Resistance to social influence

    Cards (6)

    • Resisting conformity: the pressure to conform can be resisted if there are other people present who aren't conforming.
      Resisting obedience: in one of Milgram's variations, obedience fell to 10% when there was a disobedient confederate.
    • [S]: an evaluation of a programme to help pregnant teens resist peer pressure to smoke. Someone who had a mentor was less likely to smoke than someone who didn't.
    • [S]: a study asked groups to produce evidence to run a smear campaign. 88% rebelled - likely because they were in groups.
       
    • Internals: believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them.
      Externals: believe it is mainly a matter of luck or other outside forces.
      People with high internal LOC are more able to resist pressure to conform or obey. As they take personal responsibility for things, they tend to base their decisions on their own beliefs, rather than others. 
    • [S]: evidence supports the link between LOC and resistance to obedience. A repeat of Milgram's study found 37% of internals didn't continue to the highest shock level, whereas 23% of externals didn't continue. Internals showed greater resistance to authority.
    • [L]: over a 40 year time period, studies have found people have become more resistant, but more external. If resistance is linked, we would expect people to become more internal.