The social influence model: A cautionary note on counseling psychology's warm embrace.

Paralleling counseling psychology's search for professional identity has been the emergence of a new theoretical framework known as the social influence model. The present author suggests that some of the enthusiasm for this model might be due to the "counselor as expert" factor that is contained in the model. Other professions have attended to this same factor, and it has caused them great difficulty in relationship to professional stature. Counseling psychology would fare better as a profession if it attended to some of the more robust aspects of this theory. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specious causal attributions in the social sciences: The reformulated stepping-stone theory of heroin use as exemplar.

Examines the claims based on causal models employing either statistical or experimental controls. Such claims were found to be excessive when applied to social or behavioral science data. An exemplary case, in which strong causal claims are made on the basis of a weak version of the regularity model of cause, is critiqued. J. A. O'Donnell and R. R. Clayton (see record 1983-32937-001) claim that to establish that marihuana use is a cause of heroin use (their "reformulated stepping-stone" hypothesis), it is necessary and sufficient to demonstrate that marihuana use precedes heroin use and that the statistically significant association between use of the 2 drugs does not vanish when the effects of other variables deemed to be prior to both of them are removed. Here, it is argued that O'Donnell and Clayton's version of the regularity model is not sufficient to establish cause and that the planning of social interventions both presumes and requires a generative rather than a regularity causal model. Causal modeling using statistical controls is of value when it compels the investigator to make explicit and to justify a causal explanation but not when it is offered as a substitute for a generative analysis of causal connection. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence.

Social influence research has been, and remains, the defining hallmark of social psychology. The history of this preoccupation is reviewed selectively, and important contributions to social influence and persuasion are discussed. The central thesis of the presentation is that a return to a consideration of the social group, a critical source of identity and individuality, pays major dividends in understanding the processes of social influence. Moscovici's insistence on the importance of minority influence processes is seen as a harbinger of the return of the group to social influence. Finally, the leniency contract is proposed as a model that integrates these insights with important features of social identity, the elaboration likelihood model, and considerations of structural attitude theory in developing a predictive device that accounts for immediate and persistent majority attitude change as well as indirect and delayed focal change attributable to minority persuasion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An adaptation of the theory of interpersonal behaviour to the study of telemedicine adoption by physicians

Physicians' acceptance of telemedicine constitutes a prerequisite for its diffusion on a national scale. Based upon the Theory of Interpersonal Behavior, this study was aimed at assessing the predictors of physicians' intention to use telemedicine in their clinical practice. All of the physicians involved in the RQTE, the extended provincial telemedicine network of Quebec (Canada) were mailed a questionnaire to identify the psychosocial determinants of their intention to adopt telemedicine. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to assess the measurement model and structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to test the theoretical model. The adapted theoretical model explained 81% (P<0.001) of variance in physicians' intention to use telehealth. The main predictors of intentions were a composite normative factor, comprising personal as well as social norms (beta=1.08; P<0.001) and self identity (beta=-0.33; P<0.001). Thus, physicians who perceived professional and social responsibilities regarding adoption of telehealth in their clinical practice had stronger intention to use this technology. However, it is likely that personal identity had a suppression effect in the regression equation, indicating that physicians' intention to use telemedicine was better predicted if their self-perception as telemedicine users was considered. These results have several implications at the theoretical and practical levels that are discussed in this paper.     

Individuality and Social Influence in Groups: Inductive and Deductive Routes to Group Identity.

A distinction between forms of social identity formation in small interactive groups is investigated. In groups in which a common identity is available or given, norms for individual behavior may be deduced from group properties (deductive identity). In groups in which interpersonal relations are central, a group identity may also be induced from individual group members' contributions, making individuality and individual distinctiveness a defining feature of the group (inductive identity). Two studies examined the prediction that depersonalization produced by anonymity has opposite effects for groups in which social identity has been induced or deduced. Results confirmed the prediction that depersonalization increases social influence in groups whose identity was more deductive. In contrast, depersonalization decreases social influence in inductive identity groups. Implications for the role of social identity in small groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and sexual identity-based predictors of lesbian, gay, and bisexual affirmative counseling self-efficacy.

This exploratory study applies the tenets of social cognitive theory to investigate the influence of gender self-confidence and of sexual identity exploration and commitment on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) affirmative counselor self-efficacy. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 178 mental health clinicians. Controlling for participants' age, professional experience, level of income, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation, findings revealed that higher levels of LGB-affirmative counseling self-efficacy were positively associated with gender self-definition and with sexual identity commitment. Post hoc analyses conducted with the 5 subscales of the LGB-affirmative counseling self-efficacy measure indicated that findings varied across specific self-efficacy domains. Implications of these results for continuing education, training, and research promoting LGB-affirmative psychotherapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identity salience and the influence of differential activation of the social self-schema on advertising response.

The authors examined how identity primes and social distinctiveness influence identity salience (i.e., the activation of a social identity within an individual's social self-schema) and subsequent responses to targeted advertising. Across 2 studies, individuals who were exposed to an identity prime (an ad element that directs attention to the individual's social identity) and who were socially distinctive (minorities in the immediate social context) expressed systematically different evaluations of spokespersons and the advertisements that featured them. Specifically, Asian (Caucasian) participants responded most positively (negatively) to Asian spokespeople and Asian-targeted advertising when the participants were both primed and socially distinctive. No main effects of identity primes or social distinctiveness were found. The implications of these findings for identity theory, advertising practice, and intervention communications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of expert and referent influence, physical attractiveness, and gender on perceptions of counselor attributes.

Investigated the predictions of social influence theory with respect to Ss' perceptions of counselors' professional and personal attributes and Ss' evaluations of the counselors. Expert and referent power bases and influence attempts were crossed with levels of counselor physical attractiveness together with S and counselor gender in a counseling analog. 64 male and 64 female undergraduates viewed 1 of 8 videotaped simulated counseling interviews and completed rating forms assessing their perceptions and evaluations. Analyses supported social influence theory in that (a) expert conditions produced higher ratings of professional attributes than did referent conditions, (b) referent conditions produced higher ratings of personal attributes than did expert conditions, (c) congruent conditions (power base and influence attempt) produced higher ratings than did incongruent conditions on all measures, and (d) physical attractiveness mediated the effects of congruence for personal but not for professional attributes. No gender differences were present. Implications for the social influence process are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple models and mental illnesses: A rejoinder to "Failure of a moral enterprise: Attitudes of the public toward mental illness" by T. R. Sarbin and J. C. Mancuso.

Critically analyzes the T. R. Sarbin and J. D. Mancuso (see record 1971-04081-001) report. Data are presented indicating that the public is (a) generally accepting of the medical model of mental illness; (b) optimistic about prognosis; and (c) able to identify the simple schizophrenic, the alcoholic, and the juvenile character disorder as mentally ill and in need of medical care. The public does not place a sizable social distance between themselves and those labeled mentally ill. These data contradict the claims advanced for a unitary social deviancy model. It is argued that the medical model is neither rejected by the public nor discredited by current research. The need is not for the abandonment of medical and psychological models which have already demonstrated formidable heuristic value; what is needed is recognition that there are many different kinds of mental illnesses and that multiple models may consequently have value. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A social interactional model of bereavement narrative disclosure.

According to recent bereavement research, disclosing the narrative of one’s loss does not per se promote emotional recovery. At the same time, social, personality, and developmental research suggests that telling personal stories is an important means of building identity and relationships throughout adulthood. Drawing on this literature, this review illustrates how bereavement narrative disclosure may be instrumental in addressing psychosocial challenges associated with bereavement (e.g., relationship formation, identity reconstruction, and meaning making). Multiple individual and social factors may affect how successful bereavement narrative disclosure is these challenges. Applying a social interactional model of memory telling, this review examines the influence of the relationship of narrator and listener, their personality characteristics, the content and structure of the narrative, the type of loss, and the time since the loss in facilitating or disrupting the putative goals of bereavement narrative disclosure. The utility of this model for clinicians working with bereaved individuals is also explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of organizational and professional identification on the relationship between administrators’ social influence and professional employees’ adoption of new work behavior.

Administrative social influence is a principal tool for motivating employee behavior. The authors argue that the compliance of professional employees (e.g., doctors) with administrative social influence will depend on the degree to which these employees identify with their profession and organization. Professional employees were found to be most receptive to administrator social influence to adopt new work behavior when they strongly identified with the organization and weakly identified with the profession. In contrast, administrator social influence was counterproductive when professional employees strongly identified with the profession and weakly identified with the organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Big Brother's ecological psychology.

An Orwellian chill ran down my spine as I read the May 2000 quintet of articles on psychology's role in ecological activism (Howard, see record 2000-15413-009; McKenzie-Mohr, see record 2000-15413-012; Oskamp, see record 2000-15413-008; Stern, see record 2000-15413-011; Winter, see record 2000-15413-010). My dread arose not from the authors' admirable concern for the environment but from their insufficiently self-critical arguments for psychological intervention. The dread of Orwellian Big Brotherism has three dimensions: valuation, competence, and autonomy. Psychologists must be cautious in moving from professional interventions for knowledgeably willing clients (autonomy) to essentially political interventions that attempt to influence others in the direction of psychologists' rather than clients' values (valuation), while appealing to claims that are beyond psychological expertise (competence). The ecological quintet of authors failed to address those three dimensions adequately, raising the specter of psychologists playing an Orwellian role toward society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basic behavioral science research for mental health: Social influence and social cognition.

Discusses the issues of social influence, social cognition, stereotyping and prejudice, and social and personal identity in basic behavioral science research for mental health. The significance of social influence for mental and physical health is illustrated by 3 lines of research: impact of persuasive messages, self-persuasion, and resisting pressure to change or conform. Three aspects of social cognition, including accessibility of social beliefs, causal attribution, and standards of self-evaluation, are given, and the prevalence of stereotyping is discussed. The significance of both social and personal identity in mental health is addressed, as well as the issue of coping with challenges to the identity. Directions for future research on social influence and social cognition are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional training and professional competence: A critique of current thinking.

Contends that professional schools and doctor of psychology programs may well represent the wave of the future in clinical psychology training. Yet advocates of the professional training model are premature in asserting that the model, as it has thus far been defined and evaluated, assures higher standards of professional competence than do traditional programs and should therefore become the official model for training all practitioners. The present study examines these claims from both empirical and pedagogical perspectives. Empirically, there is as yet no support for the superiority of explicit professional programs. Indeed, the lack of valid methods for assessing professional competence precludes meaningful evaluation of any training model. In the absence of empirical support, the new training model is examined in the light of 20th-century philosophy of professional education. From this perspective, the professional model rests on false assumptions concerning both the nature of professional competence and the optimal curriculum for developing competence. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Emotional Dog Gets Mistaken for a Possum.

H. D. Saltzstein and T. Kasachkoff (2004) (see record 2004-21519-004) critique the social intuitionist model (J. Haidt, 2001) (see record 2001-18918-008), but the model they critique is a stripped-down version that should be called the "possum" model. They make 3 charges about the possum model that are not true about the social intuitionist model: that it includes no role for reasoning, that it reduces social influence to compliance, and that it does not take a developmental perspective. After a defense of the honor of the social intuitionist model, this article raises 2 areas of legitimate dispute: the scope and nature of moral reasoning and the usefulness of appealing to innate ideas, rather than to learning and reasoning, as the origin of moral knowledge. This article presents 3 clusters of innate moral intuitions, related to sympathy, hierarchy, and reciprocity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The intelligence of the moral intuitions: A comment on Haidt (2001).

The social intuitionist model (J. Haidt, see record 2001-18918-008) posits that fast and automatic intuitions are the prim source of moral judgments. Conscious deliberations play little causal role; they are used mostly to construct post hoc justifications for judgments that have already occurred. In this article, the authors present evidence that fast and automatic moral intuitions are actually shaped and informed by prior reasoning. More generally, there is considerable evidence from outside the laboratory that people actively engage in reasoning when faced with real-world moral dilemmas. Together, these facts limit the strong claims of the social intuitionist model concerning the irrelevance of conscious deliberation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medicolegal education and crisis in interprofessional relations

An increase in malpractice claims is only one indication of the problem physicians and attorneys have in their interprofessional relations. This note explores the factors, such as increased specialization and social responsibility, that have given these professionals a myopic view of their respective roles. The note suggests that the crisis in interprofessional relations can be alleviated by interdisciplinary education in professional schools. It examines the problems inherent in current interdisciplinary programs and offers a model program jointly taught to law and medical students. The model course uses a problem solving approach that forces each student to examine the methods and limitations of both professions and to develop a concept of the professional's role in society.     

Sexual identity development: The influence of valuative frameworks on identity synthesis.

Examines the influence of valuative frameworks on sexual identity development and synthesis. This involves incorporating an understanding of attribution and volition that is often omitted in alternative models of sexual identity development. The models can be organized into categories that address (1) general sexual identity development (defined to include gay and lesbian experiences), (2) gay identity development, and (3) lesbian identity development. Following a review of these various models, the role of valuative frameworks on identity development and synthesis is addressed, and an alternative model is proposed to address the experiences of those who experience same-sex attraction but do not experience a gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity synthesis. The proposed model has 5 stages: (1) identity confusion or crisis, (2) identity attribution, (3) identity foreclosure versus expansion, (4) identity reappraisal, and (5) identity synthesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nostalgia and identity in song lyrics.

The content of original song lyrics was manipulated to explore the relationship of nostalgia to identity and social connectedness. A sample of 96 undergraduates rated six attributes of four sets of lyrics and completed measures of identity exploration, styles of maintaining identity, nostalgia for their past, and nostalgia for a general historical past. Lyrical nostalgia was not a function of how happy, sad, meaningful or liked the lyrics were, but was characterized by the irretrievability of the past. More active identity exploration was associated with higher ratings of lyrical nostalgia. The more actively participants were exploring their identity, the more closely they related to and found meaningful lyrics that emphasize the influence of the past on identity. Consistent with the greater social connectedness of individuals prone to personal nostalgia, nostalgia for one's past was related to reliance on the standards of others in defining identity, and higher ratings of liking, meaning, and relevance for other-directed lyrics. By contrast, participants more nostalgic for an historical past rely less heavily on others to define their identity, and they related more closely to the solitary identity lyrics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)