resistance to social influence

resistance to social influence

1. social support

   • conformity
     • pressure to conform is reduced if other people do not conform
       • Asch
         • even if the person doesn't agree with you but goes against the group - acts as a model
           • effect not long lasting as if the person then agrees with the group so will the participant
   • obedience
     • pressure to obey reduced if others do not obey
       • Milgram
         • obedience dropped to 10% when the participant was joined with a confederate
           • again do not have to agree but frees up their own conscience

2. locus of control

   • Rotter
     • internal vs external control
     • internal
       • control their own destiny
     • external
       • do not have control
   • continuum
     • as well as high internal/ external you can be in the middle
   • resistance to social influence
     • internal
       • resist pressures to conform / obey
         • more self confident
         • more achievement orientated
         • higher intelligence
         • less need for social approval

3. evaluation - social support

   • research support - conformity
     • Allen & Levine
       • conformity decreased when someone disagreed (in an Asch like study)
         • even when the person who disagreed wore glasses - couldn't judge line length
           • supports that resistance isn't just to follow what someone says but frees up your own opinion
   • research support - obedience
     • Gamson
       • higher levels of resistance than Milgram
         • participants were in groups
           • 29 out of 33 (88%) rebelled
             • peer support = greater resistance

4. evaluation - locus of control

   • research support
     • Holland
       • repeated Milgram's baseline study
         • measured whether people were internal or external
           • 37% internals did not go all the way
           • 23% externals did not go all the way
     • increases validity
   • contradictory research
     • Twenge
       • analysed data from American studies over 40 years
         • found people have become more external however more resistant to obedience
           • however this could be due to a change I society

5. evaluation +

   • limited role of loc
     • Rotter found that the role of loc may have been exaggerated
       • it has little influence in familiar situations (previous experience will be more important)