Social Influence
Social Influence generally looks at how Individual thoughts, actions, and feelings are influenced by social groups. It is a major topic in Social Psychology. The studies related to social influence focus on ways in which behavior is influenced by outside factors, and this influenced behavior could be a behavior of a whole group or a discrete individual. As we grow up, our beliefs, emotions, and behavior are shaped as well as changed with social interaction which happens on day to day basis either directly (family, friends) or indirectly (media). This social interaction thus leads to social influence which is defined as the effect of other people on our attitude. Thus, social influence can be seen as a technique through which attitudes are formed as well as attitudes are changed. Social influence can take place through conformity, compliance, and obedience. Compliance changes in an individual’s behavior which is the result of a direct request made to that individual. For instance – In t...