• It refers to how individual thoughts, actions and feelings are influenced by social groups. It is a quality that can lead to changes in a person’s actions, attitudes, and feelings as a result of interactions with other people in society.
• Social influence can lead us to do positive things, like helping others or volunteering. But it can also lead us to do negative things, like following fads like drinking or bullying someone.

Individuals Responds To Social Influences In Different Ways

• Compliance: Public agreement without conviction. In other words, believing something else in your mind but saying something else in public. 
  • Example: Your friend made a racist remark which you know is wrong yet you remained silent and didn’t confront your friend.
• Identification: Adopting behavior to mimic someone admired. We try to identify with people that we admire.
  • Example: A young fan drinks a brand endorsed by their favorite athlete.
• Internalization: Aligning with someone due to shared beliefs. 
  • Example: Two friends both express same political views

Types Of Social Influence

• Normative Influence: An individual follows the crowd in order to be liked and accepted. By agreeing on common beliefs, values, attitudes and behavior, an individual increases his chance of acceptance and survival possibilities.
  • Example: Wearing “cool” clothes in college to become part of a group.
• Informational Influence: An individual goes along with the crowd because he thinks that crowd knows more than him. Two types of situations produce informational influence:
  • Ambiguous Situations: when individuals don’t know what to do (confusion)
  • Crisis Situation: when an individual doesn’t have time to think what to do. For eg., during stampede.

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Principles of Social Influence

• Reciprocity: People tend to give back what was received.
  • Example: Reciprocating smiles between individuals.
• Consistency: Generally, people try to be consistent with their previous actions, opinions and assertions.
  • Example: You told all your friends that you would go to gym and now you would do that to save yourself from embarrassment. 
• Social Proof: People often decide what to do by looking at what similar others have done.
  • Example: Seeing a long queue in front of the restaurant would urge you to check that place out assuming that long queue would mean better quality.
• Liking: People are often influenced by those people whom they like.
  • Example: If an influential person in function picks up litter and puts it in dustbins, many people also follow him and do the same.
• Scarcity: Items and opportunities become more desirable when they are less accessible.
  • Example: Coaching institutes often state that seats are limited and one should join a course as quickly as possible. This creates fear in the minds of people.
• Conclusion: Do not come under the influence of anything and just start following whatever is being told to you without pondering over it.

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