Conformity: Minority influence

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Minority influence

  • Minority influence refers to a form of social influence that is attributed to exposure to a consistent minority position in a group. Minority influence is generally felt only after a period of time, and tends to produce private acceptance of the views expressed by the minority.
  • Minority influence occurs when a small group or an individual acts as an agent of social change by questioning established societal perceptions and proposing alternative, original ideas which oppose the existing social norms.
  • This type of influence is often thought of as a more innovative form of social change, because it usually involves a personal shift in private opinion
  • Example of minority influence are the Suffragettes and the Civil Rights Movement.
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How does it occur?

  • Behaviour style: Comprising of - consistency, confidence, unbias, and resisting social pressure and abuse. Moscovici (1969) stated that the most important aspect of behavioural style is the consistency with which people hold their position. Being consistent and unchanging is more likely to influence the majority than if a minority is inconsistent and keeps changing their mind. A consistent minority can disrupt the majority norm and thus produce uncertainty and doubt. They draw attention to themselves as an entity. They convey the existence of an alternative, coherent point of view. They demonstrate certainty in, and unshakable commitment to their point of view. Lastly they show that the only solution to the conflict that has arisen is espousal of the minority viewpoint.
  • Flexibility/compromise: Consistency alone cannot convince the majority to accept the minority's views. If the consistent minority are seen as inflexible and rigid, they'll be unlikely to change the views of the majority. However, if they appear flexible and compromising, they're likely to be seen as less extreme and will therefore have a better chance at changing majority views. There is a fine line to tread: a minority must be absolutely consistent with regard to its position but should adopt a relatively open-minded and reasonable negotiating style
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How does it occur? pt.2

  • Identification: People tend to identify with those they see as similar to themselves. Research indicates that if the majority identifies with the minority, then they're more likely to take the views of the minority seriously.
  • Investment/Commitment: The minority group needs to appear selfless and act only in the interests of the group rather than for themselves. They have a higher chance of changing majority views if they demonstrate certainty and confidence in their own views. This can sometimes refer to remaining invested in the cause even in the face of the hostile majority.
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Example: Suffragettes

  • The suffragettes were part of a movement to obtain the right for women to vote in 1897. Millicent Fawcett was an English feminist, intellectual, politician and union leader. She argued that if parliament made laws which women had to obey, they should be involved in formulating these laws. Fawcett's process was very slow and she was not all that successful
  • Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903, with her 2 daughters. The union became known as the Suffragettes.
  • The suffragettes were violent. They burned down churches, vandalised Oxford Street and chained themselves to Buckingham palace. Politicians were attacked as they went to work. Their homes were firebombed.
  • The suffragettes were happy to go to prison and were known to go on hunger strikes once there. This shows investment to the cause
  • One of the most famous acts associated with the Suffragettes was the incident at the June 1913 Derby. Emily Wilding herself under the King's horse, was thrown violently in the air, and later died from her injuries. This shows that they were willing to die for the cause.
  • The suffragettes were very consistent in their acts, but there was little demonstration of flexibility, which could be why the movement took so long to influence the majority.
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Example 2: Civil Rights Movement

  • The Civil Rights Movement was active during 1954-1968 and was formed in order to end racial segregation and discrimination against African American citizens. The group was fronted by Martin Luther King Jr.
  • The movement was characterised by major campaigns of civil resistance, that were mainly non-violent protest and civil disobedience. Forms of protest included boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and speeches. The civil rights movement was known for its stance on non-violent protest.
  • A particularly famous act of non-violent protest was when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man. She was arrested and received national publicity. This led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott to demand a bus system where passengers were treated equally. Eventually, the boycott produced results: the segregation of black and white passengers on public buses was repealed.
  • Rosa Parks demonstrated commitment to the cause, because even when faced with possible violent consequences as well as arrest, she didn't back down. Through this act of defiance, she became an integral symbol of the civil rights movement.
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Additional processes

  • Hogg & Vaughan claim that the minority will be more influential if they are acting from principle, have made sacrifices in order to maintain their position, are similar to the majority in terms of class, age, and gender, and they advocate views that are consistent with current social trends
  • Culture: Smith, Bond & Kagitfibasi (2006) found that the level of conformity in their study ranged from a low of 14% among Belgian students, to a high of 58% among Indian teachers in Fiji. Conformity was lower among participants from individualist cultures in North America and North-western Europe (25.3%)
  • Size of group: Asch (1952) found that as the unanimous group increased, the conformity rate increased, but eventually began to decrease slightly.
  • Size of majority: Latane & Wolf (1981) social impact model predicts that as the size of the majority grows, influence of minority decreases. Clark & Maass (1990) found results that agreed with Latane and Wolf.
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Key study: Moscovici et al

  • Moscovici (1969) conducted a similar experiment to that of Asch, but in reverse. Instead of one participant amongst a majority of confederates, he placed 2 confederates amongst 4 genuine participants
  • Each group was presented 36 blue-coloured slides, which varied slightly in their intensity. Participants were asked to describe the colour of each slide, with confederates answering first. Confederates consistently explained that the slides were green.
  • Results showed that participants agreed with the minority that the slides were green 8% of the time. However, when confederates answered inconsistently, conformity decreased to just 1.25%
  • Minority influence can make the majority conform, but consistency in ideas is vital.
  • Moscovici conducted another study in 1980. Participants had to stare at a slide and were asked to write down what colour the after-image was. A blue slide produces red-purple after image. Green slide produces a yellow-orange after image. The experimenter then came round to the participants to show them the made up "previous" results of what other participants saw. If the after image they saw was yellow-orange then it means the perceptual schema had actually changed. If they saw red-purple then their verbal answer changed, but not their perception. In other words, only their public view changed.
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Key study: Jenness

  • Jenness (1932) conducted one of the first studies into minority influence.
  • His study involved giving a jar of beans to individuals, and then getting them to estimate the number of beans inside the jar. He then grouped the same participants together and got them to discuss the contents. Later when they were separated and asked their opinions, Jenness found that the estimates had converged around a central figure.
  • In conclusion: when we are unsure of an answer, we look to others for help, assuming that a majority figure will be more reliable
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