A new study by The Ohio State University finds that people overestimate their ability to resist social pressures to comply with immoral or unlawful orders. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for safeguarding personal values in challenging situations.
New research reveals that people vastly overestimate their ability to resist social pressure, posing significant implications for understanding human behavior under authority. According to a study conducted by The Ohio State University, individuals believe they would defy immoral or unlawful orders more readily than others — an assumption that may leave them vulnerable in real-life situations.
Lead author Philip Mazzocco, an associate professor of psychology at Ohio State, stresses the power of social pressures.
“Social pressures are way more powerful and impactful than we give them credit for,” Mazzocco said in a news release. “If you fall under the sway of these pressures, you could end up engaging in behavior inconsistent with your values and morals.”
The study, published in the journal Current Psychology, draws on the historical context of the Milgram experiment, a seminal 1960s study that showed people’s willingness to administer what they thought were painful, and sometimes lethal, electric shocks to others when prompted by an authority figure.
Participants in the Ohio State study were asked to predict their behavior in a similar scenario and were presented with either full or no background on the Milgram findings.
Interestingly, regardless of whether they were informed about the Milgram results, individuals consistently underestimated their own likelihood of complying fully with the authority’s demands.
“Just reading about a situation is not sufficient, as doing so doesn’t really internalize the point that we’re all really susceptible to these pressures,” Mazzocco added.
The new research involved over 400 adults who read first-person accounts of the shock study and were asked to estimate both their own and the average person’s obedience. Their responses illuminated a stark difference in self-perception versus reality, highlighting what is known as the “better-than-average effect.”
Notably, participants estimated they would stop administering shocks much sooner than the average person they envisioned, despite historical data suggesting otherwise.
For instance, on a scale from 1 (least obedient) to 31 (most obedient), most believed they would quit around dial 7, while they thought the average person would continue to about dial 12.
One of the significant predictors of obedience found through personality assessments was conscientiousness — the tendency to follow rules and norms. This trait made individuals more likely to comply with authority in the experimental setup.
“Studies like these are relevant to society because if we all assume we’re so resistant to obedience, we are not going to immunize ourselves against authority figures who want to take advantage of us,” added Mazzocco.
The study offers valuable lessons: awareness and preparation can help individuals navigate social pressures more effectively. Strategies may include avoiding environments where such pressures are intense and developing exit strategies for potentially negative situations. Cultivating a sense of curiosity can also serve as a practical tool to stay true to one’s values, according to Mazzocco.
Source: The Ohio State University