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What is Social Influence?
What is Social Influence?
Social influence is the study of how other people affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It is one of the most important topics in social psychology because humans are fundamentally social beings — our behaviour is constantly shaped by the presence, actions, and expectations of others.
Types of Social Influence
Social influence can take several forms:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Conformity | Changing behaviour or beliefs to match those of a group | Wearing the same fashion as your friends |
| Obedience | Following the orders or commands of an authority figure | A soldier following orders from an officer |
| Compliance | Going along with a request (without necessarily agreeing privately) | Donating to charity when asked directly |
| Prosocial behaviour | Helping others, often influenced by social context | Stopping to help someone who has fallen |
| Anti-social behaviour | Harmful behaviour influenced by social situations | Aggression in a crowd |
Why Do People Conform?
There are two main reasons why people conform to the behaviour of a group:
Normative Social Influence (NSI)
Normative social influence occurs when a person conforms because they want to be accepted and liked by the group. They go along with the group to avoid rejection or social disapproval, even if they privately disagree.
- Driven by the need to belong
- Results in compliance — public behaviour changes but private beliefs stay the same
- Example: Laughing at a joke you do not find funny because everyone else is laughing
Informational Social Influence (ISI)
Informational social influence occurs when a person conforms because they believe the group has better knowledge or information than they do. The person genuinely accepts the group's view as correct.
- Driven by the need to be right
- Results in internalisation — both public behaviour AND private beliefs change
- Most likely in ambiguous or unfamiliar situations
- Example: Looking at what others are doing when you are unsure how to behave in a new situation
Types of Conformity
Kelman (1958) identified three levels of conformity:
| Type | Description | Duration | Public/Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance | Going along with the group publicly but privately disagreeing | Temporary — stops when group pressure is removed | Public only |
| Identification | Conforming because you identify with the group and want to be part of it | Lasts as long as group membership continues | Both public and private (while in the group) |
| Internalisation | Genuinely accepting the group's views as your own — the deepest level of conformity | Permanent — persists even when the group is no longer present | Both public and private |
Why Study Social Influence?
Understanding social influence helps explain:
- Why people sometimes do things they would not normally do (e.g. obey harmful orders)
- How advertising and propaganda work
- Why peer pressure is so powerful, especially among adolescents
- How social norms develop and are maintained
- Why bystanders sometimes fail to help in emergencies
Key Points
- Social influence is how others affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
- Conformity can be driven by normative social influence (desire to fit in) or informational social influence (desire to be correct).
- Kelman identified three types of conformity: compliance, identification, and internalisation.
- Social influence is relevant to everyday life, advertising, peer pressure, and the justice system.