Explanations of resistance to social influence Flashcards
Resistance to social influence
We are often affected by the behaviour of others, whether this is through pressure to conform to the behaviour of a group or being told to behave in a certain way by an authority figure.
But of course, we do not always go along with a group and we do not always obey an authority figure.
Sometimes we do not respond to the social influence that we are experiencing and instead behave independently. In other words, sometimes show resistance to social influence. Situational and dispositional factors both have an effect on resisting social influence.
2 Explanations for resistance to social influence
Social support (situational factor)
Locus of control (dispositional factor)
Social support
Social support is the physical and emotional comfort given to you by other people, such as your family, friends, co-workers and even strangers. Some researchers have suggested that having social support makes it possible to avoid the pressures of social influence.
Social support as an explanation for resisting conformity
When we are the only one who thinks or feels differently to a group it can be very uncomfortable to go against a unanimous majority so we might conform and do the same as the majority.
If there is just one other person in the group who is not in agreement with the others then this gives support to an individual who has a different opinion to the group.
The dissenter does not even have to present the same opinion as an individual trying to resist the group.
It seems that being in the presence of another person who goes against the group is very helpful for an individual who does not want to conform.
The other person breaks the unanimity of the group.
They offer the potential for different, legitimate ways of thinking that give an individual confidence to act upon their own judgement.
Evaluation of the social support explanation for resisting conformity, supporting evidence
Supporting evidence comes from Asch’s research found that conformity rates fell from 32% to 5% when one of the confederates gave the correct answer to the lines task.
The rates fell to 9% when the confederate gave a different but still wrong answer.
The strongest support came from a confederate who gave a correct answer in the 1st position in the group compared to when they gave a correct answer 4th.
Asch also found that if the dissenting confederate began to agree with the others again then so did the naïve participant suggesting that resistance to conformity is heavily dependent upon having an ally in the group who also resists.
Evaluation of the social support explanation for resisting conformity, challenging evidence
However, there is also challenging evidence. It is worth bearing in mind that in Asch’s original study, where no social support was offered to the naïve participant, the most common behaviour was to resist the social influence to conform to the group. This casts doubt upon the influence of social support in resistance and instead, implies that it may only be a partial explanation for resisting social pressures to conform.
Social support as an explanation for resisting obedience
Milgram’s research showed that individuals are readily obedient to an authority figure.
However, having social support through witnessing another person taking a stand and refusing to obey can help an individual to resist the pressure to obey. The disobedient person can act as a role model and having an ally can help an individual to cope with the awkwardness involved in contravening social conventions of obeying a person with legitimate authority.
Evaluation of the social support explanation for resisting obedience, support
In one variation of Milgram’s study, there was a disobedient confederate who refused to continue with the electric shocks. The rates of obedience fell dramatically from 65% giving the maximum voltage to just 10%. This gives support to the social support explanation of resisting obedience.
- In addition, a real-life incident in 1943 also shows that social support enables individuals to resist obedience. A group of German women protested in Berlin against the Gestapo who were holding 2000 Jewish men prisoner. The Gestapo ordered the women to disperse and threatened to open fire on them. The women refused to obey and continued to make their demands. Being with other disobedient models enabled the women to resist the pressure to obey where they would normally have been reluctant to show dissent. Eventually, the men were released.
Locus of control
Locus of control refers to the extent you feel in control of the events that influence your life.
Who proposed the concept of locus of control
Rotter, it is about where an individual feels control of their life comes from – internal or external factors.
Internal locus of control
Some people feel that the things that happen to them are the result of their own behaviour
External locus of control
Some people feel that the things that happen to them are the result of factors outside their control
Internal locus of control as an explanation for resisting conformity and obedience
People who have an internal locus of control are more likely to resist
the pressure to conform or to obey.
This is because:
* They are less likely to rely on others or attribute their own actions to others. They believe that they are responsible for their own actions and the consequences of their behaviour.
* Such individuals are able to withstand the discomfort of resisting the pressure to conform or to obey an authority figure because they would feel greater discomfort if they allowed others to control their behaviour.
* They might be able to resist social influences more readily because people with an internal locus of control are often more confident and have less need of social approval.
Evaluation of locus of control explanation for resisting conformity and obedience, support
There is research evidence that supports the locus of control explanation of resisting obedience. In a repeat of Milgram’s original study, Holland carried out a research study found that 37% of those with internal locus of control refused to carry on to the highest shock level whereas only 23% of those with external locus of control refused to continue to the end of the procedure. This shows that having an internal locus of control helps individuals to resist the pressure to obey authority.
A study compared locus of control and responsiveness to
normative and informational influence in 157 undergraduate
students. The results showed that those with an internal
locus of control were less likely to conform in order to be
liked and accepted within a group compared to those with
external. This supports the idea that having an internal locus
of control is linked to resisting conformity. However, the
study found that locus of control did not have any link with
resisting conformity because of informational processes, where people agree with a majority because they thought they were correct. This suggests that locus of control does not always increase resistance to conformity so only partially supports the explanation.
Evaluation of locus of control explanation for resisting conformity and obedience, challenge
Other research has also shown that the link between locus of control and resisting social influence is not a simple one. Twenge et al (2004) analysed data from obedience studies over a 40-year period. The results showed that people have become more resistant to obedience over time but that people have also become more external in their locus of control. If resistance were indeed linked to internal locus of control then we would expect to see the opposite. This data challenges the link between resistance to obedience and internal locus of control. The shift in locus of control might reflect a changing society where it is clear that many things are indeed out of our control.
