Welcome to Social Influence!
Ever wondered why you start using the same slang as your friends, or why people follow orders even when they know they shouldn't? That is what Social Influence is all about! In this chapter, we explore how our thoughts and behaviors are shaped by the people around us. Don't worry if some of the names like "Zimbardo" or "Milgram" sound a bit strange at first—we’ll break everything down step-by-step.
1. Conformity: Why do we fit in?
Conformity is simply changing your behavior or beliefs because of real or imagined pressure from a group. Psychologists have found there are three different "levels" of how much we change.
Types of Conformity
Think of these as levels of "stickiness"—some changes stick for life, others only last as long as you're with the group.
1. Compliance (The Surface Level): You go along with the group in public but disagree in private.
Example: Laughing at a joke you don't find funny just to fit in.
2. Identification (The Middle Level): You change your behavior because you value the group and want to be part of it, but you might not agree with everything they do forever.
Example: Dressing like your teammates while you're on the football team.
3. Internalisation (The Deep Level): You genuinely accept the group's view. You change your mind both in public and in private. It becomes part of who you are.
Example: Becoming a vegetarian after living with roommates who explain the ethics to you.
Why do we conform? (Explanations)
Two main reasons why we "give in" to the group:
Normative Social Influence (NSI): The desire to be liked. We go along with the group because we don't want to be left out or judged. (Leads to Compliance).
Informational Social Influence (ISI): The desire to be right. We look to others for the "correct" answer when we aren't sure what to do. (Leads to Internalisation).
Quick Review: NSI vs ISI
NSI = Emotional (I want friends).
ISI = Cognitive (I want to be correct).
Key Takeaway: Conformity ranges from surface-level acting (Compliance) to deep-seated belief changes (Internalisation), driven by our need to be liked or our need to be right.
2. Asch’s Research: The Power of the Group
Solomon Asch did a famous study where participants had to match the length of lines. Even though the answer was obvious, many people gave the wrong answer just because the rest of the group (who were in on the secret) gave the wrong answer.
Variables Affecting Conformity
Asch changed his experiment to see what made people conform more or less:
1. Group Size: Conformity increased with more people, but only up to a point. With 3 people (confederates) giving the wrong answer, conformity was about 32%, but adding more people after that didn't change it much.
2. Unanimity: If just one other person in the group agreed with the participant, conformity dropped massively. Having a "partner" gives you social support.
3. Task Difficulty: When the lines were made more similar (harder to judge), conformity increased because people were less sure of themselves (this is ISI!).
Key Takeaway: We are most likely to conform when the group is at least three people, when everyone else agrees, and when the task is difficult.
3. Conformity to Social Roles: Zimbardo
Philip Zimbardo wanted to know if "good people" would turn "bad" if they were put into a powerful situation. He set up the Stanford Prison Experiment.
He randomly assigned students to be either "Prisoners" or "Guards." Within days, the guards became aggressive and the prisoners became submissive. The study had to be stopped after only 6 days instead of 14!
What did we learn? People conform to social roles (the "parts" we play in society) very easily. The guards weren't naturally mean; the uniform and the situation made them act that way.
Key Takeaway: Our behavior is heavily influenced by the roles we are given and the environment we are in.
4. Obedience: Following Orders
Obedience is different from conformity. Conformity is following your peers; obedience is following an authority figure.
Milgram’s Research
Stanley Milgram asked participants to give "shocks" to a learner every time they got a question wrong. Even when the learner screamed in pain, 65% of participants went all the way to the maximum voltage (450v) just because a man in a lab coat told them to.
Situational Variables (Why did they obey?)
1. Proximity: When the teacher and learner were in the same room, obedience dropped. It's harder to hurt someone when you can see them.
2. Location: When the study moved from a fancy university (Yale) to a run-down office, obedience dropped slightly. The "prestigious" location made the authority seem more legitimate.
3. Uniform: When the experimenter wore a grey lab coat, obedience was high. When he wore "normal clothes," obedience dropped. The uniform acts as a symbol of authority.
Psychological Explanations for Obedience
Agentic State: This is a mental state where we feel like an "agent" for someone else. We feel no personal responsibility for our actions because we think "I was just following orders." The opposite is the Autonomous State (where we feel responsible).
Legitimacy of Authority: We are more likely to obey people who we perceive as having power over us because of their position in a social hierarchy (like police, teachers, or doctors).
Key Takeaway: People obey not because they are "evil," but because of situational factors like uniforms and the feeling that they aren't responsible for their own actions.
5. Dispositional Explanation: The Authoritarian Personality
Adorno argued that some people are just naturally more likely to obey. He called this the Authoritarian Personality.
These people tend to:
• Have extreme respect for authority.
• Look down on people they see as "inferior."
• See the world in "black and white" (no middle ground).
• Usually had very strict parents who used physical punishment.
Memory Aid: Use the "F-Scale" (F stands for Fascism) – this is the questionnaire Adorno used to measure this personality type.
Key Takeaway: While Milgram focused on the situation, Adorno focused on the person's upbringing and personality.
6. Resistance to Social Influence: Saying "No"
How do some people manage to resist the pressure to conform or obey?
Social Support: It is much easier to resist if you have an ally. In Asch’s study, having one person disagree with the group dropped conformity. In Milgram’s study, if another "teacher" refused to give shocks, obedience dropped to 10%.
Locus of Control (LOC): This is a personality trait about how much control you think you have over your life.
• Internal LOC: You believe you make things happen. These people are more likely to resist social influence because they take responsibility for their actions.
• External LOC: You believe things happen to you because of luck, fate, or other people. These people are more likely to conform or obey.
Analogy: The Steering Wheel
Internal LOC = You are in the driver's seat holding the steering wheel.
External LOC = You are in the passenger seat; someone else is driving.
Key Takeaway: Resistance is easier when we have supporters and when we believe we are in control of our own destiny.
7. Minority Influence
Sometimes, a small group (a minority) can change the minds of the majority. To do this, they need three things:
1. Consistency: They must keep saying the same thing over time (diachronic consistency) and all agree with each other (synchronic consistency). If they waver, the majority won't listen.
2. Commitment: They must show they are willing to take risks or suffer for their cause. This is called the Augmentation Principle (it "augments" or increases their message).
3. Flexibility: They shouldn't be too rigid or dogmatic. If they seem prepared to compromise, the majority is more likely to listen.
Key Takeaway: A small group can win if they are consistent, committed, and flexible.
8. Social Change
This is how whole societies change their views (like the Civil Rights movement or recycling habits).
How it happens:
1. Drawing Attention: The minority highlights the issue.
2. Consistency: They stick to their message.
3. Deeper Processing: The majority starts to think about the issue more seriously.
4. The Augmentation Principle: The minority takes risks (e.g., hunger strikes).
5. The Snowball Effect: More and more people switch to the minority view until it becomes the majority view.
6. Social Cryptomnesia: People remember that change happened, but they forget exactly how or who started it.
Key Takeaway: Social change is a slow process where minority influence eventually "snowballs" into a new social norm.