Three Types of Social Influence

The three types of social influence are compliance, conformity and obedience. Compliance is when one changes their behavior in response to a direct request. An example of this is when your classmate asks for a pencil. When you comply in this situation, you agree and give them the pencil. The second type of social influence is conformity. Conformity is when one changes their behavior due to the real or imagined presence of others. Two types of conformity are informational and normative. Informational conformity is when one sees others as a source of information. An example of this is when you are doing a lab and are not sure what to do next so you observe your classmates and follow their procedures. Normative is when one feels pressured to behave as other people do out of fear that they will reject or criticize us. An example of this when everyone is wearing a plaid shirt, and because you want to fit in and be liked, you are going to wear one as well. Finally, obedience is when one changes their behavior in response to a direct request from an authoritative figure. An example of this when a teacher tells you to clean up your mess and you obey their command because they are an authoritative figure.