User:Ayen!no/Compliance (psychology)

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Compliance is a response—specifically, a submission—made in reaction to a request. The request may be explicit (e.g., foot-in-the-door technique) or implicit (e.g., advertising). The target may or may not recognize that they are being urged to act in a particular way.

Compliance psychology is the study of the process where individuals comply to social influence, typically in response to requests and pressures brought on by others. It encompasses a variety of theories, mechanisms, and applications in a wide range of contexts (e.g. personal and professional). Compliance psychology is essential to understand across many different fields. Some of various fields include healthcare, where patients adherence to medical advice is necessary, furthermore, marketing where consumer behavior is prioritized strategies can be developed. (added this new paragraph)

The following techniques have been proven to effectively induce compliance from another party.

Foot-in-the-door

Main article: Foot-in-the-door technique

In utilizing this technique, the subject is asked to perform a small request—a favor that typically requires minimal involvement. After this, a larger request is presented. According to "successive approximations", because the subject complied with initial requests, they are more likely to feel obligated to fulfill additional favors.

Door-in-the-face

Main article: Door-in-the-face technique

This technique begins with an initial grand request. This request is expected to be turned down; thus, it is followed by a second, more reasonable request. This technique is decidedly more effective than foot-in-the-door since foot-in-the-door utilizes a gradual escalation of requests.

Low-ball

Main article: Low-ball

Frequently employed by car salesmen, low-balling gains compliance by offering the subject something at a lower price only to increase the price at the last moment. The buyer is more likely to comply with this price change since they feel like a mental agreement to a contract has occurred.

Ingratiation

Main article: Ingratiation

This attempt to obtain compliance involves gaining someone's approval so they will be more likely to appease your demands. Edward E. Jones discusses three forms of ingratiation:

1. flattery
2. opinion conformity and
3. self-presentation (presenting one's own attributes in a manner that appeals to the target)

Norm of reciprocity

Main article: Norm of reciprocity

This technique explains that due to the injunctive social norm that people will return a favor when one is granted to them; compliance is more likely to occur when the requestor has previously complied with one of the subject's requests.

Personality Psychology and Compliance

In the study of personality psychology, certain personality disorders are characterized by traits that make individuals more prone to manipulating or coercing others into compliance:

• Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): Individuals tend to display a glibness and grandiose sense of self-worth. Due to their shallow affect and lack of remorse or empathy, they are well suited to con and/or manipulate others into complying with their wishes.
• Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD): Those with HPD often crave to be the center of attention.The need for validation can lead them to form relationships to gain attention and influence others. However, they discard relationships once they no longer serve purpose.
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): People with NPD have inflated self-importance, hypersensitivity to criticism and a sense of entitlement that compels them to persuade others to comply with their requests. (added this section)

Social Psychology and Compliance

In social psychology, compliance is viewed as a form of social influence. A process in which individuals adjust their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs to reach goals and attain social or personal gains. Unlike personality psychology that concentrates on an individual's personality or characteristics (that may drive their actions), social psychology takes a broader perspective and examines how social context, group dynamics, and situational factors shape an individual's willingness to comply. Their gaining of or submission to compliance is frequently influenced by construals—i.e. an individual's interpretation of their social environment and interactions.

• Construals and Interpretation: A person's construal, or interpretation of the social situation, affects whether they perceive the request in desirable outcome. In some cases they perceive it as a reasonable request in others it can be perceived as manipulative. These perceptions shape the willingness to comply.
• Situational Factors: External circumstances such as presence of authority figure or perceived consequences. So, factors like power and authority also play a key role in driving compliance.
• Group Dynamic: People are more likely to comply when they observe others doing so as well. When group pressure is present then others are more likely succumb to conforming. (added this section)

Evolving Theories of Compliance

The study of compliance is often recognized for the overt demonstrations of dramatic experiments such as the Stanford prison experiment and the Stanley Milgram shock experiments. These experiments serve as a display of the psychological phenomena of compliance. In those instances, compliance frequently occurred in response to overt social forces. These types of studies have provided useful insight into the nature of compliance. However, today's researchers are inclined to concentrate their efforts on subtle, indirect and/or unconscious social influences.

Stanford Prison Experiment

Those involved in this modern social-cognitive movement are attempting to discover the ways in which subjects' implicit and explicit beliefs, opinions, and goals affect information processing and decision making in settings where influential forces are present. The social-cognitive movement puts emphasis on the importance of grasping cognitive processes to understand compliance. Researchers within the field study implicit and explicit beliefs and goals influence. In particularly, how they influence the individuals' decisions in social context. Furthermore, it redevelops tradition notions regarding social influence.

Social Impact Theory

Bibb Latané originally proposed the social impact theory that consists of three principles and provides wide-ranging rules that govern these individual processes. The general theory suggests we think of social impact as the result of social forces operating in a social structure (Latané). The theory's driving principles can make directional predictions regarding the effects of strength, immediacy, and number on compliance. However, the principles are not capable of specifying precision on future outcomes.

Strength

The stronger and more important a group is to an individual—the more likely that individual is to comply with social influence. Strength refers to hierarchy, status, position of authority, and age in relation to social influence.

Immediacy

Immediacy refers to the closeness of the group to the individual at the time of an influence attempt. Immediacy includes proximity, distance, and buffers in regard to social influence. The proximity of the group makes an individual more likely to conform and comply with the group's pressures. These pressures are strongest when the group is closer to the individual and composed of people the individual cares about (e.g., friends, family) and/or authority figures.

Number

Number refers to the amount of individuals in the group. Number pertains to the sources and the targets involving social influence. Research has found that compliance increases as the number of people in the group increases. However, once the group gets larger, containing 4 or 5 people, compliance is less likely to occur. After this point, each additional person has less of an influence. However, adding more members to a small group of about 3 people has a greater effect on influence (Aronson).

References

Roy, S. (2021). Theory of Social Proof and Legal Compliance: A Socio-Cognitive Explanation for Regulatory (Non) Compliance. German Law Journal, 22(2), 238–255. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2021.5

The Oxford Handbook of Social Influence. (2017). Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AvUtDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA107&dq=compliance+and+psychology&ots=4R8JcsRtVV&sig=DJWUGRp5YrrQS842ecbird3pvMo#v=onepage&q=compliance%20and%20psychology&f=false

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