Discuss Explanations of Independent Behaviour with Reference to Relevant Research Studies

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Discuss explanations of independent behaviour with reference to relevant research studies. Independent behaviour refers to behaviour that is not altered despite pressures to conform or obey. It also discusses the resistance to pressures to conform and to obey authority figures. Numerous factors are involved in the resistance to conformity and obedience, and explanation of too why such resistance occurs. Some of these relate to our individual differences whilst others relate to the situational factors we encounter. Individual differences are important personal factors such as gender, personality or culture that differentiate people. Individual differences between people may affect how they respond to situations where social influence is applied. Dispositional factors are individual differences including gender, age, ethnicity, self-esteem, personality, confidence and Locus of Control. The concept of Locus of control which was made by Rotter in 1966 refers to individual differences in people’s beliefs and expectations about what controls events in their lives. There are two extremes: internal locus which is the belief that what happens is largely under one’s own control (associated with the belief that one can control much of one’s life and succeed in stressful or difficult situations). The other extreme is external locus which is the belief that what happens to one is controlled by external factors such as luck and fate (associated with the tendency to face stressful situations with a more passive and fatalistic attitude). There are a few studies that have looked at the relationship between locus of control and independent versus obedient behaviour. Holland in 1967 investigated this relationship when he ran various variations of Milgram’s procedure. He found no relationship between scores on Rotter’s Internal-External locus of Control scale and levels of
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