PSYCHOLOGY: Social Influence - Compliance, Obedience & Conformity

This essay delves into the concepts of social influence, specifically compliance, obedience, and conformity, as defined and illustrated by classic studies in social psychology. It discusses Asch's conformity experiments, Milgram's obedience study, and Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, linking each to the respective concept. The essay further explores how Asch's findings relate to self-justification in group settings and the dangers of groupthink. It also examines criticisms and modern interpretations of Milgram's and Zimbardo's work, noting how current understanding emphasizes individual agreement and preconceived expectations in shaping behavior. Desklib provides access to this essay and many other solved assignments to aid students in their studies.

PSYCHOLOGY 1
Answer to Question a)
There are a number of ways in which people influence the beliefs, feelings, and
behaviors of others, collectively known as the social influence. Compliance refers to the kind
of social influence when an individual’s behavior is changed because of the implicit or
explicit request made by another. Obedience is referred to as an active type of influence
which is generally a response to the direct command of an authoritative figure (Haslam &
Reicher, 2017). Conformity in contrast to the above is the passive form of influence which an
individual observes the actions of the others and adjust his or her behavior accordingly.
The article “Opinions and social pressure” by Asch, (1955), goes with conformity.
The work of Milgram (1963) that is the “Behavioral study of obedience” goes with obedience
and finally the work of Haney, Banks & Zimbardo (1973) is in line with the compliance.
Answer to Question b)
The work of Solomon Asch describes that how normal human beings can be
pressurized by the consensus of opinion around them or chiefly the authoritative figures,
leading them to indulge in unusual behavior. The work of Asch demonstrates the opposition
to the self-justification which is one of the prime necessity of the group discussions.
In a society, often individuals entrust groups, rather than individuals in respect of the
key decisions, say the ones made by juries and political parties. Groups can make efficient
decisions only when the members are cooperative in addition to being rationale. Groupthink
or the strong conformity pressures leading to group members being afraid to express their
ideas rationally in spite of being competent to do so, leads to ineffective group discussions
(Newell, Lagnado & Shanks, 2015). The scenario is most likely to occur when members are
feeling strong social identity such as the creation of a positive group feeling by a powerful
and directive leader. Thus, it can be stated that the group discussions are often characterized
by the concentrated amount of conformity instead of fostering free and open discussion
between the members.
Answer to Question c)
Recent events and investigations are in opposition to the some of the implications of
Milgram's findings and are often stated to be questioning the results and procedures involved.
It is essential to note that researches have led to the establishment of the fact that though

PSYCHOLOGY 2
people still tend to follow the authoritative figures, but the results are not strikingly similar as
in the case of the Miligram experiment. The act of obeying the authoritative figures is largely
dependent on agreement of individual with the orders and intensity of identification of the
person giving the orders as stated by psychologists Alex Haslam and Stephen Reicher
(Cherry, 2018).
In respect of the work of Haney, Banks & Zimbardo, (1973), it can be stated that
when applied in current scenario, ones behavior is largely confirmed by our preconceived
expectations, which diminishes the power of the Stanford Prison Experiment. In current
scenario it can be stated that while the guards self-select their jobs and certain environments
demands a certain behavior, but that does not mean the same cannot be changed (Konnikova,
2015).

PSYCHOLOGY 3
References
Cherry, K. (2018). Milgram's Experiments and the Perils of Obedience. Retrieved from:
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-milgram-obedience-experiment-2795243
Haslam, S. A., & Reicher, S. D. (2017). 50 years of “obedience to authority”: From blind
conformity to engaged followership. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 13,
59-78.
Konnikova, M. (2015). The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Retrieved from:
https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-real-lesson-of-the-stanford-
prison-experiment
Newell, B. R., Lagnado, D. A., & Shanks, D. R. (2015). Straight choices: The psychology of
decision making. Psychology Press.