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People tend to comply with or believe the directives and opinions of perceived authority figures — even when those directives conflict with personal judgment or ethics.
authority compliance trust deference influence
Category View
Social
Influence, conformity, authority, and group-driven behavior. This page currently lists 7 models.
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Conformity is the tendency to align beliefs or behavior with group norms, either to fit in socially or because the group is treated as a source of information.
conformity pressure groups norms influence
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Diffusion of responsibility is the tendency for individual action to decrease when multiple people are present, because each person assumes someone else will act.
responsibility bystander groups inaction social
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Groupthink is a failure mode where the desire for harmony and consensus suppresses dissent, critical evaluation, and realistic appraisal inside a decision-making group.
groups consensus conformity decisions pressure
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In-group bias is the tendency to favor people perceived as part of one's own group in trust, evaluation, empathy, and resource allocation.
identity bias groups favoritism belonging
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Reciprocity is the social rule that receiving value, help, or concession creates pressure to return something in kind, making exchange and influence more likely.
reciprocity obligation exchange influence cooperation
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People look to the behavior of others to determine the correct course of action — especially in ambiguous situations. The more people doing something, the more correct it appears.
influence conformity behavior uncertainty persuasion