Social Influence

Abstract

Individual behaviour is rarely an individual response to a context. It is more often a response to social influence directed either through the socialisation processes of childhood or through the social influence of the behaviour of others in that context, that is, the effect of groups, crowds, public opinion, etc. Most of us like to observe the behaviour of others in order to gain cues about the response appropriate to the situation. This can often be seen in voting behaviour at committee meetings, in whether to laugh at a doubtful joke, or to give an opinion about a new book or first-night play. Individual public behaviour (that is, behaviour others will be aware of) is much constrained by social influences.