MINORITY INFLUENCE

• MINORITY INFLUENCE


  refers to how one person or small group influences the beliefs and behaviours of other people. 

  The minority may influence just one person, or a group of people (the majority) - this is different from conformity (majority influence) where the majority does the influencing. 
• Internalisation (beliefs changed) 


  Minority influence leads to internalisation - both public behaviour and private beliefs are changed. 

  3 processes - consistency, commitment, flexibility. 
• Consistency (always doing the same thing)

  Minority’s view gains more interest.

  Consistency make others rethink their own views (‘maybe they’ve got a point if they all think this way and they have kept saying it’).

  • Synchronic consistency = people in the minority are all saying the same thing.
  • Diachronic consistency = they’ve been saying the same thing for some time
• Commitment (showing deep involvement)

  Helps gain attention E.G through extreme activities. 

  Activities must create some risk to the minority to demonstrate commitment to the cause. 

  Augmentation principle - majority pay even more attention (‘wow, he must really believe in what he’s saying, so perhaps I ought to consider his view’).
• Flexibility (showing willingness to listen to others) 


  The minority should balance consistency and flexibility so they don’t appear rigid. 

  NEMETH (1985) argued that being consistent and repeating the same arguments and behaviours is seen as rigid and off-putting to the majority.

  Instead, the minority should adapt their point of view and accept reasonable counterarguments. 
• Explaining the process of minority influence

  Individuals think deeply about the minority position because it is new/unfamiliar. 

  Snowball effect - over time, more people become ‘converted’ (like a snowball gathering more snow as it rolls along). There is a switch from the minority to the majority. 

  The ore this happens, the faster the rate of conversion.

  Gradually the minority view becomes the majority and social change has occurred.