Social Influence Theories, a explanation:

Social Influence Theories, a explanation:

Social Influence Theories explain how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by the presence or actions of others. 

Here are the major theories and models:

1. Conformity Theory 

• Core Idea: People tend to conform to group norms to fit in or avoid rejection.
• Famous Study: Asch’s line judgment experiment — participants gave wrong answers to match the group.
• Types:
• Normative conformity: to be liked or accepted.
• Informational conformity: to be correct or well-informed.

 2. Obedience Theory 

• Core Idea: Individuals comply with authority figures, even against their moral judgments.
• Famous Study: Milgram’s shock experiment — participants administered “shocks” to others under authority pressure.

 3. Social Learning Theory 

• Core Idea: People learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, especially role models.
• Key Components: Attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.
• Famous Study: Bobo doll experiment — children imitated aggressive behavior modeled by adults.

 4. Social Identity Theory 

• Core Idea: People define themselves by group membership (e.g., nationality, religion).
• Effects:
• In-group favoritism.
• Out-group discrimination.
• Group-based behavior and cohesion.

5. Minority Influence Theory 

• Core Idea: A consistent, confident minority can influence the majority over time.
• Conditions for Influence:
• Consistency.
• Confidence.
• Not rigid or dogmatic.

 6. Cognitive Dissonance Theory 

• Core Idea: Inconsistency between beliefs and behavior causes discomfort, motivating change.
• Example: If someone believes smoking is bad but smokes, they may change the belief or behavior to reduce dissonance.

7. Elaboration Likelihood Model 

• Core Idea: There are two routes to persuasion:
• Central Route: deep, thoughtful consideration of arguments.
• Peripheral Route: superficial cues (e.g., attractiveness, repetition).

 8. Normative and Informational Social Influence

• Normative Influence: Conforming to be liked or accepted (peer pressure).
• Informational Influence: Conforming to gain accurate information (following experts or majority in ambiguous situations).

 9. Social Facilitation and Inhibition

• Social Facilitation: Performance improves on easy tasks when others are present.
• Social Inhibition: Performance worsens on difficult tasks due to social pressure.

 10. Theory of Planned Behavior 

• Core Idea: Behavior is guided by:
• Attitudes toward the behavior.
• Subjective norms (what others expect).
• Perceived behavioral control.

Shervan K Shahhian