Psychologist Herbert Kelman identified and labeled three major types of conformity. The first, compliance, occurs when a person conforms publicly, but privately keeps his or her own original beliefs. People comply because of a need for approval from others and fear of rejection. The second, identification, is conforming to a particular person who is well liked and respected, such as a friend or a family member. Identification is usually motivated by the perceived role model's attractiveness or success. Internalization is when people have actually internalized a group's belief system and see it as truly their own, both publicly and privately. This is the most profound form of conformity and is likely to stay with people for a long time.
The strong force of conformity is well documented in psychological research. A researcher named Muzafer Sherif, for example, wanted to know how many people would change their opinions about something because of the desire to conform to a larger group. He conducted an experiment in which people were positioned in a dark room and asked to stare at a small dot of light 15 feet away.

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