Liberating Effects of Group Pressure.

A study of constructive conformity. Experimental studies have generally pointed to the negative effects of group pressure. The present experiment shows that in specifiable circumstances group pressure enables a person to resolve conflicting forces in a direction congruent with his values. In Exp. I Ss are instructed to administer increasingly more severe shocks to a victim. In Exp. II, 2 confederates who defy E's authority are introduced into this situation and effectively free Ss from obedience to E's destructive commands. In Exp. Ill, the 2 confederates follow the E's commands blindly, but this does not lead to increased compliance. Some factors contributing to the powerful effect of the disobedient group are described. The author suggests that there is a direction to potential group effects inherent in the structure of a given social field.