Resistance to Social Influence

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  • Created by: Caits24
  • Created on: 07-04-17 14:15

Social Support:

Conformity:

Social support can help people to resist conformity. The pressure to conform can be reduced if there are other people present who are not conforming. The person not conforming doesn't have to be giving the right answer but simpley the fact that someone else is not following the majority, appears to enable a person to be free to follow their own conscience. However if the non-conforming person starts to conform then so will others meaning the effect of dissent is not long lasting. Research evidence supports the role of dissenting peers in resisting conformity. For example Allen and Levine [1971] found that conformity decreased when there was one dissenter in an Asch-type study. More importantly this occurred even if the dissenter wore thick glasses and said he had difficulty with his vision (so he was clearly in no position to judge the length of the lines). This supports the view that resistance is not just motivated by following what someone else says but it enables someone to be free of the pressure from the group.

Obedience:

Social support can also help people to resist obedience. The pressure to obey can be reduced if there is another person who is seen to disobey. The person may not follow the disobedient person's behaviour but the point is the other person's disobedience acts as a model for the person to copy, that frees them to act from their own conscience. There is research evidence that supports the role of dissenting peers in resisting obedience. Gamson et al. [1982] found higher levels of resistance in their study than Milgram. This was probably because the participants in Gamson's study were in groups (they had to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign). In Gamson's study 29 out of 33 groups of participants (88%) rebelled. This shows that peer support is linked to greater resistance. 

Locus of Control (LOC):

Rotter [1966] first proposed the concept of locus of

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