The role of social influence processes in social change Flashcards
What is social change
The process by which society changes beliefs, attitudes and behaviour to create new social norms (expected ways of behaviour and thinking).
1) Drawing attention to an issue through social proof
If the minorities views are different to those held by the majority, this creates a conflict that they are motivated to reduce.
For example, the suffragettes used educational, political and militant tactics to draw attention to the fact that women were denied the same voting rights as men.
2) Cognitive conflict – deeper processing of the issue
This conflict doesn’t necessarily result in a move towards the minority position, but it does mean that majority group members think more deeply about the issues being challenged.
For example, the suffragettes created a conflict for majority group members between the existing status quo (only men allowed to vote) and the position advocated by the suffragettes (votes for women). Some people dealt with this conflict by moving towards the position advocated by the suffragettes, others dismissed it.
Consistency of position
Research on minority influence (Moscovici et al., 1969) has established that minorities tend to be more influential in bringing about social change when they express their arguments consistently (over time and with each other).
For example, the suffragettes were consistent in their views regardless of the attitudes of those around them. Protests and political lobbying that continued for years, plus the fact that women played a conspicuous role in WW1, eventually convinced society that women were ready for the vote
The Augmentation Principle
If a minority appears willing to suffer and make sacrifices for their views, they are seen as more committed and so taken more seriously by others.
For example, because the suffragettes were willing to risk imprisonment or even death from hunger strike, their influence became more powerful (i.e. it was augmented).
The Snowball Effect
This is when the minority gathers momentum as more and more people consider the issues and adopt the minority’s view, internalising it as their own.
This is until it reaches a ‘tipping point’, at which point it leads to wide-scale social change.
For example, universal suffrage (all UK adults having the vote) was finally accepted by the majority.
Social Cryptoamnesia
The minority ideas are adopted by the majority, but without those in the majority remembering where the ideas came from; the content and the source become dissociated i.e. individuals have no recollection of the events that led to change.
What did Asch highlight the importance of
Asch highlighted the importance of dissent in one of his variations, in which the confederate gave correct answers throughout the trials, breaking the power of the majority and encouraging the participant to dissent.
Such dissent has the potential to ultimately lead to social change.
Obedience can also be used to create social change through the process of gradual commitment (‘foot in the door’ technique).
Once a small instruction is obeyed, it becomes much more difficult to resist a bigger one. People essentially ‘drift’ into a new kind of behaviour.
In Milgram’s study participants started by administering a 15 volt shock which was small and relatively harmless. The shock levels gradually increased in 15 volt increments and did not become dangerous or particularly painful until several shocks had been administered.
Had participants been asked to deliver just one large shock, it is less likely that they would have done so.
The role of conformity and obedience once social change has occurred
Once social change has occurred, conformity will serve to consolidate and maintain the new beliefs and behaviour, as part of social order.
Like conformity, obedience will oversee and uphold the new social order. For example, governments may enforce new social norms.
