(2027 Exams) Minority Influence & Social Change

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Minority Influence

Minority influence refers to a type of social influence where individuals reject established majority group norms. It is achieved through a process of conversion, where the majority are gradually ‘won over’ to a minority viewpoint.

Conversion

Conversion is the process where the majority gradually adopt a new minority viewpoint or behaviour. This new belief or behaviour becomes accepted both publically and privately.
Conversion is a type of internalisation and happens through informational social influence. This means the minority provide new information and ideas to the majority.
Minority influence takes longer to achieve than majority influence because majority influence is based on compliance.

Cryptomnesia

The process by which minority attitudes, behaviours and beliefs become majority held views is called social cryptomnesia.
The new belief takes form without a conscious understanding of where it came from or the processes involved.
The stages of social cryptomnesia involve the initial conversion of a small number of people.
As more people change their attitude, change quickens. Van Avermaet (1966) called this the snowball effect.

Factors Involved in Minority Influence

Minority influence is brought about through behavioural change. In particular - consistency, commitment and flexibility.

Consistency

For the minority to influence the majority, the minority needs to be consistent (or unchanging) in both their opinions and behaviour. This indicates that the minority are committed.

Commitment

Commitment is seen as stronger if the minority has had to resist social pressure and abuse because of their viewpoint.
Consistency and commitment create doubts in established norms. This leads to people re-examining their own behaviour and beliefs.
Suffering a high financial or emotional pain are good ways of signalling a commitment to something.
Ignaz Semmelweiss, the doctor who first proposed handwashing to stop the spread of germs was ostracised for his views, yet he stuck to them. He died in a mental hospital.

Flexibility

Consistent minorities that are inflexible are not persuasive.
Those who are flexible (moderate, co-operative and reasonable) are seen as more persuasive.

Systematic and superficial processing

If the minority is consistent and committed, there is a greater chance that individuals will engage in systematic processing. This is where the minority viewpoint is carefully considered over time.
A viewpoint that is instantly dismissed without analysis is said to undergo superficial processing.

Style of thinking

The minority can get a majority to consider an issue if they are presented with arguments for and against. This increases the influence of the minority, so thinking style is important.
When the minority can get the majority to discuss and debate an issue, they become more persuasive.

Identification

If the minority can identify with the majority, they can be more persuasive. This can be achieved by appealing to similarities such as gender.
Maas et al. (1982) found that a homosexual minority arguing for homosexual rights were less persuasive at changing the majority heterosexual position than a heterosexual minority.
The heterosexual majority saw the homosexual minority as being different to them and having a personal interest and swaying the majority.