Social Influence and Group Processes – Class 12 Psychology Chapter 7 Notes & NCERT PDF

Introduction

Chapter 7 of NCERT Class 12 Psychology begins with your everyday life: you interact with family in the morning, teachers and classmates at school, and friends in the evening. In each case you are part of a group that gives support and comfort and helps you grow. The chapter asks what groups are, why people join them, how they form and are structured, what types exist, and how groups influence individual behaviour through social loafing and group polarisation. Choose groups that influence you positively.

Key Concepts

What is a Group?

People watching a cricket match are in one place but are not interdependent and have no defined roles or expectations. Family, class and playgroup show mutual interdependence, roles, status differentials and expectations. The book's definition: a group is an organised system of two or more individuals, who are interacting and interdependent, who have common motives, have a set of role relationships among its members, and have norms that regulate the behaviour of its members.

Salient characteristics: a social unit of two or more individuals who perceive themselves as belonging to it; common motives and goals; interdependence (a dropped catch affects the whole team); members satisfying needs through joint association influence each other; direct or indirect interaction; interactions structured by roles and norms.

Groups versus other collections:

Why Do People Join Groups?

Security (less insecurity and vulnerability), status (pride when your school wins an inter-institutional debate), self-esteem (positive social identity), satisfaction of psychological and social needs (belongingness, attention, love, power), goal achievement (power in the majority) and knowledge and information. Being members of many groups at once can create competing demands.

Group Formation

Conditions that facilitate interaction:

Stages of Group Formation — Tuckman

Tuckman suggested five stages:

Groups do not always move systematically; stages may overlap, repeat or be skipped.

Group Structure

Four elements:

Box 7.1 — Groupthink (Irving Janis): the group's concern for unanimity overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives, leading to irrational, uncritical decisions. Signs: appearance of consensus, no dissent, exaggerated sense of power, ignoring danger cues. Likely in homogeneous, cohesive groups isolated from outsiders. Example: the escalation of the Vietnam War (1964–1967) by President Lyndon Johnson and his advisors, with the loss of 56,000 American and over one million Vietnamese lives. Prevention: reward critical thinking and disagreement, present alternatives, invite outside experts, seek feedback from trusted others.

Types of Groups

Box 7.2 — Minimal Group Paradigm (Tajfel and colleagues): British schoolboys were divided by preference for paintings by Vassily Kandinsky or Paul Klee. Identities were hidden by code numbers, yet when distributing money the boys favoured their own group — even on such a flimsy criterion with no history or future.

Influence of Group on Individual Behaviour

Two situations: performing alone in the presence of others (social facilitation) and performing along with others in a larger group (social loafing).

Social facilitation: presence of others causes arousal and can enhance performance when a person is already good at the task and efforts are individually evaluated.

Social loafing: reduction in individual effort on a collective task where outputs are pooled — tug-of-war is the example; members can become 'free riders'. Latane and associates asked male students to clap or cheer as loudly as possible alone or in groups of two, four and six; total noise rose, but noise per person fell as group size increased.

Group Polarisation

Groups are more likely to take extreme decisions than individuals. Group polarisation is the strengthening of the group's initial position as a result of group interaction and discussion (colleagues deciding the punishment for a bribe-taking employee may let her/him go scot-free or terminate her/him). Using the capital punishment example, it occurs because: (i) like-minded people provide newer arguments for your view; (ii) seeing others agree feels like public validation — a bandwagon effect; (iii) you perceive them as ingroup, identify with them and conform.

Examples & Activities from the Text

Key-Facts Sheet

Board Exam Focus

Review questions cover types of groups, reasons for joining, Tuckman's model, group influence and social loafing.

Answer outline — "How does Tuckman's stage model help you understand group formation?" Groups develop, not instantly formed → five stages with one line each (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning) → note that stages may overlap, repeat or be skipped → apply to a school committee.

Answer outline — "How can social loafing be reduced?" Define social loafing with tug-of-war → Latane's clapping study → reasons → five remedies (identifiable effort, pressure/commitment, task importance, value of individual contribution, cohesiveness) → a school project example.

Answer outline — "Compare primary and secondary groups." Given vs. chosen membership → face-to-face warmth vs. impersonal relations → less vs. more permeable boundaries → examples: family, caste, religion vs. a political party.

Key Terms

Common Mistakes