Struggling to Apply Resistance to Social Influence? Online Examples That Make It Clear

You know what social support means. You have revised locus of control. But when an exam question asks why someone resisted group pressure, you struggle to connect the theory to the example.

The key is to ask: what helped this person resist?

Did someone else speak up first? That points towards social support. Did the person explain that their own actions influence outcomes? That may suggest an internal locus of control.

This guide takes you through both explanations, using fictional situations, clear comparisons and practice answers.

What is resistance to social influence?

Resistance to social influence means withstanding pressure to conform to other people or obey an authority figure.

For example, a student might disagree with their friendship group or refuse an instruction they believe is inappropriate.

Two explanations you need to understand are:

• Social support: another person’s resistance makes it easier to resist.
• Locus of control: beliefs about what determines outcomes may help explain why some people resist.

Both appear in the AQA A-level Psychology Social Influence specification.

Resistance does not automatically mean someone has made a good decision. Psychologists are explaining why people resist, rather than assuming that disagreeing is always better than agreeing.

Before explaining resistance, identify the pressure

Imagine your revision group agrees that everyone should study until midnight. You would rather stop earlier, but you worry about appearing uncommitted.

If you agree because you want acceptance, this illustrates normative social influence: going along with others to gain approval or avoid rejection.

Now imagine that the group explains why a particular revision technique works. You accept their explanation because you think they know more than you.

This illustrates informational social influence: accepting others’ information because you want to be correct.

Quick distinction: wanting to fit in suggests normative influence; wanting the correct answer suggests informational influence. Both can operate together.

Social support: how does an ally help you resist?

In this topic, social support is more specific than having someone who listens to your problems. It can involve another person challenging the majority or refusing an authority’s instruction.

Their behaviour shows that resistance is possible. You are no longer the only person disagreeing.

Worked example: the homework group

A group of students agrees to share completed homework answers. Maya does not want to share hers, but worries that her friends will exclude her.

Then Oliver says:

“I’ll help explain the questions, but I’m not sharing answers to copy.”

Maya then refuses too.

Why is this social support? Oliver resists first. His disagreement breaks the group’s unanimity, meaning the group no longer presents a completely united position.

This could reduce Maya’s fear of standing alone and make it easier for her to express her disagreement.

How to write the application

Oliver provides social support by openly refusing to share answers. This breaks the group’s unanimity, so Maya is no longer alone in disagreeing. The presence of an ally may reduce the pressure to gain the group’s approval, making it easier for her to resist.

Notice that the answer explains a process. It does more than state that Maya “has support”.

What does Asch’s research tell us?

In Asch’s conformity research, participants judged line lengths after hearing answers from other group members who were working with the researcher.

Variations investigated what happened when the majority was no longer unanimous. Conformity was lower when another person dissented, supporting the importance of a break in the group’s agreement.

Be precise: a dissenter can disrupt unanimity without necessarily giving the correct answer. Providing accurate information and showing that disagreement is possible are not exactly the same thing.

This is why a useful explanation is:

An ally can make resistance easier because the individual no longer faces a unanimous majority.

How can you apply social support to online conversations?

Group pressure can also be explored through fictional online situations. The important question is what people do during the interaction, rather than whether they are communicating through a screen.

For example, imagine adults talking through a global webcam chat community. Several participants agree that someone should reveal personal information. One adult feels uncomfortable, but initially stays silent.

Another participant says:

“You don’t have to share anything you’re uncomfortable sharing.”

The first adult then refuses.

This fictional example illustrates social support because another person challenges the pressure and models resistance. Simply having people available to talk to would not, by itself, demonstrate that explanation.

The linked service is for adults aged 18 and over. This example is a written application exercise, not an activity students need to carry out or evidence about how users of the service behave.

What should you identify in an online scenario?

• The pressure: what is the person being encouraged to do?
• The ally: does another person challenge that pressure?
• The change: does resistance become easier after the ally speaks?

Use those details to explain the behaviour. Do not assume that an online community automatically provides trustworthy advice or support.

Locus of control: what if nobody else speaks up?

Locus of control concerns whether people generally believe outcomes depend on their own actions or on forces outside their control.

It is usually described as a continuum, rather than two completely separate types of person.

Internal locus of control

Someone with a more internal locus of control believes their actions can influence outcomes.

“How I prepare can affect my performance.”

This belief may support resistance because the person feels responsible for their choices rather than simply handing responsibility to the group or authority.

External locus of control

Someone with a more external locus of control places greater emphasis on luck, fate or powerful others when explaining outcomes.

“My result mainly depends on luck, whatever I do.”

This does not mean that they always conform or can never take action. Locus of control is one possible influence on behaviour, alongside the situation.

For more background, explore our guide to Rotter and locus of control.

Worked example: choosing independently

Daniel’s revision group pressures him to accept an answer that he doubts. Nobody supports his disagreement.

Daniel says:

“My preparation affects how I perform. I need to check the evidence and take responsibility for the answer I use.”

This suggests an internal locus of control because Daniel explicitly connects his actions with outcomes.

How to write the application

Daniel’s statement suggests an internal locus of control because he believes his preparation influences his performance. Feeling responsible for his own outcomes may encourage him to check the evidence independently rather than accept the group’s answer.

Important: refusing the group is not enough to establish an internal locus of control. The scenario needs evidence about the person’s beliefs concerning control.

Social support versus locus of control

Question	Social support	Locus of control
What does the explanation focus on?	The presence or behaviour of another person.	Beliefs about what determines outcomes.
What clue should you look for?	An ally challenges the majority or refuses first.	The person links outcomes to personal actions, or to outside forces.
How might it explain resistance?	An ally reduces the pressure of standing alone.	Personal responsibility may encourage independent judgement.
What should you avoid assuming?	That any friendly conversation helps someone resist.	That confidence or disagreement proves an internal locus.

Both explanations can apply to the same person. Someone may believe their own actions matter and also find it easier to resist when an ally speaks up.

Three mistakes that weaken an answer

1. Treating confidence as locus of control

Confidence describes how sure someone feels. Locus of control concerns what they believe determines outcomes.

A confident person may attribute success to luck. A nervous person may still believe their own preparation matters.

2. Describing the scenario without explaining it

“Maya refuses after Oliver refuses” repeats what happened.

Explain why Oliver’s behaviour matters: it breaks unanimity and may reduce the pressure of being the only dissenter.

3. Claiming that resistance is guaranteed

Social support may help, but an ally does not remove every consequence of disagreement. An internal locus of control also does not make someone immune to strong situational pressure.

Use careful wording such as “may encourage resistance” rather than “will always resist”.

How to develop an evaluation point

A useful evaluation point explains what evidence or a limitation means for the explanation.

Research support

Asch’s findings about dissent support the importance of social support because conformity decreases when the majority’s unanimity is broken.

Connect the finding to the explanation rather than simply naming the study.

Limits when applying research to everyday life

A line-judgement task differs from a disagreement involving friends, privacy or personal values.

Real interactions may involve lasting consequences, existing relationships and several pressures at once. Laboratory findings can inform an explanation without proving that the effect will be identical in every online or offline setting.

Association does not establish causation

If a study finds a relationship between internal locus-of-control scores and resistance, the relationship alone does not prove that locus of control caused the behaviour.

Other experiences or characteristics could contribute to both measures.

For further written practice, use our resistance-to-social-influence model-answer resource.

Practice questions with suggested answers

These are original practice questions, not official AQA questions or mark schemes.

Question 1: social support

A group wants to exclude a student who asks frequent questions. Aisha privately disagrees. When another member objects, Aisha also challenges the decision.

Explain how social support could account for Aisha’s behaviour.

Suggested answer: The other member provides social support by objecting to the exclusion. This breaks the group’s unanimity, so Aisha is no longer alone in disagreeing. The reduced pressure to agree may make it easier for her to express her own position.

Question 2: locus of control

Ben refuses a group’s suggestion and says, “My choices affect what happens to me, so I need to make this decision myself.”

Identify the explanation most clearly illustrated and explain your choice.

Suggested answer: Ben’s statement suggests an internal locus of control because he believes his choices influence outcomes. Feeling personally responsible may encourage him to make an independent decision rather than follow the group.

Question 3: avoid an unsupported conclusion

A student writes, “Leah disagrees with everyone, so she must have an internal locus of control.”

Explain what is missing from this answer.

Suggested answer: Disagreement alone does not establish Leah’s beliefs about control. The explanation needs evidence that she believes outcomes depend on her own actions. She could be resisting for another reason.

Question 4: evaluate the evidence

A researcher finds that adults reporting supportive friendships also report greater willingness to disagree with others.

Explain why this does not prove that supportive friendships cause resistance.

Suggested answer: The finding is an association, so the direction of the relationship is unclear. People who already resist pressure might be more likely to form supportive friendships. Another factor could also influence both measures.

What to do when you meet an unfamiliar scenario

Work through this sequence:

1. Identify the pressure: what does the group or authority want?
2. Identify the response: does the person resist?
3. Find the clue: is there an ally, or a belief about personal control?
4. Explain the mechanism: how could that factor make resistance more likely?

The strongest application answers connect a detail from the scenario to a clear psychological explanation. Knowing the definition helps; showing how it explains the behaviour is the next step.

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