Social influences

• Social Influence Theory


  A framework to understand how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the people around them (Kelman, 1958)
• Main processes of social influence

  • Compliance
  • Identification
  • Internalisation
• Social influence


  The process by which an individual’s attitudes, beliefs or behavior are modified by the real or implied presence and/or actions of others
• Compliance


  The first and “weakest” form of social influence where a person agrees in public but privately disagrees
• Compliance


  • Temporary change of external views
  • Superficial influence
  • Perceived rewards or punishments
• Identification


  When an individual accepts influence to establish or maintain a desired relationship with a person or group they admire
• Identification


  • Change of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours out of admiration
  • Influence disappears if the relationship is not beneficial
• Internalisation


  When an individual adopts influence because they believe it is intrinsically rewarding
• Internalisation


  • Change coincides with value system
  • Change is considered useful
  • Change fulfills a need
• Kelman’s framework allows researchers and practitioners to better understand social influence
• Kelman's theory has been applied to a wide range of contexts, including political and social issues
• Workplace setting


  • Compliance: An employee follows a dress code
  • Identification: A new hire adopts work habits of a senior employee
  • Internalisation: An employee internalizes the company's values
• Obedience


  A type of social influence where an individual changes behavior in response to a direct order by an authority figure
• Obedience


  • Occurs on a hierarchical level
  • Avoidance of punishment
  • Trust in authority figure
• Factors affecting conformity


  • Normative influence
  • Informational influence
  • Culture
  • Group size
  • Unanimity
  • Deindividuation
  • Social loafing
• Milgram’s study on obedience was pivotal in driving later psychological studies on obedience
• Milgram's study


  • Standardised procedure
  • Ethical issues
• Milgram used a standardised procedure which meant it could be easily replicated by others
• His experiments are also remembered for their ethical issues, which contributed to changes in regulation for experiments performed today
• Ethical issues - Milgram Study

  • Participants did not give informed consent
  • Deception
  • Violation of withdrawal rights
  • Psychological harm
• Participants did not give informed consent as the true purpose of the study was not disclosed to them
• This also ties in with the ethical principle of deception
• Participants who did not want to continue the study were told to continue - this is in violation of withdrawal rights
• Participants were also experiencing highly stressful and traumatic symptoms which goes against the principle of ensuring there is no psychological harm
• Syllabus Points


  • Social influences
  • Conformity
• Conformity


  A type of social influence defined as a change in belief or behavior in response to real or imagined social pressure
• Factors affecting conformity


  • Normative influence
  • Informational influence
  • Culture
  • Group size
  • Unanimity
  • Deindividuation
  • Social loafing
• Normative influence occurs when individuals conform out of a desire to be accepted, and to not stand out
• Individuals do not necessarily share the same beliefs, but will act in a potentially opposing manner in order to fit in
• Informational influence is when people conform because they would like to be correct
• Individuals will act in a way that allows them to gain desired knowledge held by a particular group
• Being a part of either an individualist or collectivist social structure can influence whether individuals are more or less likely to conform to group norms
• People of individualistic cultures are less likely to conform to group norms as compared to those from collectivist cultures
• The rate of conformity is said to increase as the group size increases
• Research has found that groups of 3-5 members have the highest levels of conformity
• Any group size over 5 people is said to have limited impact to the degree of conformity
• When all members of the group are unanimous, it is most likely that an individual will conform
• Deindividuation


  The process where people have reduced self-awareness and feel less inhibited in group situations
• An individual feels less self-awareness as they shift toward acting as a part of a group rather than as an individual
• Individuals feel more anonymous and less self-conscious, and do not consider the consequences and feel less responsibility for their behaviour