What is the difference between conformity and compliance?

The fundamental difference between conformity and compliance is that compliance involves people going along with an explicit request, whereas conformity involves people adhering to 'unspoken rules'. We comply with people's requests because we like to be seen as helpful. We conform to social norms or group norms because we want to be liked and we want to fit in. An example of compliance would be someone agreeing to a request from the local council to put up a 'Drive Safely' sign in their garden, remember there are various techniques thats people can use to make us more likely to comply with such requests. An example of conformity is not talking loudly during a film at the cinema because we don't want to be seen as annoying or obnoxious even by people we don't know.

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Answered by Kathleen F. Psychology tutor

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