Handbook of Psychology, Volume 5, Personality and Social Psychology

CHAPTER 16

Social Influence and Group Dynamics

ANDRZEJ NOWAK, ROBIN R. VALLACHER, AND MANDY E. MILLER

383

EXTERNAL CONTROL 384
Bases of Social Power 385
Obedience to Authority 386
Limitations of External Control 387
MANIPULATION 390
Manipulation Through Affinity 390
Manipulation Through Scarcity 392
Manipulation Through Norms 393
SOCIAL COORDINATION 396

Conformity 397

Accountability 401

THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY 403

The Cellular Automata Approach 403

Cellular Automata and Social Processes 404

Social Change and Societal Transitions 407

Implications for Cultural Differences 408

TOWARD COHERENCE IN SOCIAL INFLUENCE 409

REFERENCES 410

The belief that we are the masters of our own destiny surely
ranks among the most fundamental of human conceits. This
overarching self-perception is viewed by many scholars as a
prerequisite to personal adjustment, enabling us to face un-
certainty with conviction and challenges with perseverance
(cf. Alloy & Abramson, 1979; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Kofta,
Weary, & Sedek, 1998; Seligman, 1975; Taylor & Brown,
1988), and as equally central to the maintenance of social
order because of its direct link to the attribution of personal
responsibility (cf. Baumeister, Stillwell, & Heatherton, 1994;
Shaver, 1985). Its adaptive significance notwithstanding, the
sense that one’s actions are autonomous, self-generated, and
largely impervious to external forces is routinely exagger-
ated in daily life (e.g., Langer, 1978; Taylor & Brown, 1988),
and ultimately can be dismissed as philosophically untenable
to the extent that it reflects naive assumptions about personal
freedom (cf. Bargh & Chartrand, 1999; Skinner, 1971).
Social psychologists know better, and in their pursuit of the
true causal underpinnings of behavior, they have routinely

placed the individual at the intersection of various and sundry

social forces. In this view, people represent interdependent

elements that together comprise larger social entities, be they

familial, romantic, or societal in nature. Against this back-

drop, people continually influence and in turn are influenced

by one another in myriad ways. Social influence is the

currency of human interaction, and although its operation

may be subtle and sometimes transparent to the individuals

involved, its effects are pervasive.

In recognition of the primacy of influence in the social

landscape, G. W. Allport (1968) defined the field of social

psychology as “an attempt to understand... how the thought,

feeling, and behavior of the individual are influenced by the

actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.” No other

topic in social psychology can lay claim to such centrality.

After all, no one has defined social psychology as the study of

impression formation or self-concept, nor have researchers

investigating such topics done so without assigning a promi-

nent role to social influence processes. The belief in self-

determination may well be important for personal and

societal function, but the reality of social influence is equally

significant—and for many of the same reasons. Our aim in

this chapter is to outline the fundamental features of social

influence and to illustrate the manifestations of influence in

different contexts. In so doing, we emphasize the various

functions served by social influence, both for the individual

and for society.

Preparation of this chapter was supported in part by Grant SBR-
11657 from the National Science Foundation and Grant 1H01F07310
from the Polish Committee for Scientific Research. The constructive
comments of Irving Weiner and Melvin Lerner on an earlier draft are
greatly appreciated.