Social Influence in Relationships

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Social Influence in Relationships

• Chapter 6

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Power of the Situation

• Stanford Prison Experiment
• (Zimbardo, 1972)
• Two-week experiment
• Sample healthy, white, middle-class, college
  age
• Randomly assigned to be prisoner or guard
• Uniforms
• Rules (no physical punishment allowed)
• Prisoners were shaken, guards were cruel

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Conformity

• A voluntary change in a belief or behavior with
  the intent to follow a perceived social norm
• A social norm is a rule, often unwritten, that
  members of a group are expected to know and abide
  by.
• Failure to abide by a norm results in sanctions,
  such as ridicule, punishment or ostracism.
• When we conform to avoid these sanctions, we call
  it normative social influence.

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Conformity

• Informational Social Influence
• Helps us make the right decision in a situation
  where we are not sure what to do.
• Can also be a factor in following a group in a
  wrong decision.

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Situational Conditions Influencing Conformity

• Task or situational ambiguity. (Dont know or
  understand what do to.)
• Group size (up to about 5 people)
• Culture and the value placed on group well-being
• Value of the group to the person
• Value placed on conformity itself

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Compliance

• Agreeing to a specific request
• Motivation does not come from within us
• Six principles underlie most compliance
  (Cialdini, 2001)

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Principles of Compliance - 1

• principle of reciprocity
• I owe you something.
• Examples of obligating people free samples,
  free trips, etc.
• Moochers violate this rule.
• Door-in-the-face (common sales tactic)
• Do you avoid asking favors you cannot repay?
  Simply refuse.
• Honest reciprocation builds relationships.

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Principles of Compliance - 2

• Principle of Commitment more likely to agree to
  something if we have already made a smaller
  commitment to it.
• People prefer stability and consistency.
• Foot-in-the-door technique (sign in the yard)
• Incremental processes addiction, seduction,
  etc.

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Principles of Compliance - 2

• Principle of Commitment
• Low ball technique
• Making a public announcement
• Remember cognitive dissonance

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Principles of Compliance

• How to avoid being trapped by the principle of
  commitment
• Listen to your internal signals. (Take an
  internal time-out.)
• Ask yourself, if I had this to do over again, and
  known at the beginning what I know now, would I
  be doing this?
• Be assertive.

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Principles of Compliance - 3

• Principle of Social Proof or Consensus
• We are more likely to agree if we think that
  others have done so.
• Like peer pressure
• We are more likely to agree if we are unsure of
  what to do or if we are similar to those who have
  already complied.
• Lulled into an unthinking response.

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Principles of Compliance - 4

• Principle of Liking
• More likely to go along with someone that we see
  as a likeable person
• Tupperware party
• Children selling things
• Salesmen asking for a list of friends.
• What increases liking?
• Similarity
• Physical attractiveness
• Familiarity
• Flattery

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Principles of Compliance - 4

• Principle of Authority
• More likely to agree to something when an
  authority figure makes the request.
• Authorities include experts (doctor recommended)

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Principles of Compliance - 5

• Principle of Scarcity
• Those things that are available only for a
  limited time or in a limited quantity are more
  attractive.
• Theory of psychological reactance
• When freedom of choice is threatened, we exert
  extra effort to hang on to it.