Social Support (resistance to SI)

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Created by
Ellie

Cards (5)

  • Resistance to social influence - social support,locus of control
  • Social support
    conformity
    Asch (1956) found that the presence of a fellow dissenter enables individuals to resist conformity pressure from the majority. Asch found this out from one of the variations in his study when the introduction of someone who gave the right answer led to a drop in conformity levels. The most important aspect of social support is that it appears to break the unanimous position of the majority. The presence of an ally gave an individual confidence to also oppose. rates fell from 33% to 5.5%
  • Social support obedience
    hard to stand against authority because the obedient behaviour of others makes even a harmful action appear acceptable. Research shown us that individuals may resist the temptation to obey if they can find an ally who is willing to join them in opposing authority figure.Individual may use the defiance of a peer as a role model on which the individual can model their own behaviour. The variations that Milgram used tell us about resisting obedience that when there were 3 testing the learner (2 confederates) withdrew than obedience rates fell 10% continued to max shock.
  • Research support for the theory of social support as a resistance to conformity.Allen and Levine studied whether the response position of the person providing social support made any difference to a participant resisting the majority.In one condition,the confederate answered first correctly whilst the other 4 confederates gave the wrong answer. The true p was always sat 5th. In the other condition the right confederate answered 4th after all other confederates,support was significantly more effective when the confederate was sat in position 1 social support is a strong exp of resistance to SI.
  • The social support theory can also be praised for having real world application. In 1943,a group of German women took part in the Rosnetrasse protest in Berlin,where the Gestapo were holding 2000 Jewish men. The women stood toe-to-toe with Gestapo agents,who threatened to shoot if they didn't back down. The women demanded their release. Their courage worked and the jews were set free. Therefore,social support has external validity as an explanation of resistance to SI.