Conformity Through Compliance (Why We Obey)

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Conformity comes in different forms. We may conform because we want to be part of the cool kids, or because we believe that the cool kids are living the "right" way. In this post, I'll be briefly going over conformity in the form of compliance.

What is conformity?

Conformity is a change in a person's behavior, or thinking, as a result of influence from another person or persons. It doesn't necessarily have to be real pressure, conformity caused by imagined pressure is also called conformity.

What is Compliance?

Compliance is the act of conforming in the hopes of acquiring a reward or avoiding a punishment. An example being you going to work: You go to work because you get paid. Another example would be giving your son a cookie every time he does his homework. Finally, if I put a gun to your head and asked you to give me your wallet, you would probably comply in the hopes of avoiding a punishment. The first two examples are those in which you conform, or give in to social pressure, in order to gain a reward. The third example is one in which you conform in the hopes of avoiding a punishment. 

Compliance: the weakest form of conformity

Compliance is the weakest form of conformity because it relies exclusively on the existence of a reward or punishment. For example, most of us go to work because we're paid (incentivized) to go. What if tomorrow your boss pulled you aside and told you that he didn't have anymore money to pay you with, but if you wanted to, you could continue to work for free. Again, most of us would stop going to work because we only attend our jobs because of the incentive of money. Without money, our compliance (obeying what our employer tells us to do) would dissipate.

How Compliance can lead to internalization

Internalization is a different form of conformity, in which I go into more detail here. Essentially, internalization is a very strong form of conformity in which the individual genuinely believes that the information he is receiving is correct, and acts or thinks accordingly. Compliance can lead to internalization, but not directly. Compliance can turn in internalization through secondary gain.

Secondary gain, is simply a gain that is secondary to the intended one. For example, say someone is using compliance to help you get to bed and wake up on time. Let's say that he accomplishes this by blasting Justin Bieber songs into your room every time you go past your bed time or wake up late. As soon as this punishment stops, many people will stop complying due to the absence of the punishment. However, through the process of complying in order to avoid The Biebs, you might've experienced the secondary gains of: having more energy, feeling more alert, feeling happier, being more productive, etc. You might've discovered that you don't have to feel like a zombie everyday, and that by continuing these behaviors you'll continue to feel good. Due to these secondary gains, you now believe that going to sleep early, and waking early, are the correct behaviors; and as a result, you will continue following through.