When people look to others for how do you behave in ambiguous situations this is an example of what kind of influence?

Social Influence generally looks at how Individual thoughts, actions, and feelings are influenced by social groups. It is a major topic in Social Psychology. The studies related to social influence focus on ways in which behavior is influenced by outside factors, and this influenced behavior could be a behavior of a whole group or a discrete individual. As we grow up, our beliefs, emotions, and behavior are shaped as well as changed with social interaction which happens on day to day basis either directly (family, friends) or indirectly (media). This social interaction thus leads to social influence which is defined as the effect of other people on our attitude. Thus, social influence can be seen as a technique through which attitudes are formed as well as attitudes are changed. Social influence can take place through conformity, compliance, and obedience.

Compliance changes in an individual’s behavior which is the result of a direct request made to that individual. For instance – In the workplace, a person sees discrimination against women employees, he has a positive attitude towards women but still, he does not oppose this discrimination. There is deep-rooted discontent but because of the social setting, this discontent is not expressed. This can be seen as an example of compliance and compliance over an extended period can change the attitude of a person towards women.

Obedience refers to change in behavior due to the rules and order given by authoritative figures. Example –An empathetic civil servant who has been ordered to demolish a slum may feel that doing so is morally incorrect but he still follows the order. Following such order repeatedly can make him apathetic towards the needs of weaker section.

Conformity is defined as the change in beliefs, opinions, and behaviors as a result of our own perceptions about what other people believe or do. The person changes his/her behavior because of the “pressure” from society but this pressure can be real or imagined/self-perceived. For example-When a person moves from village to city, he may change his dressing style to conform with the urban dressing sense.

“What other people are doing in peer groups is a powerful influence.”

Social Influence refers to how one can be influenced or affected by others. Generally, two types of influences can be seen:

1. Normative Influence: It is related to the act of going along with the crowd in an effort to be liked and to be accepted. For example- A person can treat women at the workplace as equal colleagues due to norms at the workplace but in-home he may have a different attitude towards his wife or sister where the patriarchal and regressive attitude is reflected in his actions.

2. Informational Influence: When we go along with the crowd because we think the crowd knows more than we do, especially in ambiguous situations-when we do not have a clear idea of what to do, and in the crisis situation- when people do not have time to think what to do?

There are certain characteristics of social situations which determine the effectiveness of social influence. These characteristics include-

The Importance of the Task- The more important the task or decision to be made, the greater is the chance of the decision being influenced by the social perception of the individual.

The Size of the Majority- In terms of informational influence, if more people express an opinion, their opinions seem more valid. Larger majorities will also produce more normative influence because being different will be harder when the majority is bigger.

The Unanimity of the Majority- Effectiveness of social influence is reduced when there is any inconsistency among the members of the majority group. Even when inconsistency is based on wrong information or beliefs of a small number of people, the presence of inconsistency itself is enough to reduce the credibility of the group.

Social Power- Social power can be defined as the ability of a person/group to change the attitude of an individual through influence, even when the people being influenced may attempt to resist those changes. For example- parents’ power over the children, celebrities’ power over their followers.

Gender Differences- Generally, men are more concerned about social appearances and autonomy and they may be able to demonstrate this by acting independently from the opinions of others, thus they do not conform to social influence. On the other hand, women are generally more concerned with connecting with others and maintaining group harmony. Thus, women are more likely to conform because they are socialized to be more caring about the desires of others.

Personality Differences- Individuals who have lower self-esteem are more likely to conform in comparison with those who have higher self-esteem. This makes sense because self-esteem rises when the person knows that they are being accepted by others and people with lower self-esteem have a greater need for social validation.

What is an example of social influence?

What is an example of informational influence?

What is an example of conformity?

What are the 3 types of conformity?