Social Influence and Conformity Overview

Social Influence

• Social influence is the process by which individuals or groups change the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of others.
• Social influence processes are crucial for social change.

Types of Conformity

• Compliance: People publicly agree with a majority but privately disagree. This is a superficial type of conformity; it only lasts as long as the group pressure is present.
• Identification: People publicly conform to a majority group because they wish to be part of that group. This involves a temporary change in behaviour and private beliefs (has components of compliance and internalisation). This change is not sustained when the group is no longer present.
• Internalisation: People privately and publicly conform to a majority group, adjusting both behaviour and private beliefs to align with the majority's views. This change is the most permanent type of conformity, as it is maintained even when the group is no longer present.

Explanations for Conformity

• Informational social influence (ISI): People conform because they want to be right. They look to others as a source of information, especially in ambiguous situations. This often leads to internalisation as people adopt the behaviours and beliefs of others in the group. Examples of this include a student unsure of the answer in class choosing the answer the majority chose, or a group following an expert's opinion.
• Normative social influence (NSI): People conform because they want to be liked and accepted by others. This is why people conform with the group to avoid disapproval. Examples include conformity to a group's fashion sense, or an individual adopting the beliefs and behaviors of their peer groups.

Conformity to Social Roles

• Social roles are the 'parts' people play in society.
• Conformity to social roles was investigated by Zimbardo in his Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE).
• The SPE showed that individuals readily conform to assigned roles, even when the roles become oppressive and inhumane.

Explanations for Obedience

• Agentic state: People shift from an autonomous state of taking responsibility for their actions to an agentic state, meaning they place responsibility on someone else (the authority figure). They obey because they feel they are acting on behalf of the authority figure.
• Legitimacy of authority: People obey because they recognise the authority figure has the right to give orders. This is based on established social hierarchies in society.
• Situational variables: Variables like proximity, location, and uniform influence obedience levels in the context of obedience studies. Proximity (how close the participants are to the authority figure) and location can affect obedience levels. The uniform of an authority figure (e.g. a lab coat) can also influence participants' obedience.

Dispositional explanations for obedience

• Authoritarian personality: People with an authoritarian personality tend to be more obedient. This type of personality is characterized by respect for authority and obedience to those in power. It may develop due to experiences during childhood like strict parenting.

Resistance to social influence

• Locus of control: People with an internal locus of control believe they have control over their lives. They are more likely to resist conformity and obedience pressure. External locus of control people feel external factors control their lives, and are more likely to conform.
• Social support: The presence of others who resist social influence can increase others' confidence to resist as well. This can influence both conformity and obedience.

Minority Influence

• Consistency: Minority groups are more effective when they are consistent in their position over time and between different individuals.
• Commitment: Demonstrating commitment to their cause, even by making personal sacrifices, makes the majority give their views more attention.
• Flexibility: A minority that is too rigid in its views may appear unreasonable to the majority, so flexibility may enhance the minority's persuasiveness.
• The snowball effect: The rate of conversion to a minority viewpoint increases over time, leading to social change.

Social Influence Processes Explaining Social Change

• Social change occurs when society adopts a new behaviour or belief.
• Minority influence, informational influence, and normative influence explain social change