The effects of self-consciousness and self-esteem on conformity to a majority

• Published in: Shinrigaku kenkyū Vol. 63; no. 6; pp. 379 - 387
• Main Author: Kurosawa, Kaoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan The Japanese Psychological Association 01.02.1993
• Subjects: Adult; anti conformity; conformity; Female; Humans; Male; Personality; Self Concept; self-consciousness; self-consciousness scale; self-esteem; Sex Characteristics; Social Conformity
• ISSN: 0021-5236; 1884-1082
• DOI: 10.4992/jjpsy.63.379

Ninety-five Japanese students made judgments of line lengths under different levels of conformity pressure in the Asch/Crutchfield paradigm. Comformity pressure level (whether the preceding four or two ‘others’ unanimously picked a wrong choice) and public self-consciousness interacted; under high pressure, the higher the public self-consciousness, the more conforming responses. Independently, under high pressure, higher self-esteem led to fewer conforming responses. Under low pressure, neither public self-consciousness nor self-esteem had a significant effect. None of the following affected conformity: gender, private self-consciousness, or social self-esteem. In addition, anti-conformity (picking a wrong choice in the control trials where the ‘others’ chose the correct one) was observed, replicating the findings first reported by Frager (1970). A gender by social self-esteem by block (first vs. second half of experimental task) interaction, a gender by self-esteem by block interaction, and a gender by public self-consciousness interaction separately affected the number of anti-conformity responses. Implications for self-consciousness theories are discussed.