Factors Affecting Conformity and Obedience

Two pressures, one word

People use "peer pressure" for everything. Psychology does not, and the mark scheme really does not: conformity and obedience are different things, with different causes. Getting the word wrong is expensive, because each one comes with its own set of factors. Name the wrong pressure and every factor you then write about belongs to the other question. So this module starts with the distinction and then takes each side in turn.

Nobody told you, or somebody did

One test separates them: was there an order?

Which pressure is this?

A new employee notices that nobody in the office takes a full lunch break, so she starts cutting hers short. No one has said anything to her about it. Which is this?

• Conformity, because she is matching the group without being told to
• Obedience, because workplaces have rules
• Both equally, since a workplace has a hierarchy
• Neither, because she decided freely

What makes conformity stronger

The specification wants situation and personality for conformity. These are the situational ones, described by direction rather than by numbers:

Match each change to what happens to conformity

Which one is obedience?

Below is a week in the life of Ravi, an invented person used here so the difference is clear. Tap the sentence that describes OBEDIENCE rather than conformity.

• Ravi started a new job on Monday.
• He noticed that everyone left their coat on the back of their chair rather than using the hooks, so he did the same, and nobody ever mentioned it.
• On Friday his supervisor told him directly to work through his break, and he did.
• He cycles to work most days.

What makes obedience stronger

Again the specification wants situation and personality:

Which raise obedience?

Select the TWO changes that would make obedience MORE likely.

• The person giving the order is in the room rather than phoning instructions in
• The person giving the order wears a uniform that signals their role
• Someone else present refuses to comply
• The full demand is made at the start rather than built up in small steps

Say which one is doing the work

The specification asks for personality and situation on both conformity and obedience, and most answers list some of each and stop. That is worth about half the marks. A strong answer says which is doing more work in the scenario in front of you, and why. If the question describes a uniform, a prestigious setting and an order given face to face, the situation is carrying it. If it describes one person refusing while everyone else complies, personality has become the interesting part. Locus of control is worth knowing by name here. Someone with an internal locus sees outcomes as following from their own choices, and resists both pressures more readily; someone with an external locus sees outcomes as decided by circumstances or other people.

Preventing blind obedience

The specification names "preventing blind obedience" as content in its own right. Put the steps of resisting an order you believe is wrong into a sensible order.

• Notice that you are being asked to do something you would not otherwise choose
• Ask what actually gives this person the authority to require it
• Check whether the request is legitimate, or only sounds it
• Look for someone else willing to question it as well
• State your reason for refusing, rather than refusing silently
• Use the proper channel to raise it if the pressure continues

Name the factor

Three situations. Identify the factor doing the most work in each.

• In a group discussion, everyone gives an answer you believe is wrong, and you agree with them out loud. Which factor best explains it?
• A person in a white coat, in an official-looking building, tells a participant to continue. Which factors are at work?
• Two people receive the same unreasonable order. One refuses. The one who refuses has a strong internal locus of control. What does that tell you?

Conformity against obedience

_____ is changing your behaviour to match a group, with nobody ordering you to. _____ is following a direct order from somebody with authority. Conformity is strongest when the group is _____ in its view, and one person disagreeing reduces it sharply. Obedience is stronger when the authority is close by, wears a _____, and builds the demand in small steps. And someone with an internal _____ of control is more likely to resist both.

Explain the unfair instruction

A manager tells a new employee to do something they think is unfair, in front of the whole team, and the employee does it. Explain the psychology of what happened, and what might have led to a different outcome.

• Say whether this is conformity or obedience, and give the reason that settles it
• Identify at least two situational factors present, using the correct terms
• Say what personality factors might have made a different person refuse, naming locus of control
• Say which is doing more work here, situation or personality, and justify your choice