We all
belong to a variety of tribes who influence our behavior. Belonging to a tribe began as an anthropological
necessity. People who belonged to a
tribe were more likely to survive. That
hasn't really changed. People may no
longer be worried about being eaten by wild animals, but they still need
back-up when things go wrong.
In
order to maintain their place in a tribe, people will often agree to do and say
things that go against their own beliefs.
In fact, research shows that 2/3 of people will conform in public. (Asch,
1951)
In an
experiment from Brain Games, people
who deliberately gave an incorrect answer to go along with the tribe indicated
that they did so because 1) everyone else did - peer pressure and 2) I
didn't want to be the dumb kid - questioning their own ability to judge when
others disagreed.
You can
check it out here...
So how
do you get people to resist the pull of the tribe? You give them permission to defect. A group called Republican Voters Against
Trump has begun running ads in an attempt to do just that. The ads feature user testimonials from people
who voted for Trump in 2016 and now regret what they have done.
So
they are not really asking people to leave the tribe, but rather they are
pointing out that the wisdom the of tribe has actually shifted. It's an interesting approach.
Time
will tell if it works.
Asch,
S. (1951) Effects of Group Pressure Upon
The Modification And Distortion Of Judgments. Social Psychology. Retrieved
March 20, 2020, from https://www.gwern.net/docs/psychology/1952-asch.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment