Exam Questions: Resistance to Social Influence

In the context of resistance to social influence, explain what is meant by the term social support. [2 marks]

Social support is when someone in a group resists the pressure to conform/obey which helps the other people to do the same. The person acts as a model to show others that resistance is possible.

Outline LOC as an explanation of resistance to social influence. [4 marks]

Locus of control is concerned with the internal and external controls. People with internal LOC believe that the things that happen to them are controlled by themselves. People with external LOC believe that things happen out of their control and they typically blame things on other factors. A person with an internal LOC is more likely to resist social influence because they take responsibility for their actions and tend to be more self-confident and have less need for social approval.

Describe and evaluate 2 explanations of resistance to social influence. Refer to evidence in your answer. [16 marks]

One explanation of resistance to social influence is social support. This is where people act as 'models' and resist the pressure to conform or obey which shows other people that resistance to obey/conform is possible and so they resist as well. For example, in one of Milgram's variations, the rate of obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when the genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate. 

A strength of this explanation is that there is…