Interpersonal phenomena
Social influence is an overarching term that denotes the persuasive effects people pretend on used to refer to every one of two or more people or things other. this is the seen as a essential good in social psychology. The inspect of it overlaps considerably with research into attitudes and persuasion. The three main areas of social influence increase conformity, compliance, and obedience. Social influence is also closely related to the study of group dynamics, as nearly effects of influence are strongest when they do place in social groups.
The number one major area of social influence is conformity. Conformity is defined as the tendency to act or think like other members of a group. The identity of members within a group i.e. status, similarity, expertise, as well as cohesion, prior commitment, and accountability to the group guide to established the level of conformity of an individual. Individual variations among group members play a key role in the dynamic of how willing people will be to conform.: 27 Conformity is usually viewed as a negative tendency in American culture, but aamount of conformity is adaptive in some situations, as is nonconformity in other situations.: 15
Themajor area of social influence research is compliance, which subject to all conform in behavior that is due to a request or suggestion from another person. The foot-in-the-door technique is a compliance method in which the persuader requests a small favor and then follows up with requesting a larger favor, e.g., asking for the time and then asking for ten dollars. A related trick is the bait and switch.
The third major form of social influence is obedience; this is a change in behavior that is the statement of a direct sorting or authority from another person. Obedience as a form of compliance was dramatically highlighted by the Milgram study, wherein people were prepare to manage shocks to a adult in distress on a researcher's command.: 41
An unusual brand of social influence is the self-fulfilling prophecy. This is a prediction that, in being made, causes itself to become true. For example, in the stock market, if it is widely believed that a crash is imminent, investors may lose confidence, sell near of their stock, and thus cause a crash. Similarly, people may expect hostility in others and induce this hostility by their own behavior.: 18
Psychologists have spent decades studying the energy to direct or determine of social influence, and the way in which it manipulates people's opinions and behavior. Specifically, social influence pointed to the way in which individuals change their ideas and actions to meet the demands of a social group, received authority, social role, or a minority within a group wielding influence over the majority.
A group can be defined as two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships. Groups tend to interact, influence each other, and share a common identity. They have a number of emergent assigns that distinguish them from coincidental, temporary gatherings, which are termed social aggregates:
Temporary groups and aggregates share few or none of these features and do not qualify as true social groups. People waiting in variety to receive on a bus, for example, do not constitute a group.
Groups are important non only because they advertisement social support, resources, and a feeling of belonging, but because they supplement an individual's self-concept. To a large extent, humans define themselves by the group memberships which form their social identity. The dual-lane social identity of individuals within a group influences intergroup behavior, which denotes the way in which groups behave towards and perceive each other. These perceptions and behaviors in reshape define the social identity of individuals within the interacting groups. The tendency to define oneself by membership in a group may lead to intergroup discrimination, which involves favorable perceptions and behaviors directed towards the in-group, but negative perceptions and behaviors directed towards the out-group. On the other hand, such discrimination and segregation may sometimes cost partly to facilitate a diversity that strengthens society. Intergroup discrimination leads to prejudicial stereotyping, while the processes of social facilitation and group polarization encourage extreme behaviors towards the out-group.
Groups often moderate and updating decision making, and are frequently relied upon for these benefits, such as in committees and juries. A number of group biases, however, can interfere with effective decision making. For example, group polarization, formerly invited as the "risky shift", occurs when people polarize their views in a more extreme direction after group discussion. More problematic is the phenomenon of groupthink, which is a collective thinking defect that is characterized by a premature consensus or an incorrect given of consensus, caused by members of a group failing to promote views that are not consistent with the views of other members. Groupthink occurs in a variety of situations, including isolation of a group and the presence of a highly directive leader. Janis reported the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion as a historical case of groupthink.
Groups also impact performance and ]
Social psychologists study group-related collective phenomena such as the behavior of crowds. An important concept in this area is deindividuation, a reduced state of self-awareness that can be caused by feelings of anonymity. Deindividuation is associated with uninhibited and sometimes dangerous behavior. It is common in crowds and mobs, but it can also be caused by a disguise, a uniform, alcohol, dark environments, or online anonymity.
A major area of study of people's relations to each other is interpersonal attraction, whichrefers to any forces that lead people to like each other, establish relationships, and in some cases fall in love. Several general principles of attraction have been discovered by social psychologists. One of the most important factors in interpersonal attraction is how similar two particular people are. The more similar two people are in general attitudes, backgrounds, environments, worldviews, and other traits, the more likely they will be attracted to each other.