Resistance to social influence -A-Level Psychology

-refers to the ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority

-it is influenced by both situational and dispositional factors

In Milgram’s study, 35% refused to obey.

Social support:

The presence of people who resist the pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same. These people act as models to show others that resistance to

social influence is possible .E.g in Asch’s research when another participant said an alternative answer to the conformed answer.Asch’s research also showed that if the person starts conforming again,so does the naive participant which shows that effects are not long lasting

Social support can also help people to resist obedience .

Locus of control:

Locus of control refers to a person’s perception of personal control over their own behaviour.It is measured on a scale of high internal to high external.

Internal locus of control-An individual who believes their life is determined by their own decisions and efforts.E.g if you did good in an exam,it is because you worked hard.Take personal responsibility for their actions.High internals actively seek out

information which will help them personally.They are less likely to rely on others.

They are more achievement orientated.

External locus of control-An individual who believes their life is determined by fate,luck and external factors.High Externals are more likely to be influenced by others.They don’t believe they exercise personal control over their lives.

Continuum-There is a continuum with high internal LOC on one end and high external LOC on the other end.People may lie anywhere in this continuum e.g low internal LOC,low external LOC.

Resistance to social influence:

Internal LOC-They can resist pressure from others to conform or obey as they take responsibility for their actions and are more likely to base their decisions off of their own beliefs.They are also seen to be more intelligent so don’t require social approval from others.Their personality traits lead them to have a greater resistance to social influence.

Evaluation:

Twenge et al (2004) performed a meta analysis and found that young Americans increasingly believe that their lives are controlled by outside forces rather than

their own behaviour. Research has found that there has been an increase in the external locus of control between 1960 and 2002 . This correlates with poor school achievement.

Schurz (1985) used a procedure (influenced by Milgram) whereby participants were instructed to apply ultrasound (painful) stimulation to a learner. 56 participants took part and were told that in the 20-step continuum of switches, the highest waves caused skin damage. 80% went to the end but locus of control measures were not predictive of obedience.