Social influence occurs when a person’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others. Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, Leadership, Persuasion, sales, and Marketing. In 1958, Harvard psychologist Herbert Kelman identified three broad varieties of social influence.
Compliance is when people appear to agree with others but actually keep their dissenting opinions private.
Identification is when people are influenced by someone who is liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity.
Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and agree both publicly and privately.
Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard described two psychological needs that lead humans to conform to the expectations of others. These include our need to be right (informational social influence) and our need to be liked (normative social influence). Informational influence (or social proof) is an influence to accept information from another as evidence about reality. Informational influence comes into play when people are uncertain, either because stimuli are intrinsically ambiguous or because there is social disagreement. Normative influence is an influence to conform to the positive expectations of others. In terms of Kelman’s typology, normative influence leads to public compliance, whereas informational influence leads to private acceptance.
Types
Social Influence is a broad term that relates to many different phenomena. Listed below are some major types of social influence that are being researched in the field of social psychology. For more information, follow the main ARTICLE links provided.
Compliance
Compliance is the act of responding favorably to an explicit or implicit request offered by others. Technically, compliance is a change in behavior but not necessarily in Attitude; one can comply due to mere obedience or by otherwise opting to withhold private thoughts due to social pressures. According to Kelman’s 1958 paper, the satisfaction derived from compliance is due to the social effect of the accepting influence (i.e., people comply for an expected reward or punishment-aversion).
Identification
Identification is the changing of attitudes or behaviors due to the influence of someone who is admired. Advertisements that rely upon celebrity endorsements to market their products are taking advantage of this phenomenon. According to Kelman, the desired relationship that the identifier relates to the behavior or attitude change.
Internalization
Internalization is the process of acceptance of a set of norms established by people or groups that are influential to the individual. The individual accepts the influence because the content of the influence accepted is intrinsically rewarding. It is congruent with the individual’s value system, and according to Kelman the “reward” of internalization is “the content of the new behavior”.
Conformity
Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in behavior, belief, or thinking to align with those of others or with normative standards. It is the most common and pervasive form of social influence. Social psychology research in conformity tends to distinguish between two varieties: informational conformity (also called social proof, or “internalization” in Kelman’s terms ) and normative conformity (“compliance” in Kelman’s terms). In the case of peer pressure, a person is convinced to do something that they might not want to do (such as taking illegal drugs) but which they perceive as “necessary” to keep a positive relationship with other people (such as their friends). Conformity from peer pressure generally results from identification with the group members or from compliance of some members to appease others. Conformity can be in appearance, or may be more complete in nature; impacting an individual both publicly and privately.
Compliance (also referred to as acquiescence) demonstrates a public conformity to a group majority or norm, while the individual continues to privately disagree or dissent, holding on to their original beliefs or to an alternative set of beliefs differing from the majority. Compliance appears as conformity, but there is a division between the public and the private self.
Conversion includes the private acceptance that is absent in compliance. The individual’s original behaviour, beliefs, or thinking changes to align with that of others (the influencers), both publicly and privately. The individual has accepted the behavior, belief, or thinking, and has internalized it, making it his own. Conversion may also refer to individual members of a group changing from their initial (and varied) opinions to adopt the opinions of others, which may differ from their original opinions. The resulting group position may be a hybrid of various aspects of individual initial opinions, or it may be an alternative independent of the initial positions reached through consensus. What appears to be conformity may in fact be congruence. Congruence occurs when an individual’s behavior, belief, or thinking is already aligned with that of the others, and no change occurs.
Reactance
Reactance is the adoption of a view contrary to the view that a person is being pressured to accept, perhaps due to a perceived threat to behavioral freedoms. This phenomenon has also been called anticonformity. While the results are the opposite of what the influencer intended, the reactive behavior is a result of social pressure. It is notable that anticonformity does not necessarily mean independence. In many studies, reactance manifests itself in a deliberate rejection of an influence, even if the influence is clearly correct.
Obedience
Obedience is a form of social influence that derives from an authority figure. The Milgram experiment, Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment, and the Hofling hospital experiment are three particularly well-known experiments on obedience, and they all conclude that humans are surprisingly obedient in the presence of perceived legitimate authority figures.
Persuasion
Persuasion is the process of guiding oneself or another toward the adoption of an attitude by rational or symbolic means. Robert Cialdini defined six “weapons of influence”: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. These “weapons of influence” attempt to bring about conformity by directed means. Persuasion can occur through appeals to reason or appeals to emotion.
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Social influence is the process by which people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are affected by others. It is a powerful force that can have a significant impact on our lives.
There are many different types of social influence, including conformity, obedience, compliance, social facilitation, social loafing, deindividuation, group polarization, groupthink, minority influence, assimilation and contrast effects, social comparison theory, self-fulfilling prophecy, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, social identity theory, intergroup conflict, cooperation, competition, and conflict resolution.
Conformity is the tendency to change our behavior or beliefs to match those of others. We conform for a variety of reasons, including to avoid social rejection, to gain approval, and to be accurate.
Obedience is the act of following orders, even when those orders are morally wrong. Obedience is often seen as a sign of respect for authority, but it can also be dangerous.
Compliance is the act of changing our behavior in response to a direct request from another person. Compliance is often used in marketing and advertising.
Social facilitation is the tendency to perform better on tasks when we are in the presence of others. This is because we are motivated to do well and to avoid looking bad in front of others.
Social loafing is the tendency to put in less effort when we are working in a group than when we are working alone. This is because we assume that others will pick up the slack for us.
Deindividuation is a loss of self-awareness and a decrease in self-control that occurs when people are in a group. This can lead to people engaging in behaviors that they would not normally engage in if they were alone.
Group polarization is the tendency for groups to make more extreme decisions than individuals would make on their own. This is because group members tend to influence each other and to conform to the group’s norms.
Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group makes decisions without critically evaluating them. This can lead to bad decisions because group members are not willing to challenge each other’s ideas.
Minority influence is the ability of a minority group to influence the majority group. This can happen when the minority group is highly cohesive and has a clear and persuasive message.
Assimilation and contrast effects are two cognitive biases that can affect our social judgments. Assimilation is the tendency to judge an object as being more similar to other objects that we have seen recently. Contrast is the tendency to judge an object as being more different from other objects that we have seen recently.
Social comparison theory is the theory that we evaluate our own abilities and opinions by comparing ourselves to others. This can lead to upward social comparison, in which we compare ourselves to people who are better than us, or downward social comparison, in which we compare ourselves to people who are worse than us.
Self-fulfilling prophecy is a phenomenon in which our expectations about a situation can actually cause that situation to occur. This is because our expectations can lead us to behave in ways that make our expectations come true.
Stereotyping is the act of assigning general characteristics to an entire group of people. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they are often inaccurate and can lead to Prejudice And Discrimination.
Prejudice is a negative attitude towards a group of people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person or group of people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics.
Social identity theory is the theory that our self-concept is based on our group memberships. This theory suggests that we are motivated to maintain a positive social identity, and that we do this by comparing our group to other groups.
Intergroup conflict is a disagreement or dispute between two or more groups. This conflict can be caused by a variety of factors, including competition for Resources, differences in values, and historical grievances.
Cooperation is the act of working together towards a common goal. Cooperation can be beneficial because it allows us to achieve more than we could on our own.
Competition is the act of striving to be better than others. Competition can be beneficial because it can motivate us to improve our performance.
Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a disagreement or dispute in a peaceful way. Conflict resolution can be difficult, but it is important because it can help to prevent violence and to maintain relationships.
Social influence is a complex and fascinating topic. It is a force that can have a significant impact on our lives, both positive and negative. It is important to understand the different types of social influence so that we can make informed decisions about how to respond to them.
1. What is social influence?
Social influence is the process by which individuals modify their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors in response to real or imagined pressure from others.
2. What are the different types of social influence?
There are four main types of social influence: conformity, compliance, obedience, and persuasion.
Conformity is the tendency to change one’s behavior to match the behavior of others.
Compliance is the act of doing something that someone else wants you to do, even if you don’t really want to do it.
Obedience is the act of following orders from someone in a position of authority, even if you don’t agree with those orders.
Persuasion is the act of changing someone’s attitude or behavior through argument, reasoning, or emotional appeal.
3. What are some examples of social influence?
Some examples of social influence include:
The Asch conformity experiments, in which participants were asked to identify the length of a line after being given incorrect answers by other participants.
Milgram’s obedience experiments, in which participants were asked to administer electric shocks to other participants, even when they knew that the shocks were causing pain.
The Stanford prison experiment, in which participants were randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners in a simulated prison. The guards quickly became abusive, and the prisoners became submissive.
The Milgram effect, the tendency for people to obey authority figures, even when they know that their actions are wrong.
The bystander effect, the tendency for people to not help others in need when there are other people present.
4. What are some of the factors that influence social influence?
Some of the factors that influence social influence include:
The number of people who are exerting the influence. The more people who are exerting the influence, the more likely it is that someone will conform.
The status of the people who are exerting the influence. People are more likely to conform to the requests of people who they perceive to be of high status.
The attractiveness of the people who are exerting the influence. People are more likely to conform to the requests of people who they find attractive.
The similarity of the people who are exerting the influence. People are more likely to conform to the requests of people who they perceive to be similar to them.
The consistency of the requests. People are more likely to conform to requests that are made consistently over time.
The urgency of the requests. People are more likely to conform to requests that are made in a time-sensitive manner.
5. What are some of the consequences of social influence?
Some of the consequences of social influence include:
Conformity can lead to positive outcomes, such as when people conform to safety regulations or social norms. However, conformity can also lead to negative outcomes, such as when people conform to the crowd and engage in risky or harmful behaviors.
Compliance can lead to positive outcomes, such as when people comply with requests to donate to charity or volunteer their time. However, compliance can also lead to negative outcomes, such as when people comply with requests to commit crimes or engage in unethical behavior.
Obedience can lead to positive outcomes, such as when people obey orders to evacuate a burning building or follow the instructions of a doctor. However, obedience can also lead to negative outcomes, such as when people obey orders to commit atrocities.
Persuasion can lead to positive outcomes, such as when people are persuaded to adopt healthy habits or donate to a worthy cause. However, persuasion can also lead to negative outcomes, such as when people are persuaded to buy products that they don’t need or engage in risky behaviors.
6. How can we resist social influence?
There are a number of ways to resist social influence, including:
Being aware of the factors that influence social influence. By being aware of the factors that influence social influence, we can be more likely to resist them.
Thinking critically about the requests that are made of us. When someone makes a request of us, we should take the time to think critically about the request and whether or not we want to comply with it.
Relying on our own judgment. We should rely on our own judgment, rather than the judgment of others, when making decisions.
Standing up for our beliefs. We should stand up for our beliefs, even if they are different from the beliefs of others.
Seeking support from others. If we are struggling to resist social influence, we can seek support from
Which of the following is NOT a type of social influence?
(A) Normative influence
(B) Informational influence
(C) Compliance
(D) Conformity
(E) Obedience
Which of the following is an example of normative influence?
(A) You wear a certain brand of clothing because your friends do.
(B) You change your opinion about a movie after reading a review.
(C) You stop talking in class because the teacher looks at you sternly.
(D) You donate Money to a charity because you see a commercial about it.
(E) You follow the rules of a game because you want to win.
Which of the following is an example of informational influence?
(A) You wear a certain brand of clothing because your friends do.
(B) You change your opinion about a movie after reading a review.
(C) You stop talking in class because the teacher looks at you sternly.
(D) You donate money to a charity because you see a commercial about it.
(E) You follow the rules of a game because you want to win.
Which of the following is an example of compliance?
(A) You wear a certain brand of clothing because your friends do.
(B) You change your opinion about a movie after reading a review.
(C) You stop talking in class because the teacher looks at you sternly.
(D) You donate money to a charity because you see a commercial about it.
(E) You follow the rules of a game because you want to win.
Which of the following is an example of conformity?
(A) You wear a certain brand of clothing because your friends do.
(B) You change your opinion about a movie after reading a review.
(C) You stop talking in class because the teacher looks at you sternly.
(D) You donate money to a charity because you see a commercial about it.
(E) You follow the rules of a game because you want to win.
Which of the following is NOT a factor that affects conformity?
(A) The size of the majority
(B) The cohesiveness of the majority
(C) The ambiguity of the situation
(D) The public or private nature of the conformity situation
(E) The attractiveness of the majority
Which of the following is an example of obedience?
(A) You wear a certain brand of clothing because your friends do.
(B) You change your opinion about a movie after reading a review.
(C) You stop talking in class because the teacher looks at you sternly.
(D) You donate money to a charity because you see a commercial about it.
(E) You follow the rules of a game because you want to win.
Which of the following is NOT a factor that affects obedience?
(A) The authority figure’s legitimacy
(B) The authority figure’s expertise
(C) The authority figure’s proximity
(D) The authority figure’s consistency
(E) The authority figure’s attractiveness
Which of the following is an example of group polarization?
(A) A group of people who are all in favor of a certain candidate become even more in favor of that candidate after discussing the election with each other.
(B) A group of people who are all against a certain policy become even more against that policy after discussing the policy with each other.
(C) A group of people who are all undecided about a certain issue become more likely to support the majority opinion after discussing the issue with each other.
(D) A group of people who are all undecided about a certain issue become more likely to support the minority opinion after discussing the issue with each other.
(E) A group of people who are all in favor of a certain candidate become less in favor of that candidate after discussing the election with each other.
Which of the following is NOT a factor that affects group polarization?
(A) The group’s size
(B) The group’s cohesiveness
(C) The group’s homogeneity
(D) The group’s decision-making rule
(E) The group’s leader