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Zimbardo On Conformity

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Zimbardo On Conformity
Social influence is the process of influencing someone’s perception or behaviour through either direct or indirect means. Many people overlook the power social influence has but it’s clear that every day, humans are exposed to social influence. There are many different sources of social influence which are designed to change our opinions or coerce us into purchasing products. These include advertisements, celebrities, friends and family. Social influence plays a vital role in society. There are two kinds of social influence; Conformity and obedience.
Conformity can also be simply defined as “yielding to group pressures” (Crutchfield, 1955). Conformity is the innate pressure and desire for an individual to adjust their behaviour and beliefs …show more content…
The experiment involved using university students with no previous criminal record or any debilitating mental illnesses as subjects. Zimbardo then assigned to each subject a role at random. Half of the subjects were given the role of guard and the other half would be the prisoners. The guards were given absolute control and power over the prisoner’s lives for the duration for the experiment. Over time the guards became more abusive towards the prisoners. The experiment was discontinued after 6 days even though it was supposed to last two weeks. Zimbardo’s experiment has undergone much controversy since then due to the unethical nature of it. Having said that, it’s clear the knowledge gained of the effects of conformity and the power that roles have is significant. This type of conformity is known as identification, which is the act of conforming to expectations of a social role. This is similar to compliance where there does not need to be a change in the individuals beliefs or …show more content…
While the information gained in the research has been significant in understanding the cause for tragic events such as the holocaust, there are many who believe that the psychological damage done to the subjects is too great to justify the experiment. This stems from the fact that many of the participants believed that they caused physical harm and possibly fatal damage to the learner. Even though they could walk out of the experiment, they were pressured into carrying out the experiment even though most felt uncomfortable with it. They were assured after the experiment that no damage was caused and counselling was offered to the
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