The Role of Minority Influence in Social Change Flashcards
Why should minorities use consistency and flexibility to influence the majority opinion?
Moscovici found that when a minority were consistent they were more likely to persuade the majority than if they were inconsistent. This was not sufficient alone though, they also had to appear willing to hear another opinion (flexibility).
Name the 5 different ways that minority influences can cause social change.
- Consistency and Flexibility
- Use of the Snowball Effect
- Presence of a Minority Dissenter
- Disobedient Role Models
- Social Heroism
What is the snowball effect and why should minorities use it?
Once some members have started to agree with the minority, the minority will keep gaining members and eventually become the new majority.
Why is the presence of a minority dissenter important?
It leaves others in the room free to express what they really believe and not to conform if they don’t want to.
What did Milgram suggest about disobedient role models?
After a variation of his experiment, Milgram concluded that, although in his original experiment many participants came close to disobeying, they needed the presence of disobedient peers to allow them to actually do it.
What is social heroism?
Social heroes are people with strong moral convictions that are less likely to be influenced by others. They are willing to make sacrifices for the good of others in society, in pursuit of an important principle.
Give an example of a minority group that used consistency and flexibility.
The anti smoking lobby wanted a complete ban on smoking, but although they were consistent, they were also flexible, so the change to smoking laws in indoor public places was seen as a huge victory.
Give an example of the use of the snowball effect.
The suffragettes originally started as a very small group but through the snowball effect became a bigger group.
Give an example of a minority dissenter.
Ghandi. In 1930 he began a march with 78 volunteers to protest against the salt tax. 3 weeks later, over 5 million people followed his example. This led to an overthrow of British rule in India.
Give an example of a disobedient role model.
Rosa Parks. When she sat down on a bus in an area reserved for white people it sparked a chain of events in America. Eventually the Supreme Court ruled out segregation on buses. It also may have been a catalyst for the American Civil Rights Movement.
Give an example of a social hero.
Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 36 years for his resistance to Apartheid. Could be argued that his resistance eventually led to abolition of Apartheid.
