1.1.7

(2027 Exams) Conformity to Social Roles

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Motivation to Conform

Researchers have categorised the motivation to conform into two types:

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Normative social influence

  • People conform to the group norm to fit in, to feel good, and to be accepted by the group.
  • In Asch's (1951) line judgement task, participants complied to fit in and avoid ridicule, an instance of normative social influence.
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Informational social influence

  • People conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, particularly when the task or situation is ambiguous.
  • An example of informational social influence may be what to do in an emergency situation, e.g. if you are in a crowded cinema and see smoke coming out from under the fire exit. You are not certain that it is smoke as it may be a special effect for the movie, so you will tend to look at the behaviour of those around when deciding what to do.

Orlando (1973) - Mock Psychiatric Ward Experiment

Orlando (1973) looked at how people conformed to roles given to them in an experiment in a mock psychiatric ward.

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Method

  • The mock psychiatric ward was active for three days.
  • 51 staff members took part.
    • 29 volunteered as mock patients.
    • 22 worked their jobs as normal.
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Results and conclusion

  • The mock patients quickly began acting like normal hospital patients. They conformed to their given roles.
  • Lots of patients showed signs of having withdrawal and depression.
  • Six mock patients attempted to escape the ward.
  • Some mock patients admitted to feelings of lost identity.
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Analysis

  • Orlando's (1973) study and similar studies give an insight into real patients' experiences in hospital.
    • Orlando's (1973) study influenced hospital staff to empathise more with patients.

Jump to other topics

1Social Influence

2Memory

3Attachment

4(2026 Exams) Psychopathology

5(2027 Exams) Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

6Approaches in Psychology

7Biopsychology

8Research Methods

8.1Research Methods

8.2Scientific Processes

8.3Data Handling & Analysis

8.4Inferential Testing

9Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

10Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10.1Relationships: Sexual Relationships (A2 only)

10.2Relationships: Romantic Relationships (A2 only)

10.3(2026 Exams) Relationships: Virtual (A2 only)

10.4(2027 Exams) Relationships: Online (A2 only)

11Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

12Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

13Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

14Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

15Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

16Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

17Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

18Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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