Types of Social Influence

Why This Matters

Social influence is one of the most heavily tested concepts in Human Behavior in Social Environment because it explains why people do what they do in group settings—and that's the foundation of social work practice. Whether you're assessing family dynamics, understanding peer relationships in adolescence, or analyzing organizational behavior, you need to recognize the mechanisms that push people toward conformity, compliance, or resistance. These concepts connect directly to theories of human development, group dynamics, and intervention strategies.

You're being tested on your ability to distinguish between different types of influence and identify which mechanism is operating in a given scenario. Don't just memorize definitions—know what triggers each type, who holds the power, and whether the change is internal or external. Understanding these distinctions will help you analyze case vignettes and construct strong responses on exams.

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Influence Through Authority and Requests

These forms of influence involve a clear source making a direct demand or request. The key distinction is whether the source holds formal power (obedience) or simply asks directly (compliance).

Obedience

• Following direct commands from an authority figure—this involves a hierarchical relationship where one person has legitimate or perceived power over another
• Milgram's shock experiments demonstrated that ordinary people would administer what they believed were dangerous shocks when instructed by an authority figure
• Ethical conflicts often arise because obedience can override personal moral judgment, making this concept critical for understanding harmful group behaviors

Compliance

• Behavioral change in response to a direct request—unlike obedience, no formal authority is required; the request comes from a peer or equal
• Foot-in-the-door technique starts with a small request to increase likelihood of agreeing to larger ones; door-in-the-face starts large then retreats to the actual request
• Public behavior changes without private acceptance—the person may comply outwardly while internally disagreeing, which distinguishes compliance from true attitude change

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Influence Through Group Norms

These mechanisms operate through the power of the group itself—what "everyone else" is doing or thinking. The pressure may be real or imagined, but the result is alignment with group standards.

Conformity

• Changing behavior or beliefs to match the group—this is the broadest category of social influence and can occur without any direct request or command
• Asch's line experiments showed that people would give obviously wrong answers to match group consensus, demonstrating the power of implicit pressure
• Group size, unanimity, and presence of dissenters all moderate conformity; even one ally significantly reduces conforming behavior

Normative Influence

• Conforming to be accepted or liked by the group—this is conformity driven by social rewards and the fear of rejection
• Public compliance without private acceptance is the hallmark; people go along outwardly but don't actually change their beliefs
• Strongest when social approval is highly valued, such as in new social situations, adolescence, or cultures emphasizing collectivism

Informational Influence

• Conforming because others seem to have better information—this is conformity driven by uncertainty, not social pressure
• Private acceptance typically occurs because the person genuinely believes the group is correct, not just going along to fit in
• Most powerful in ambiguous situations where there's no clear right answer and people look to others as a source of knowledge

Peer Pressure

• Group influence specifically from one's peer network—a subset of normative influence that emphasizes the social context of similar-status individuals
• Can produce positive or negative outcomes—peers can encourage healthy behaviors (exercise, studying) or risky ones (substance use, delinquency)
• Peaks during adolescence due to heightened sensitivity to social acceptance and identity formation during this developmental stage

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Influence on Performance in Groups

Being around others doesn't just change what we believe—it changes how well we perform. These two phenomena represent opposite effects of group presence on individual effort and output.

Social Facilitation

• Improved performance on tasks when others are present—the mere presence of observers increases physiological arousal
• Works for simple or well-practiced tasks where increased arousal enhances focus; for complex or new tasks, the same arousal can impair performance
• Explains why athletes perform better in front of crowds but students may struggle on difficult exams in large testing rooms

Social Loafing

• Reduced individual effort when working in groups—people slack off when their personal contribution isn't identifiable
• Increases with group size because individual accountability decreases; diffusion of responsibility is the underlying mechanism
• Can be mitigated by making individual contributions visible, assigning specific roles, or increasing task meaningfulness

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Influence Through Communication and Group Dynamics

These forms of influence operate through active communication processes—either deliberate attempts to change minds (persuasion) or dysfunctional group processes that suppress critical thinking (groupthink).

Persuasion

• Actively changing beliefs or behaviors through communication—unlike conformity, persuasion involves intentional, strategic messaging
• Elaboration Likelihood Model distinguishes central route (logical arguments for engaged audiences) from peripheral route (emotional appeals, source credibility for less engaged audiences)
• Effectiveness depends on source credibility, message quality, and audience motivation—understanding these factors is essential for intervention planning in social work

Groupthink

• Flawed decision-making caused by pressure for group harmony—members self-censor dissent and prioritize consensus over critical analysis
• Warning signs include illusion of invulnerability, stereotyping of outsiders, and pressure on dissenters to conform
• Results in poor outcomes such as failure to consider alternatives, ignoring risks, and lack of contingency planning—historically linked to policy disasters

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. A teenager starts vaping because all their friends do, even though they privately think it's unhealthy. Which type of influence is operating—normative or informational? How do you know?

2. Compare obedience and compliance: What is the key structural difference between them, and how would you distinguish between them in a case vignette?

3. An employee performs better when their supervisor watches them work, but contributes less during anonymous group brainstorming sessions. Which two concepts explain these opposite behaviors?

4. A social worker notices that a treatment team consistently agrees with the supervisor's recommendations without discussion, and members who raise concerns are subtly dismissed. What phenomenon might be occurring, and what are two warning signs you'd look for?

5. If an FRQ asks you to explain why someone might publicly agree with a group but privately hold different beliefs, which two types of social influence would you discuss, and how would you contrast them?