Resistance to Social Influence - Locus of Control

Rotter’s (1966) Locus of Control

Measured on a scale from internal to external, locus of control refers to a belief system regarding what people consider to be the causes of their experiences and the factors that influence their successes or failures. This perspective influences how people perceive and interact with their environment

Individuals with an internal locus of control believe…

That they do have control over their lives and the outcomes of their actions. They tend to attribute success and failure to their own efforts and abilities. People with strong internal locus of control are more likely to take responsibility for their actions and are generally more proactive in seeking information and making decisions

Individuals with an external locus of control believe…

That external factors, such as fate, luck or powerful others control their lives. They tend to attribute outcomes to outside forces rather than their own actions. People with a strong external locus of control may feel less empowered to encourage change in their lives or resist social pressures

Resistance to conformity…

Individuals with an internal locus of control are more likely to resist conforming to group pressure because they believe in their ability to make independent judgements and decisions. Their sense of personal agency and responsibility encourages them to stand by their opinions, even under social pressure

Resistance to obedience…

Individuals with an internal locus of control are more likely to resist obeying an authority figure due to their sense of independence, self-confidence and personal responsibility for their actions. They are willing to question the orders of an authority figure, ultimately defying commands that conflict with their values or reasoning

AO3 - Holland (1967)

Holland replicated Milgrams study, participants were assessed for internal or external locus of control. 37% of those with an internal LOC refused to continue to the highest shock level, compared to 23% of those with an external LOC. However, while this suggests those with a high internal LOC are more able to resist pressure to obey, 63% (the majority) of those with an internal LOC still obeyed, suggesting LOC is only a partial explanation to resistance to social influence

AO3 - Spector (1983)

157 undergrad participants completed a questionaire measuring locus of control and a questionnaire measuring the tendency to conform to normative and information social influence pressure. There was a statistically significant correlation with external LOC participants being more able to resist normative social influence, however they were just as likely as internals to conform to informational social influence, suggesting both externals and internals look to others for correct information so LOC does influence conformity, but isn’t a complete explanation

AO3 - Avtgis (1998)

Conducted a meta-analysis on nine studies that measured the effect of having an internal and external locus of control on either persuasion (obedience) or conformity. The resulting medium positive correlation coefficient of .39 suggests there is a relationship between having an internal locus of control and being able to resist the pressure to conform or obey

AO3 - Relationship between LOC and resistance is only correlational

There are other related factors that have been suggested as being involved in resistance to social influence, such as level of social anxiety, sense of personal morality, individuals who see an action as morally wrong are more likely to resist regardless of social pressures, and social status, as individuals with higher social status may feel more empowered to resist social pressure

What is resistance to social influence?

The ability of individuals to oppose the pressure to conform to a majority group or obey an authority figure by maintaining personal autonomy and integrity in their thoughts, decisions and actions

Resistance to social influence - Asch (Conformity)

The overall conformity rate across all critical trials was 32%. However, there were significant individual differences

*25% of participants resisted the pressure to conform on every critical trial

Resistance to social influence - Milgram (Obedience)

The overall obedience rate was 65%. However, there were significant individual differences

*35% of participants resisted the pressure to obey by refusing to deliver the full 450v shock