Resistance to Social Influence

Social Support: Conformity

• The pressure to conform is reduced if there are other people present who aren't conforming
• The fact that someone is not following the majority enables a person to follow their own conscience
• This other person acts as a 'model'
• In a variation of Asch's study where there was a non-conforming confederate, there were lower levels of conformity, even if the non-conforming confederate was wrong
• The effect of dissent is not long lasting, as if the confederate started conforming again, then the naive participant would also start to conform

Social Support: Obedience

• Pressure to obey can be reduced if there is another person present who isn't conforming
• In a variation of Milgram's original study, obedience went from 65% to 10% when the genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate
• The other person's disobedience acts as a 'model' for the participant to copy so they can act on their own conscience

Locus of Control

Locus of control is a concept that is concerned with internal versus external control. Some people believe things that happen are largely concerned with themselves (internals), while others believe that things happen without their own control (externals).

There is a continuum with high internal LOC at one end and high external LOC at the other, with low internal and low external lying inbetween.

LOC: Resisting Social Influence

• People who have a high internal LOC are more likely to resist pressures to conform or obey.
• If a person takes personal responsibility for their own actions and experiences…