Informal groups, such as groups of H iriends, may not have official leaders. However, some members are likely 10 have more influence over the group than others, This was true of Todd and his circ of friends. Todd tended to be the leader ofthe group and to influence the others because of his intelligence and leadership abilities. He influenced his fiends to take a shortcut at the amusement park, fer example, and he influenced Dan not to fight Like Todd, groug leaders often have certain per- sonality traits and social skills that enable them to influence the decisions and behavior of others, For example, leaders tend to be mote self-confident, futgoing, and intelligent than other group members (Gmith & Mackie, 1995), Despite these similarities, Teaders may difler in how they operate. In other swords, they may have different styles of leadership. Leaders may be authositarian, democratic, or laissez-faire ‘Authoritarian Leaders Authoritarian leaders fexert absolute control over all. decisions for the group. They tell otker group members what to do, fl demand that group merabers obey their orders. Military leaders, for example, are usually authori- tarian, They give orders to those of lesser rank and expect their orders to be carried out immediately and without question Democratic Leaders Although military leaders tend to be authoritarian to those below them in the ‘chain of command, they are more democratic when they are planning strategies with other officers Democratic leaders encourage group members t0 express and discuss their ideas and to make their ‘own decisions. Suca leaders may try to build a con- Sensus—that is, (0 encourage unanimous agree- ment on adecision. Alternatively, they may request that group members take a vote and follow the dect- sion ofthe majority Laissez-Faire Leaders The term laissez-faire is French for “to allow to do (as one chooses).” Like democratic leaders, laissez-faire leaders encourage {group members te express and explore their own, ideas. However, lassez-fare leaders tend to take a less active role in the decision-making process. They tend to stané back from the group and allow group members tomove in whatever direction they ‘wish, even if the group seems to be making false starts or poor choizes. 484 cHarreR2 Comparing Leadership Styles No one style ‘of leadership is best for every group or situation. In times of crisis, authoritarian leaders may be more effective because they can make decisions quickly and know that those decisions will be carried out promptly. This is one reason nations often prefer {uthoritaran leaders when the country is baving serious problems. Tn other situations, democratic or laissez-faire leaders may be more effective. Their styles of lead- ership alow group members to express themselves land grow as individuals. This may be important ‘when the group is searching for new ways to solve 2 problem or trying to help group members meet challenges in their lives. PN aces 1. Explain the difference between social facilitation and social loafing 2, List four socal decision schemes 3, Critical Thinking ive an example of 1 group or situation that might benefit from a laissez-faire style of leadership. Explain your chotee a Zz Conformity ‘The least direct social influence on behavior isthe sure to conform, or to modily one$ attitudes And behavior to make them consistent with those of ‘other people. People who conform bring their Behavior into line with that of a group. The group ‘may be a formal organization, such as a school club, oF a loose collection of people, such’ as several friends who always hang out together. Linda, Mare, ‘Todd, and the others in their circle of friends ate an example of such a group. Importance of Groups Being accepted by a group can be important tecause groups help. people satisfy many needs Groups can fulfill an individuals needs for belong: ing, lfection, and atention. Meeting such needs one reason why many tens join clubs at school Sports teams, academic clubs, and other socal organizationsstandards of des, fr example. How might this be an Social norms vary For one group to another, People of diferent ages ond eccupations tend to have ailerent Groups are also important because they offer support to individuals when they ae facing dificult problems. People who are grieving the loss of a for example, may benefit by joining a up. Gee Chapter 19.) Groups may also people accomplish things they could not mmplish on thei own. For instance, workers join together te form a labor union in order to fight for beter working conditions or higher wages, Social Norms Belonging to a group usually means following, or conforming to, the groups social norms. Social norms are the'standards that people share. They serve as guidelines for what people should and should not do or say in a given situation, For exam ple, social norms tell people what to eat, what to swear, and when and where 1o make a joke Social norms canbe explicit or implicit, Explicit norms are spoken or writen rules. Examples include tafe rules and school dress codes. Implicit norms are unspoken, unwriten cules. Examples inchude modes of dress or way ing that are unique oa particular gro implicit norms are unstated, they nonetheless guide people’ words and cctions, Social norms cat be useful or harmfil. They are useful if they help promote the safety and well eing of individuals or groups. Bathing regularly and not talking in a thester during a movie are examples of useful social norms, Social norms are ‘tample f both expt and inp norms? behavior ts and drinking alcohol exces- sively are examples of harmful social norms. harmful when they Smoking cigare promote risky Asch’s Studies of Conformity To what extent will people conform to social norms? Psychologist “Solomon Asch (1955) addressed this question in a serie of well-known experiments. Asch wanted to determine whether people would go along with group opinion even when the group opinion differed from thelt own. Asch asked participants inthe study to look at three ines of varying length and to com pate them with a standard line, as shown in Figure e 486. The participants were asked 10 indicate which of the three lines was the same length as Fach participant wat tested in a group of several other people. However the other group members were really Asch’s assoc ates, who were simply posing as study pariipants. For the first few comparisons, all of Asch’ asso sve the correct answer, However, for many of the remaining comparisons, all of the associates gave the same wrong answer. For example, they ight have sai that line 1 was the same lengih as the standard line When Asch’ associates gave an answer bviously wrong, many study participants to the group opinion and gave the same 485 that wa conforn SOCIAL INTERACTIONsyrong answer. About three fourths of study partici- ‘pants went along wth group opinion at least once, ‘ne third went along with the group a least half the time, and one fourth went along with the group vir- tually all the time. Study participants who con- formed to group opinion later admitted that they knew the answers they gave were incorrect, but they went along withthe group so as not to appear diferent from the others. eis ot tv that mos people TRU eee Ua ie 90 lg wt ve ‘owes’ stues of con PTCCTOM fermi reveted that most SREVISITED® people conform 10 those round them 80 a¢ nt ta appear ferent Why Do People Conform? “Going along with the crowd” is probably a least as ‘comnmon in everyay Tif as it was in Asch’ expert- rents, Most peopl avoid talking, acting, oF dress- ing differently from: other members of the groups to ‘which they belong, Why is conformity so common? ‘Asch’s Conformity Experiment sll ne Lina, Standardtne FIGURE 21.2 In this example ram Asch stuces, line 2s clearly the same ngth as the standard ne 486 curreR2t Several factors may contribute to the tendency to conform to social norms Bond & Smith, 1996; Myers, 1996; Smith & Mackie, 1995) Cultural Influences Some cultures ate collec. tivisti, which means that they place greater empha sis on the group than on its individual members. In many Asian cultures, for example, the person is seen as part ofthe family and society rather than as fn individual, (See Chapter 14.) In such cultures, individuals show a greater tendency to conform to the group, and they may feel extremely uncomfort- ableif they are singled out as dillerent from the oth. cersin the group, Need for Acceptance _ Some people conform to social norms in order to be liked and accepted by thers. This need to conform stems from the belief that people who dress, talk, ot act differently from. ther people stand out from the crowd and thus Craw negative attention 1o themselves. In actuality, however, this is not always true People who depend the most on the acceptance and approval of others tend 10 be those with low Self-esteem and high social anxiety (Singh & ‘Sharma, 1989). They may value being liked more than they value being right. They may also be very sel-conscious about standing out from others, fest- ing that others will ridicule or reject them if they appear elllerent. Other Factors Several other factors contrbute to the tendency 10 conform to social norms. For ‘Sample, the chances of conforming to a group forme crease as the grup grows ih sze—at least tp to about eight members. Farther increases She (past eight members) sem to have litle eet on the tendency to conlorm Individuals are more likely to conform tothe group when all ther members ofthe group ate one Shu at het words and scons” However, ‘re one person cages with theres ofthe TOU thers in the group aso are less key o conform. ‘THINKING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY 1, What is the difference between explicit norms andl implicit norms? 2. What factors influence people to conform 10 social norms? 3, Critical Thinking How did Asch sho that people tend to conform to others?