Resisting Social Influence

Question 1

Resisting social influence…..

Answer 1

Involves the rejection of social influence to behave in accordance to ones own internal attitudes, regardless of whether they coincide with the majority.

In other words they resist the pressure to conform and/or obey

Question 2

Social support

Answer 2

• when a minority is given a non-conformist ally who also disagrees with the majority they are more likely to resist social influence because they are more confident in expressing their own views.
• For example, conformity dropped to 9% when unamity was broken and p’s were given social support - could be because they won’t stand out as much and as such don’t have such high levels of anxiety
• Social support from another disobedient person also promotes RSI. Individuals will be more confident disobeying when they are not alone
• E.g. Milgram variation - ‘the disobedient stooge’ - real p had 2 confederates with them, one stopped at 150v the other at 210v - only 15% continued to top voltage. People being disobedient makes you question authority and shifts you back to authoritarian state where you are able to RSI

Question 3

high Internal Locus of Control

Answer 3

• High ILoCs are active seekers of info that is useful to them so they are less reliant on opinions of others and therefore more likely to RSI
• take more responsibility for their actions, more likely to base all decisions on their own beliefs and thus resist pressure from others
• tend to be more self confident and achievement orientated - more likely to be leaders and not followers - less need for social approval hence RSI
• see themselves in more control of situation - see themselves as having more free choices - less likely to enter agentic state hence rsi to greater extent

Question 4

eval for social support

Answer 4

• research evidence- conformity dropped to 5.5% in Asch’s variation
• alternative explanations
• reductionist - some people still conform/obey (15% in Milgram’s)
• applications - avoid situations

Question 5

eval for internal locus of control

Answer 5

• research evidence - Spector conformity in 157 students - higher external loc = more easily persuaded
• overexaggerated - Rotter - only in unknown situations
• alternative explantions
• contradictory evidence - twenge - over a 40 year period people were becoming more likely to resist