phenomenon, that is, an externally observable phenomenon, a manifestation of specific properties and characteristics, which describes group pressure. In social psychology, conformism is defined not as "opportunism", but as one of the phenomena of interaction in a small social group.

Conformity and conformity are different concepts by definition. Thus, conformism is a psychological property of the individual. It is relatively constantly present in human life and behavior. Conformity, on the other hand, manifests itself situationally and is inherent in the processes taking place in a small group, and not in an individual. It is not recognized by the individual and can go against his own interests and meanings.

B. D. Parygin defines conformism as an exclusively conscious, conscious desire of the individual to adapt to life in the given conditions in a given social group. To do this, a person needs to coordinate his actions and deeds with the generally accepted rules in the group.

The etiology of conformism predetermines the one-sided influence of a social group on an individual, as a result of which the behavior required, realized and desired by the individual himself is born. So, for example, getting into a new team, the employee is not familiar with the traditions of the team (meetings, discussion of projects, teamwork and corporate parties), but soon these behaviors become not only necessary, but also desired by themselves an individual.

The effect of conformism in social psychology is called the direct change in human behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms. It turns out that the individual adopts the pattern and integrates this behavior into his own.

NS. Pines and K. Maslach define conformism as the convergence of the orientation, position and behavior of an individual or quantitatively a smaller part of one social group with the position and orientation shared by the majority in group.

R. Merton and N. In the concept of social behavior, Smelzer is considered as one of the forms of its manifestations, which can be inherent in both an individual and a group, as well as a whole community.

In the psychology of Marxism, conformism is defined as the individual's response to existing social values. As a result, social and conventional alienation is generated.

Theories	Representatives	Definition of conformity
Structural functionalism (sociology)	Robert Merton, Neil Smelser	One of the forms of social behavior inherent in both the individual and the community.
Marxism (philosophy)	Karl Marx, Herbert Marcuse	The reaction of the individual to social models of behavior, values ​​and attitudes; generation of alienation in the framework of relationships, conflict or alienation in relation to the world around.
Noofreudism (psychology)	Erich Fromm	A specific defense mechanism, avoidance of alienation, which is put by the authors at the basis of all meanings.
Leningrad Sociological School	Vladimir Yadov	Conformism is defined as one of the possible forms of social identification, personality differentiation from the gray mass.
Monism (sociology)	Charles Cooley	Society is a single organism; conformism is a specific way of socialization.

Characteristic

In the ordinary sense, conformism was illustrated as early as 1837. By Hans Christian Andersen in the fairy tale "The New Dress of the King". Despite the innocence of a children's fairy tale, the author raises rather important problems of social interaction.

The plot tells the story of a king who met two travelers. They promised the king to sew clothes from such a thin fabric that it would not be visible to fools. The scammers simulated working hours at the loom and decided to give the king a dress that in fact simply was not in their hands.

Conformity is illustrated in the behavior of his courtiers, who did not see the king's new clothes, but were afraid to confess to him. The whistleblower was a child who pointed out to those present that the king was naked, and only after that the others supported him.

The opposite of conformism and conformity is "independence" from social pressure and influence, resistance to group pressure.

The political aspect of conformism was described by J. Orwell in 1984. In an ideal society, there was a single intellect, a single public opinion. One of the functions of conformism is described, namely, the convenience of using a single society in which there are no conflicts. They do not arise because all members of society pursue a single ideology.

Conformism in psychology is a mechanism for regulating relations in a social group that is different from the ordinary understanding. In addition, he performs a list of important functions of socialization of the individual.

Classification

Social psychologists distinguish conformism itself as one of the types of adaptation along with denial, mimicry and adaptive individualism.

Psychologist B. D. Parygin distinguishes conformism as an attitude inherent in a person and his behavior, a conscious desire follow the majority, adopted on the basis of weighted pros and cons with the so-called "strategic" conformism. The difference between this strategy is that behavior is the main thing in the structure of the individual's personal values. In this case, the behavior becomes not situational, but acts as a social orientation.

If conformism does not appear as a personality orientation and is not built into the structure of values ​​and meanings, then it will characterize only situationally manifested personal phenomena. As, for example, behavior in certain situations with the help of specific stimuli.

An individual does not obey the opinion of the majority, but always obeys his superiors and carries out all the necessary assignments on time. Here, the main role is played by triggers that activate a conformist model of behavior: boss, parent, authority, friend, etc.

Thus, Parygin identifies two forms of conformism:

• Strategic.
• Structural.

In social psychology, a specific form of conformism is distinguished - negativism. It manifests itself in situations when an individual defends his point of view in spite of all the values, attitudes and norms of society. A striking example of negativism is the character Bazarov from the work "Fathers and Sons".

One of the social psychologists, D. Myers, identifies compliance as an external form of conformism. It manifests itself in the coordination of the actions of the individual with the majority, but its difference from true conformism is that the attitudes and value orientation of a person do not change.

Classification A. IN. Kholodovskaya includes three types of conformism:

• Traditional society.
• Industrial Society.
• Post-industrial society

Depending on the sphere of manifestation, conformism takes the following forms:

• Urbanized.
• Informational.
• Cultural.
• Political.

Factors affecting the severity of conformism

The measure of conformity is the measure of subordination to the rest of the group. Whereas opposition to the opinion of the majority or authority is perceived by the subject as an interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict.

Conformity in psychology is a property of group members. Therefore, the factors influencing the degree of its manifestation are the composition of the group, the task assigned to its members, their personal qualities and socio-cultural orientations.

Speaking about conformism as an individual's reaction to the behavior of a social group K. Maslach also points out that agreement or disagreement are not the only options for the development of events. Thus, in recent studies of social psychologists, the effect of "mutual influence" has been noticed. According to this phenomenon, both the majority and the minority exert the same pressure on each other.

Just as the minority can influence the opinion of the majority and change it, so, conversely, the majority can suppress the opinion of the majority. The etiology of decision-making in both cases is interesting: if the majority influences the minority, then most often the choice is made “from within”.

Thus, all the factors affecting the severity and form of the course of conformism can be presented in the form of a table:

Group of factors	Factors	Influence
Individual-personal	Intelligence, demographic characteristics, level of self-esteem and aspirations, suggestibility and other personal qualities and character traits.	As you know, people with greater intelligence have, and, conversely, less suggestibility. The more suggestibility, the greater the manifestation of conformism.
Social and cultural	Social status and role, position in the social and political hierarchy, commitment to a particular type of culture, political movement, atmosphere of socialization.	Certain cultural and political aspects influence personality characteristics, which act as factors of the 1st group. So, an individual may be less suggestible if he socialized in a scientific environment, where it is customary to obtain knowledge experimentally.
Situational	The task directly set before the individual, within the framework of which a conformist situation arises.	The content and importance of the task, as well as society itself and the conditions for making a decision, affect the degree of manifestation of conformism.
Microsocial	Interpersonal relationships in a group, the importance of certain connections, authority.	The more an individual is interested in the group and its members, the higher the degree of conformity manifested.
Numerical factor	Number of group members: small or large group.	Conformity in a small group can turn into unanimous agreement; in a large or mass group, it can take on the character of a faceless crowd.

Significance and role

M. Albert and F. The Khedouri emphasize the negative impact of conformity on the efficiency of the production group. In their book on management, they see it as synonymous with like-mindedness. The fewer different, individual opinions, assumptions and alternative solutions to problems, even if they are not entirely effective and correct; the greater the capabilities and productive strength of the group.

Conformity is considered by the authors as an effect that can prevent a person from showing their qualities and leadership abilities. So, for example, when choosing a project, group members may not express their opinion about an unpopular option - they will be afraid to be disloyal team members, they are afraid of condemnation from colleagues - this is exactly the option that may turn out to be winning.

The results of the study showed that conformism predominantly depends on the personal qualities of the subject himself, provided the group is unanimous. In turn, group unanimity is the phenomenon according to which all members of a social group come to a common conclusion. However, if the opinions of the group members were divided and the only correct solution to the problem was not found, then the role of the individual's personal qualities was greatly reduced.

In other words, the experiments of Maslach and Santi brought out two tendencies of conformism:

• With strong social pressure (the only way to solve the problem), the individual clearly shows personal qualities and, disagreeing with the rest of the group, becomes unique.
• With weak social pressure (disagreements during the solution of the problem), the individual does not show personal qualities, his disagreement is less pronounced and against the background of disparate opinions he becomes wrong unique.

These tendencies are associated with the cognition of the individual in the team. So, if 1 tendency persists, then the rest of the group can learn more information about the dissenter than with 2 tendencies.

Positive features

Conformism in psychology is a group cohesion mechanism. Naturally, a group with the same behaviors, ideals and values ​​will be more homogeneous and, as a result, more effective in solving certain problems.

In addition to the fact that a close-knit group more effectively fulfills the tasks assigned to it, another plus is the psychological formation of a personality experiencing conformism. Here he acts as a mechanism for the socialization of the individual.

Positive traits of social suppression are:

• The individual's assimilation of the rules of behavior and morality.
• Learning communication.
• Introduction to general cultural values ​​and norms.
• Socialization.
• Integration into society.
• Avoiding feelings of alienation.
• Meeting the need for communication, recognition.
• Social exchange of skills, abilities, knowledge.
• Borrowing different patterns of behavior.

Negative sides

Among the negative aspects of the influence of the opinion of the majority on an individual, suppression of individuality is distinguished. This creates a lack of political and ideological pluralism.

In turn, a unified ideology and suppression of creativity as a global problem translates into stagnation of society, stopping its development. For example, in a society where a single ideology prevails and all alternative solutions to existing problems are suppressed, there is no need to find new solutions.

Thus, among the negative aspects of conformism, the following can be distinguished:

• Ideological uniformity.
• Suppression of creativity.
• Suppression of individuality.
• Dependence on the opinions of others.
• Personal lack of independence.
• Homogeneous and not promising community.

Diagnostics

The methodological foundations of the study of conformity and conformism are the following psychological and sociological studies:

• F. Allport.
• Method S. Asha.
• Model B. Latane.
• Test A. NS. Sopikova and others.

Each of the studies was conducted using different methods. In experimental psychology, it is customary to distinguish between laboratory, field and natural (formative) experiments.

In 1997 g. social psychologists S. IN. Klauchek and V. IN. Delarue was offered a personal questionnaire "conformity-suggestibility", designed to diagnose the level of suggestibility of a person and consisting of 20 statements. The test has a fairly high validity and can be used for diagnostics in educational institutions and work teams.

The Marlow and Crown technique is used to diagnose an individual's self-esteem of approval motivation. It is one of the factors in the degree of manifestation of conformism.

Another questionnaire for the study of conformity was proposed by Cattell. Evaluation takes place in three ways: evaluation, problem solving and attitude to the situation. Consists of 105 questions, assumes passing the test in half an hour.

The T self-rating scale is also suitable for determining the level of conformity. Dembo, S. I. Rubinstein modified by A. M. Parishioners. The basis is the assessment of the personal qualities of the individual: self-esteem, the level of ambition, intelligence, and so on. The technique is projective in nature, since it is not just a test where you need to mark the correct answer or indicate your own, but depict an assessment of your own qualities with a line.

Conformism is a separate phenomenon, considered in psychology as a dynamic process of interpersonal interaction and as one of the ways to influence other members of the group. It affects the individual both positively and negatively. Until now, there is no single point of view on the mechanism of conformism, despite the number of disciplinary approaches to its study.

Author: Svitkevich Julia.

Video about conformism

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