Social Influence - Resistance to Social Influence

Conformity: Social support helps others be able to resist conformity. The pressures to conform, can be reduced if there is someone else who is not conforming. In Asch's variations by Allen and Levine (1971), the presence of a dissenter (non-conforming confederate) reduced conformity from 32% to 17%. The dissenter wore thick-rimmed glasses and vocalised his vision difficulty - the answers did not have to be correct, but the mere fact that someone else was not following the majority, enabled the participant to act freely and follow their own conscience. However, if the non-conforming person began to conform then the naive participant, would also begin to conform. Obedience: Social support can also help people to resist obedience. In one of Milgram's variations, the rate of obedience decreased when the genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate. It dropped from 65% to 10%. The participant did not necessarily have to follow the disobedient confederate who was the role model, but their presence was freed them allowing them to act out of their own conscience.