Conformity and Group Behavior in “12 Angry Men”, Essay Example

The film “12 Angry Men” puts on display a wide range of social psychology theories.  The film is set in 1957, and opens with the defense and prosecution having rested on a case where a young Spanish-American man has to be found guilty or innocent for the crime of killing his father. The entire conflict plays out in the jury room and basically revolves around the prejudices held by each of the men and how they are used to influence one another’s decisions. The film is compelling, and intensity is sustained throughout due to the high level of tension shared between the 12 jurors. The story starts with 11 of the 12 jurors eager to get home and ready to convict the man as guilty for murder, while there is one standout juror keeping the jury from the unanimous decision necessary to hand down the judgment. Popular consensus among critics, of “12 Angry Men,” concludes that the core example of social psychology exemplified in the film is attitude change, conformity and group process (Rosen, n.d.)

Examples of conformity are the first exemplified by the jurors. As Rosen notes, the “Twelve Angry Men,’ exemplifies the power of informational social influence and normative social influence (Rosen, n.d.)”  Informational social influence is a circumstance where individuals conform because they believe the perspectives of others are more informed or valid than their own. Authors note that, “Informational influence refers to the provision of credible evidence of reality (Burnkrant and Cousineau 1975). It is important when consumers feel the need to make informed choices. They perceive the opinions or usage of products by those who are seen as credible as proof of a product’s quality or characteristics (Lord, Lee, and Choong 2001).” This ultimately becomes an essential part of the story as information sets into the minds of the jurors and they are convinced one by one of their lack of analysis pertaining to the case. Initially however, they are all conforming in response to normative social influences and groupthink.   The first example of conformity is seen in the first scene when the men vote for the first time. Before the first vote the there is really no need or expectation of conflict, the conflict sets in when the men vote and it’s found that one juror disagrees. The problem is that they take a public vote which leaves the all susceptible to normative social influence, which Rosen identifies as conformity due to a fear of appearing deviant. From this even heated debate ensues.

It is a key aspect of informational social influence that the information provided not necessarily be factual, or in-factual, but just convincing enough as to be perceived as more informed than one’s own information. This very event can be seen happening with the  advertising executive, as members of the jury in favor of a not-guilty verdict present him with enough information to sway his guilty verdict position. Then when he is presented with an opposing argument from the guilty verdict side, he adjusts his decision back to guilty. The behavior of the advertising executive is a clear cut example of informational social influences and the power it has over perception.  This dependency on others to make personal decision stemming from informational social influences, or even in the form of normative social influences

In his article on group behavior,  Jeremy Dean cites a study in which he reveals the nature of unwritten group rules and how they influence group behavior. In the study participants sit among groups of other people. As Dean notes, . “The trick was that all the other members of the group were confederates of the experimenter who had been told to lie about which line was longer. Incredibly 76% of participants denied the evidence from their own senses at least once, just to conform with the group. Afterwards people made up all kinds of excuses for their behavior. Most popular was a variation on: ‘that many people can’t be wrong’ . Oh yes they can (Dean, 2009).” What Dean reveals is that not only are individuals swayed to not think for themselves, but they are easily swayed to follow trends even when it contradicts their own beliefs. Their fear f being embarrassed is more important to them than the notion of being correct.

In sum, the film developed its strength and intrigue from the notion that prior to one man speaking out against many, a potentially innocent young man was going to be put to death. This is a story with which all can sympathize, especially since the young man was never proven innocent or guilty and none of the men were ever completely vilified or characterized as heroic for their positions or perspectives. In the end the room is left empty as all of the men go to deliver an innocent verdict. The real message of the film was that groups can be easily swayed in any direction to make very serious decisions with very permanent consequences.

Work Cited

Dean Jeremy. (2009, july 1). Psyblog. Retrieved from http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/07/10-rules-that-govern-groups.php

Kenneth R. L., Myung-Soo L., and Choong P. (2001) ,”Differences in Normative and Informational Social Influence”, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 28, eds. Mary C. Gilly and Joan Meyers-Levy, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 28 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 280-285.

Rosen, J. (n.d.). Movie analysis: 12 angry men. Retrieved from http://www.psycho.uni-duesseldorf.de/abteilungen/ddp/Dokumente/Sonstiges/Psychologie_im_Film/TwelveAngryMen.pdf