What is public compliance?

Public compliance refers to the act of conforming to social norms or behaviors in a visible manner, even when an individual does not truly believe in or endorse those actions privately. This phenomenon occurs when people adjust their public behavior to fit in with a group or to avoid social disapproval, without necessarily changing their internal beliefs or attitudes.

Such compliance is often driven by the desire to be accepted by others, to avoid conflict, or to adhere to perceived expectations, rather than a sincere acceptance of the group's beliefs. In contrast, genuinely promoting personal beliefs or changing one's behavior to align with private beliefs reflects an internal acknowledgment of these beliefs, which is not the case in public compliance. This distinction is what makes the concept of public compliance a vital area of study within social psychology, highlighting the differences between private beliefs and public behavior.