SOCIAL INFLUENCE AND GROUP PROCESSES

Group: organised system of 2 or more people who interact and are interdependent, have
common motives, have a set of role relationships among members and have norms that
regulate the behaviour of its members.

Features of groups:

1- Collection of people with common goals & motives: towards a goal, away from
threat
2- 2 or more people: perceive themselves as belonging to the group- each group is
unique
3- Members are interdependent
4- Members interact with each other directly or indirectly
5- Members satisfy needs through joint association: influence each other
6- Set of norms and roles: specific functions for each member, adhere to norms on how
one must behave, expected behaviour etc

CROWD Collection of people present No structure, no sense

at a place/situation by of belongingness, no
chance. interdependence,
people show irrational
behaviour
TEAMS Members have Members are mutually
complementary skills & are accountable, and
committed to a common derive +ve synergy
goal/purpose from coordinated
efforts
AUDIENCE Collection of people This is passive and
assembled for a specific could turn into a mob
purpose
MOB Collection of people with a Homogeneity of
definite sense of purpose. thought & behaviour.
Polaristation in attention and Mobs are impulsive
actions in common direction

GROUPS TEAMS
Performance dependent on Both individual contributions &
contributions of individual members teamwork matter
Leader/head holds responsibility Members hold themselves responsible

Advantages of joining groups:

-we are simultaneously members of different groups
 +different groups satisfy different needs
+could create pressures due to competing demands & expectations
1- Security: groups reduce insecurity
-being with people: sense of comfort/protection
-people feel stronger: less vulnerable to threats
2- Status: recognised group- gives feeling of power and importance
3- Self esteem: feelings of self worth & +ve social identity
-member of prestigious group: enhances self concept
4- Goal achievement: group helps to attain some goals which can’t be attained
alone (power in the majority)
5- Provides knowledge & information: broadens views, helps supplement info
6- Satisfaction of psychological & social needs: like sense of belongingness. Giving &
receiving attention, love & power

Group formation:
-some form of contact & interaction between people is needed
1- Proximity: closeness& repeated interactions with the same people (get to
know their interests, attitudes& background)
2- Similarity: people prefer consistency – consistent relationships (reinforces &
validates opinions& values; feel we’re right)
3- Common motives & goals: groups facilitate goal attainment

Stages of group formation: given by Tuckman

1- Forming: members first meet – there is uncertainity about group & goal and
how it will be achieved).
-they try to get to know each other: there is excitement & apprehension
2- Storming: intragroup conflict- about how the goal is to be achieved, who’s
the leader & who will perform what task (hierarchy of leadership & how to
achieve goal is developed)
3- Norming: develop normas related to group behaviour (development of +ve
group identity)
4- Performing: structure of the group has evolved and is accepted (towards goal
achievement). At times, this is the last stage of group development
5- Adjourning: once the function is over, the group may be disbanded

Notes: - groups do not always proceed in a systematic manner

-stages could even take place simultaneously
-groups can go back& forth between stages or skip a few stages

Group structure: - over time there is regularities in distribution of tasks, responsibilities

assigned to members and status of members
Elements of group structure:

1- Roles: socially defined expectation that individuals in given situations are expected
to fulfil ie. Typical behaviour that depicts a person in a given social context
-role expectations: behaviour expected of someone in a particular role
2- Norms: (unspoken rules) expected standards of behaviour & beliefs established,
agreed upon & enforced by group members
3- Status: relative social position given to group members by others
-ascribed (given due to ones seniority) or achieved (because of expertise or
hardwork)
-member of a group: enjoy status, and want to be members of prestigious groups.
-within groups, different members have different prestige & status
4- Cohesiveness: togetherness, binding or mutual attraction among members
-more cohesiveness: members start thinking, feeling & acting as a social unit (no
isolated individuals). There is an increased desire to remain in the group (we feeling-
sense of belongingness). It is difficult to leave the group or gain membership into it
-extreme cohesiveness leads to group think and is negative.

Types of groups:

PRIMARY GROUP SECONDARY GROUP

Pre-existing formations that are usually Groups which individuals join by choice
given to a person. Person usually remains a
part of it through their lifetime
Includes face-to-face interaction & close Relationships among members are more
physical proximity. Member share warm, impersonal, indirect and less frequent
emotional bonds
Central to person’s functioning; major role in These may or may not be short lived
developing values & ideals
Boundaries are less permeable: cant choose It is easy to leave and join another group
membership, join or leave easily
Egs: family, religion, caste Egs: political party

FORMAL GROUP INFORMAL GROUP

Functions, roles to be performed are Roles of each member not so definite and
explicitly stated specified. Close relationship among
members exist
Formation based on specific rules or laws Formation not based on rules and laws
and members have definite roles. Set of
norms help establish order
Egs: office, university Egs: peer group
INGROUP OUTGROUP
One’s own group- “we” (eg- India) Another group- “they” (eg- Pakistan)
Members in the group: similar, viewed Member of outgroup: viewed differently,
 favourably, have desirable traits negatively in comparison to ingroup
Influence of group on individual behaviour

1- Social Loafing: is the reduction in individual effort when working on a collective task
-individual performing an activity with the others as part of a larger group.
-individuals work less hard in a group than alone
-don’t know how much effort each one is putting in
-presence of others leads to arousal. This motivates individuals to enhance their
performance (only when a person’s efforts are individually evaluated).

Causes: a) members feel less responsible for the overall task and thus exert less effort.
b) performance of the group isn’t compared with other groups
c) motivation decreases as contributions are not individually evaluated
d) no/improper coordination between members
e)belonging to the same group is not important for members (it is only an aggregate of
individuals)

Can be reduced by: a)making efforts of each person identifiable

b) increasing pressure to work hard- make members committed, motivated
c) increase apparent importance and value of task
d) make them feel their individual contribution is important
e)strengthen group cohesiveness: increase motivation for successful group outcome

2- Group Polarisation: groups are likely to take more extreme decisions than
individuals would take alone
-strenghtening of group’s initial position because of group interaction
-dangerous repercussions: groups may take extreme positions (very weak to very
strong decisions)

Causes: a)in the company of like minded people, you’re likely to hear newer arguments
favouring your viewpoints
b)Bandwagon effect: when you find others sharing your viewpoint, you feel your view is
validated by the public c)when people have similar views as you, youre likely to perceive
them as ingroup (start identifying with them, show conformity:views become strengthened)

Conformity, Compliance & Obedience

Social influences: those processes whereby our attitudes and behaviours are influences
by the real or imagined presence of other people.

Kelman- Identification: influence process based on agreement or identity seeking.

-Internalisation: process based on information seeking
–he gave 3 forms of social influence:

1- Conformity: -most indirect form of social influence

 -tendency to follow a norms is natural & spontaneous (norms are unwritten informal
rules: provide information about what is expected from people in a situation. Allows
the group to function smoothly)
-people feel uncomfortable if they’re “different” (could lead to dislike/disapproval or
some form of social punishment)
-following norms is the easiest way to avoid disapproval
-norms reflect the views and beliefs of the majority (feel majority is likely to be right)
- experiments on conformity by Sherif (autokinetic effect) & Asch (asch technique)
(condition determining the extent of conformity: degrees of conformity determined
by situation specific factors)

Determinants of conformity: a)size of group: more conformity when group is small

b) size of minority: larger the minority, lesser the conformity (more is the deviance)
c) nature of the task: more conformity when there are objective questions
d) public/private expression of behaviour: more conformity in public and less
conformity in private expression
e) personality: conforming personality- tendency to change behaviour according to
what others do. (others are independent, don’t look for norms to decide how to
behave in a situation- highly intelligent people are confident)
-conformity occurs because of informational influence(that results from accepting
evidence, not reality. Rational conformity-learn through observing other’s actions) or
normative influence(based on desire to be accepted & admired- conform because
deviation could lead to rejection/ non-acceptance. Majority determines final
decisions but at times if minority is firm & uncompromising it doubts on the
majority’s minds)

2- Compliance: extreme condition forcing the person to accept influence (of a

significant other) and behave in a particular way in response to a request from
another person/group even in the absence of a norm
-can take place without norms

Why do we comply: easier way out of the situation- more polite

Factors used to make others comply:

-foot in the door technique: begin by making small requests that one can’t refuse-
move on to bigger ones- once you comply with the first request, feel uncomfortable
refusing the second one.
-deadline technique: a “last date” is announced- until an offer is available- make
people hurry so they can’t miss the opportunity. (more chances if they buy a product
under a deadline)
 -door in the face technique: begin with a large request & when this is refused move
onto making a smaller request (the one actually required). This is usually granted.

3- Obedience: -response to a person in authority

-direct & explicit form of social influence (someone has requested & you comply)
-if disobeyed, one is likely to get punished from the people in authority. Thus one is
forced to obey. People in authority have effective means for enforcing order
-Milgram’s experiment: even ordinary people are willing to harm innocent people if
ordered by someone in authority

Why do people obey (after knowing the effects): a)feel they are not responsible for
their own actions and that they are simply carrying out orders from an authority
b)authority is powerful and possess symbols of status, and thus difficult to resist
c) authority increases commands from lesser to greated levels (initial obedience
binds followers for commitment and once you obey small orders you start obeying
bigger orders as you feel committed to the authority)
d) events move at such a fast speed that there is no time to think. One just obeys
orders.
Egs: riots

Cooperation & Competition:

COOPERATION COMPETITION
when groups work together to achieve when group members try to maximise
shared goals their own benefits
No individual rewards. Only group they work for self interest and individual
rewards exist reward
Cooperative goals: each attains his/her Competitive goals: each gets his/her goal
goal only if other members attain theirs only if others don’t attain their
There is respect for one another’s ideas& Leads to conflict & disharmony. More
members are more friendly. There is group cohesion & solidarity within ones
more coordination group

Determinants of cooperation & competition: a) reward structure: cooperative

reward structure-promotive interdependence-reward possible only if all contribute.
Competitive reward structure- only one gets the award.
b) interpersonal communication: good interpersonal communication increases
cooperation. (facilitates interaction, discussion, convinces each other & increases
learning about each other)
c) reciprocity: people feel obligated to return the behaviour they get
(initial cooperation leads to increased cooperation & initial competitiveness leads to
competition)
Social identity: aspect of our self concept which is based on our group membership
(tell us about ones position in the larger social contect & helps us located ourselves
in society)
- derived from groups we are a part of.
- includes personal attributes & attributes you share with others
-acquire certain attributes from interaction with others in society
-indentification with social groups is important for self concept
-provides members with a shared set of values, beliefs & goals about ourselves and
others.
-ingroup: group with which you identify yourself (start showing favouritism towards
it. Rate it above outgroup and devaluate outgroup. This is the very basis of
intergroup conflicts)

Intergroup Conflicts:
Conflict: process in which either an individual or a group perceive others as having
opposing interest & both try to contradict each other (‘we’ and ‘they’ feelings are
strong)
-belief that ‘others’ will protect only its own interests
-both try to exert power on one another
-when groups are more aggressive than individuals it leads to escalation of conflict
-costly human price in conflicts

Causes: a) lack of communication or faulty communication- leads to suspicion and

lack of trust
b) relative deprivation: compare oneself to members of the other group
-don’t have what you desire: others have it
-not doing well in comparison to others: deprivation depression
c) belief that one is better than the other: what one partly believes should be done
(if it does not happen- then members accuse one another and small differences are
magnified. This leads to increased conflict)
d) desire for retaliation: for harm done in the past
e) no respect for others norms: feeling that other group does not respect norms of
my group and violates them because of malevolent intent
f) biased perceptions: feelings of ‘they’ and ‘we’
g) people are more aggressive and competitive in groups than on their own (due to
competition over scarce resources)
h) perceived inequity: equity- distribution of rewards in proportion to individual’s
contributions. ie: your rewards = your friends rewards
your contributions your friends contributions
(you feel irritated & exploited if you contribute more and are rewarded less)
-conflicts between groups leads to series of social & cognitive processes.
This hardens the stand of each side (ingroup polarisation).
Coalition of like minded parties increases apprehensions.
Misperceptions & biased interpretations increases conflicts.
Murphy- conflicts begin in the minds of men
 Structural level: increase poverty rates, inequality, limited political &
social opportunity, economic & social stratification
 Group level: social identity, unequal power relations, resources.
 Individual level: beliefs, biased attitudes, personality characteristics
(there is progression along a continuum of violence: butterfly effect)

Consequences: as identified by Deutsch

a) Communication becomes poor between groups (lack of trust-breakdown in
communication leads to suspicion)
b) Groups start magnifying their differences and perceive their behaviour as fair &
others as unfair
c) Each side tires to increase its own power & legitimacy. Thus the conflict shifts
from smaller to larger ones.
d) Once conflict starts, other factors lead to escalation of conflict
(ingroup opinion is hardened, outgroup is threatened & when other parties
choose sides, the conflict is further escalated)

Conflict resolution strategies: knowing their causes is most important

a) Introduction of superordinate goals- superordinate goals reduce conflict & is
mutually beneficial to both sides. Thus both sides work cooperatively
b) Altering perceptions- through persuasion, educational& media appeals, portrayal
of groups differently. Also promoting empathy for others should be taught)
c) Increasing intergroup contacts: by involving groups on neutral grounds through
community projects& events. So they become more appreciative of each others
stand. Also contacts need to be maintained- supported over a period of time to
be successful
d) Redrawing group boundaries: create conditions where boundaries are redefined-
perceive themselves as belonging to a common group
e) Negotiations: reciprocal communication so as to reach an agreement in
situations where there is a conflict.
-conflict can be resolved through negotiations & third party interventions
-groups try finding mutually acceptable solutions. This requires understanding &
trust.
-when negotiation doesn’t work then mediation(both parties reach a voluntary
agreement & focus discussions on relevant issues) or arbitration(3rd party has the
authority to give a decision after hearing both parties) by a 3rd party is used.
f) structural solutions: redistributing societal resources according to principles
based on justice
-principles of justice: equality(allocating equally to everyone), need(allocating on
the basis of one’s need) & equity(allocating on the basis of contribution)
g) respect for other group’s norms: to respect& be sensitive to the strong norms
of various social& ethnic groups, specially in India where many communal riots
have occurred due to insentivity of one religious group towards another.