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Minority Influence
Minority Influence
Origins of Conformity
Social Norms: When faced with uncertainty, people look to others to establish a collective frame of reference.
Norms are even more powerful when they become the focus of our attention. When people feel that the group norms do not describe their personal behavior, they feel alienated and less committed to the group. People will continue to follow a norm even when it is arbitrary.
Majority does not always rule: Some conflicts are never resolved.
Minority Influence?
Galileo responded by publishing more evidence in support of his theories. KEY: Majority made certain assumptions about them based on their behavior.
All things being equal, the majority will always have greater influence simply because of their larger numbers.
This position has been strongly disputed.