Minority Influence

Question 1

What is meant by minority influence?

Answer 1

• form of social influence where members of maj group change their beliefs/bhvs due to minoritys influence
• usually leads to internalisation if minority be consistent, show commitment and are flexible in their bhv

Question 2

What is meant by consistency?

Answer 2

• minority repeat the same beliefs to maj, both over time (diachronic synchrony) and between all indvs in minority group (synchronic consistency)
• so that maj then reassess the situation and considers minoritys idea more carefully

Question 3

What is meant by commitment?

Answer 3

• minority must show personal sacrifice e.g. time and dedication e.g. extreme activities to draw attention to their views
• if activities are risky for minority, this shows greater commitment
• so maj may pay even more attention, this is known as the augmentation principle

Question 4

What is meant by flexibility?

Answer 4

• too much consistency can be seen as rigid and may stop maj changing bhvs/beliefs to minoritys
• so there should be a balance between consistency and flexibility
• by minority adapting their pov and accepting reasonable counter arguments

Question 5

How does the minoritys viewpoint become majoritys viewpoint?

Answer 5

• if minority remain consistent, commited and flexible, majority starts to listen and internalise ideas and slowly start to move over to minoritys POV
• this builds momentum as more people move over, this is called the snowball effect
• eventually minoritys viewpoint is now majoritys viewpoint

Question 6

What are the three AO3 PEELS to evaluate minority influence?

Answer 6

RTS consistency - blue slides
Weakness - research lacks mundane realism
RTS flexibility - ski lift