Why Is It Important To Asch's Theory Of Conformity

Social Influence: How Conformity and Obedience is Achieved in a Group Conformity is the act of changing one's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in order to meet group norms. The act of conforming can be seen in small personal groups as well as larger societal groups, and may take place due to indirect unconscious influences or direct conscious social pressure. The pressure to conform is more present in a group setting however it also occurs when an individual is alone. Factors that affect the degree and overall level of conformity within a group include group size, unanimity,cohesion and status. Solomon E. Asch conducted a study to test the theory of conformity. He displayed a set of different length lines to a group of students, and
Usually authorities are perceived as fair and serve as role models and people who know best. It becomes problematic when seemingly just authority figures begin to act unjustly, and prompt others to follow and obey. This can lead the average person to commit acts that are harmful or unethical. Milgram wanted to determine whether or not the average American person would be susceptible to the same situational forces that the German Nazis were, and if so, could they be convinced to willingly participate in similarly immoral acts. However, unlike the Nazis, the participants in the Milgram study did not harbor and negative feelings towards whoever was receiving the supposed shocks, nor was there any negative motivation. Though the two are somewhat applicable to each other, the situational force differs.
In the early 1960's, Adolf Eichmann was executed for his part in the organization of the Holocaust, where six million Jewish people, including many others such as communists and trade unionists were moved to concentration camps and where they were tortured and
Both conformity and compliance are present in most groups, though the behaviour is similar they differ by meaning. Conformity within a group requires the group members to change their existing attitudes and beliefs in order to match others within the group. Those that conform tend to be obedient and compliant. In order to conform, the group member must perceive someone as having the power and credibility to lead or influence the group's behavior. Without this leader, conformity toward the group's goals will be less prevalent. The concept of compliance is similar to conformity, yet still different. For compliance to occur within groups, an individual must adapt their actions to another's wishes. Acts of compliance occur frequently in daily lives. Simply asking someone to perform a task is considered a request for compliance. By having a person ask someone to perform a task, he/she is not asking the person to agree with the task in question. The individual that requested the task is not necessarily aiming to change the other's beliefs, but simply wants the task to be performed. This notion is what sets conformity and compliance apart. The central aspect of conformity is that the person being influenced by the group will change his/her attitudes and/or beliefs while the main point of compliance is the persuading someone to perform according to one's