Resisting social influence: locus of control

Personality can also play a role in people's ability to resist conformity or obedience. Rotter (1966) proposed the concept of locus of control, which refers to the extent to which individuals believe they have control over their lives.

Those with an internal locus of control believe that their life outcomes are primarily a result of their own actions and decisions, making them more independent and less susceptible to conformity or obedience. In contrast, individuals with an external locus of control believe that external factors control their lives, and therefore are more likely to give in to pressure to conform or obey, and less likely to display independent behaviour.

EVALUATING LOCUS OF CONTROL

RESEARCH SUPPORT (CONFORMITY): There is evidence supporting the notion that individuals with an internal locus of control are less likely to conform, especially in situations where conformity is driven by the need for social acceptance. Spector (1983) conducted a study using Rotter's locus of control scale to investigate the relationship between locus of control and conformity. The results of the study, which involved 157 students, revealed that individuals with a high internal locus of control were less likely to conform than those with a high external locus of control when facing normative social influence. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in cases of informational social influence, where individuals conform to be accurate. These findings suggest that the desire for social acceptance through normative social influence is more potent than the desire for accuracy through informational social influence, in relation to locus of control.

RESEARCH SUPPORT (OBEDIENCE): The notion that individuals with an internal locus of control are more resistant to the pressure to obey is supported by research. Oliner and Oliner (1998) conducted interviews with non-Jewish survivors of WWII and compared those who had protected Jewish people from the Nazis by resisting orders with those who had not. The study found that the 406 "rescuers" who had refused to obey orders were more likely to have a high internal locus of control, compared to the 126 individuals who had simply followed orders. However, it should be noted that while these findings seem to support the idea that high internal locus of control is associated with greater resistance to obedience, it is difficult to conclude that locus of control is the only factor that influenced individuals to follow orders during WWII.

CONTRADICTORY EVIDENCE: However, there is contradictory evidence regarding the link between locus of control and resistance to social influence. Twenge, Zhang, and Im (2004) conducted a meta-analysis of studies spanning over four decades and found that people have become more external in their locus of control over time. This finding challenges Rotter's original suggestion that internal locus of control is associated with higher resistance to social influence. However, Twenge et al. also found that people have become more resistant to obedience over time, which is consistent with the idea that resistance to social influence may be influenced by factors other than locus of control.