Understanding the Three Types of Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

Social Influence

The effects of the presence or actions of others on the way people think, feel or behave (normally in group situations.

Social influence refers to the ways in which individuals are affected by the presence, actions or attitudes of others. There are three main types of social influence: conformity, compliance, and obedience.

Conformity occurs when an individual modifies their behavior or beliefs to align with those of a group. The Asch conformity experiment is a classic study in this field which showed that people tend to conform to group norms even if those norms are clearly wrong.

Compliance occurs when an individual agrees to a request from another person, even when they may not personally agree with it. Compliance strategies include foot-in-the-door techniques, where small requests are made initially to get the individual to comply with a larger request later.

Obedience occurs when an individual follows the orders or demands of an authority figure. The famous Milgram experiment demonstrated that people are willing to follow orders, even when those orders are unethical or harmful.

Social influence can have both positive and negative effects on individuals and society. On the positive side, social influence can lead to greater social cohesion and cooperation. On the negative side, it can lead to the suppression of individuality and creativity, as well as situations where people blindly follow the orders of authority figures. It is important to be aware of these different types of social influence and to consider the impact they may have in different situations.

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