Resistance to social influence Flashcards
resistance to social influence
definition
the ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority or obey authority
└influenced by both situational and dispositional factors
Social support
Definition
└the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same
└people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible
Social support
Conformity
Explanation
└social support can help people resist conformity
└pressure to conform reduced if there are other people present not conforming
Social support
Conformity
Example
└Asch- person not conforming doesn’t have to give the right answer, just acts as a model to enable the person to be free and follow their own conscience
└Asch- also shows that is the non-conforming person starts conforming again, so does the naïve participant
└effect of dissent is not long lasting
Social support
Obedience
Explanation
└social support can help people resist obedience
└pressure to obey reduced if there are other people present seen to disobey
Social support
Obedience
Example
└Milgrams variations- obedience rate dropped from 65% to 10% when genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate
└person not obeying doesn’t have the same behaviour, just acts as a model to enable the person to be free and follow their own conscience
Social support
Strengths
Summary
Research support – resistance to conformity- Allen and Levine (1971)
Research support - resistance to obedience - Gamson et al (1982)
Social support
Strengths
Research support – resistance to conformity
└research evidence supports the role of dissenting peers in resisting conformity
└Allen and Levine (1971)
└conformity decreased when there was one dissenter an in Asch type study
└even if wore thick glasses so was in no position to judge length of lines
└supports the view that resistance is not just motivated by following what someone else says,
└but enables someone to be free from the pressure of the group
Social support
Strengths
Research support - resistance to obedience
└research evidence supports the role of dissenting peers in resisting obedience
└Gamson et al (1982)
└found higher levels of resistance in their study than milgram
└probably because participants in study were in groups
└(they had to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign)
└29/33 groups of participants (88%) rebelled
└=peer support linked to greater resistance
Locus of control (LOC)
Person
Julian Rotter (1966)
Locus of control (LOC)
└refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives
└internals believe they are responsible for what happens to them
└externals believe it is mainly a matter of luck or other outside forces
Locus of control (LOC)
Continuum
└continuum of high internal LOC, low internal LOC, low external LOC, high external LOC
Locus of control (LOC)
Resistance to social influence
└internal LOC more likely to resist pressures to conform or obey
└takes personal responsibility for actions and experiences so base their decisions on their own beliefs and resist pressures from others
└high internal LOC tend to be more self-confident, achievement oriented, higher intelligence, less need for social approval
└personality traits lead to greater resistance to social influence
Locus of control (LOC)
Strengths
Research support
└research evidence supports the link between LOC and resistance to obedience
└Holland (1967)
└repeated milgrams baseline study- measured if participants were internals or externals
└37% internals didn’t continue to highest shock level (showed resistance)
└23% externals didn’t continue
└internals showed greater resistance to authority
└research support increases validity of LOC as an explanation for resistance
Locus of control (LOC)
Limitations
Summary
Contradictory research - Twenge et al (2004)
Limited role of LOC - Rotter (1982)
