Explanations of resistence to social influence including social support and locus of control

Social Support

Conformity:

Social support can help people resist authority. the pressure to conform can be reduced if there are others present who aren`t willing to conform, as seen in Asch`s research. The non-conformer acts as a `model`. However, Asch`s research also showed that if this `non-conformer` starts conforming again, so does the naive participant. thus the effect of dissent is not long lasting.

Evaluation -

Research Support - resistence to conformity:

research evidence supports the role of dissenting peers in resisting conformity. For example, Allen and Levine (1971) fund that conformity decreased when there was one dissenter in the Asch-type study. More importantly, this occured even if the dissenter wore thick glasses and stated he had diffuculty with his vision (and was clearly in no position to judge line length). this supports the notion that resistence is not just motivated by following what someone else says but it enables someone to be free from group pressure.

Obedience:

Social support can also help resist obedience. the pressure to be obedient can be reduced if there is another person who is seen to disobey. in one of Milgram`s variation, the rate of obedience dropped from 64% to 10% when the genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate. while the person may not follow the disobedient behaviour, they feel free to act on their own conscience.

Evaluation -

Research Support - resistence to obedience:

Gamson et al 1982 found higher levels of resistence in their study than Milgram did, probably because the participants in Gamson`s study were in groups that had to produce evidence to help the company run a…