Lecture Notes: Resistance to Social Influence

Overview

• Discussion on why some individuals resist social pressure to conform or obey.
• Reference to key studies: Ash's conformity study and Milgram's obedience experiment.
• Introduction of the concept of social support and locus of control.

Key Studies

• Ash's Study:
  • 25% of participants resisted conformity in critical trials.
  • Showed significant social pressure but maintained independence.
• Milgram's Experiment:
  • 65% of participants continued to the highest shock level.
  • 35% resisted authority pressure to stop the experiment.

Explanations of Resistance

1. Social Support (Situational Explanation)

• Individuals resist social influence more easily with the presence of social support.
• Conformity:
  • A dissenting individual can break the group's unanimity, offering an alternative group.
• Obedience:
  • Resisting authority becomes easier when others challenge the legitimacy of authority.
• Studies Supporting Social Support:
  • Milgram's variation with confederate teachers lowered obedience rates from 65% to 10%.
  • Ash's unanimity variation dropped conformity from 32% to 5.5% with a dissenting ally.

2. Locus of Control (Dispositional Explanation)

• Internal Locus of Control:
  • Belief in personal control over life events.
  • More likely to resist social pressure due to sense of personal responsibility.
• External Locus of Control:
  • Life events attributed to external factors like luck or fate.
  • Less likely to resist due to lack of personal responsibility.
• Research on Locus of Control:
  • Holland’s study: Internals more likely to resist, but still 63% gave high shocks.
  • Spectre’s research: External locus related to normative social influence, not informational.

Evaluations and Criticisms

• Social support and locus of control are partial explanations.
• Relationship between locus of control and resistance is correlational, not causal.
• Other related factors:
  • Social anxiety
  • Personal morality
  • Social status

Resources for Further Learning

• Mention of the Psyche Boost app and its features.
• Encourage viewing additional materials and tutorials for deeper understanding.

Conclusion

• Understanding resistance to social influence involves both situational and dispositional factors.
• Continued research and exploration in this area can offer more comprehensive insights.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to Patreon supporters for enabling the creation of educational content.
• Special thanks to specific supporters like azy Taylor for their contributions.