Resisting obedience
Moral considerations
Description – If the task involves judgements with a moral dimension, the
cost to a person’s personal ‘honour’ may be higher and they may be less likely
to conform
Hornsey (2003) found that people were less likely to conform to
the majority on topics that had a significant moral aspect (such as
cheating) as opposed to a less important topic. This was the case for
both public and private behaviours.
Kundu and Cummins (2012) In an Asch-style study, participants
made decisions about moral dilemmas either alone or in a group of
confederates (posing as peers). On a majority of trials confederates
gave decisions that contradicted the moral dilemma. The results showed
significant conformity which suggests that even when there is a moral
dilemma the majority can still influence an individual.
Individual differences - Nonconformist personality and control
Description - The extent to which social influence impacts upon individuals
is affected by their personality. Not conforming to a given norm is usually the
result of indifference towards the group norm. Some people are predisposed
to react to majority influence by opposing the norm. Such individuals are said
to have a non-conforming orientation to their personalities. It may also be
that people with a higher need for personal control are more likely to resist
conformity pressures than those who have a lower need. Those individuals
who experience obvious group pressure may feel their personal freedom has
been threatened and not conform.
Nail et al (2000) found that those who resisted majority influence
with independence tend to be unconcerned with social norms or even
unaware of the social norms.
Burger (1992) found that people’s offers of advice or attempts at
influence are seen as threats to the personal freedom of people who
have a high need for personal control.
Social Influence
The Beauchamp College
Resisting obedience
Moral considerations
Description – Kohlberg (a colleague of Milgram’s who studied the
processes of cognitive development) suggested that those who were at a
more advanced stage of moral reasoning would be able to show more
resistance to an experimenter and show higher levels of disobedience
(independent behaviour).
Kohlberg (1969) presented a group of Milgram’s volunteers with a
set of imaginary dilemmas. These dilemmas asked Pts why they
would behave that way in an experiment (not just what they would do).
He found that Pts concerned with general moral principles were more likely to
be independent and resist obeying, whereas those with a lower level of moral
development were more likely to obey the experimenter.
Martin Luther King argued that laws in society or only valid if they
are based on justice and that if a person is committed to justice then
they will be more likely to disobey unjust laws (such as those associated
with apartheid or civil rights in America).
Social Heroism
Description – Zimbardo (2007) argued that most humans obey unjust
figures of authority and there are only a few who disobey. Those who are
independent are social heroes. These heroes are people who are willing to
make sacrifices for the good of others in society. Social heroism involves
putting oneself at risk to pursue an important principle. This may be costly in
that it may lower social status, lead to loss of credibility, arrest, torture or
even death. A key factor that encourages heroic action is stimulation of the
heroic imagination – a state of mind which makes people act heroically when
the time comes. This involves those individuals imagining facing risky social
situations and trying to imagine their actions and the consequences.
Practical applications – This theory can explain social heroes such
as Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 36 years for his resistance to
government policies in South Africa
Another social hero is Michael Bernhardt, a US soldier who refused to obey
orders to shoot unarmed civilians during the My Lai massacre in the Vietnam
war (when nearly 500 people were massacred by the US troops).
Social Influence
The Beauchamp College