minority influence

• Minority influence 


  A form of social influence in which a minority of people (sometimes just one person) persuades others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes or behaviours. Leads to internalisation or conversion, in which private attitudes are changed as well as public behaviours.
• Consistency 


  Minority influence is most effective if the minority keeps the same beliefs, both over time and between all the individuals that form the minority. Consistency is effective because it draws attention to the minority.
• Commitment 


  Minority influence is more powerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position, for example, by making personal sacrifices. This is effective because it shows the minority is not acting out of self-interest.
• Flexibility 


  Relentless consistency could be counter-productive if it is seen by the majority as unbending and unreasonable. Therefore minority influence is more effective if the minority show flexibility by accepting the possibility of compromise
• Internalisation: minority influence private as well as public view is changed
• Consistency: minority members share the same belief and retain over time
• Commitment: Gains attention. E.g. through extreme activities (augmentation principle)
• Flexibility: Avoid rigidity, accept reasonable counterarguments, balance with consistency
• Explaining the process: minority over time gradually becomes majority
• • Minority influence refers to situations where one person or a small group of people (i.e. a minority) influences the beliefs and behaviour of other people
  • This is distinct from conformity where the majority is doing the influencing (is sometimes called majority influence)
• Minority influence is most likely to lead to internalisation - both public behaviour and private beliefs are changed by the process
• What is the augmentation principle in relation to commitment ?


  It is important that the extreme activities present risk to the minority because this shows greater commitment, majority group will pay more attention
• Snowball effect:

  • The process of conversion from a majority position to a minority position
  • The more this happens, the faster the rate of conversion
  • Gradually the minority view becomes the majority and change has occured
• there must be a balance between consistency and flexibility in order to seem reasonable and open minded as well as having a clear and stable opinion
• synchronic consistency - they're all saying the same thing and/or consistency over time
• diachronic consistency - they've been saying the same thing for some time now
• • If you hear something new, then you might think more deeply about it, especially if the source of this other view is consistent, committed and flexible
  • It is this deeper processing which is important in the process of conversion to a different, minority viewpoint