Liberating effects of group pressure.

Abstract

A study of constructive conformity. Experimental studies have generally pointed to the negative effects of group pressure. The present experiment shows that in specifiable circumstances group pressure enables a person to resolve conflicting forces in a direction congruent with his values. In Exp. I Ss are instructed to administer increasingly more severe shocks to a victim. In Exp. II, 2 confederates who defy E's authority are introduced into this situation and effectively free Ss from obedience to E's destructive com-mands. In Exp. Ill, the 2 confederates follow the E's commands blindly, but this does not lead to increased compliance. Some factors contributing to the powerful effect of the disobedient group are described. The author suggests that there is a direction to potential group effects inherent in the structure of a given social field. In laboratory research, the effect of group pressure has most often been studied in its negative aspect; the conspiratorial group is shown to limit, constrain, and distort the individual's responses (Asch, 1951; Blake & Brehm, 19S4; Milgram, 1964). Edifying ef-fects of the group, although acknowledged, have rarely been demonstrated with the clar-ity and force of its destructive potential. Particularly in those areas in which a morally relevant choice is at issue, experimentalists typically examine pressures that diminish the scope of individual action. They have ne-glected effects that enhance the individual's sense of worth, enlarge the possibilities for action, and help the subject resolve conflict-ing feelings in a direction congruent with his ideals and values. Although in everyday life occasions arise when conformity to group pressures is constructive, in the laboratory "thinking and investigation have concentrated almost obsessively on conformity in its most sterile forms [Asch, 1959]. "2 his research was supported by two grants from

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