Friday, June 16, 2017
The spies and conforming to social pressure
In the 1950’s, Social Psychologist Dr. Solomon Asch ran a classic experiment on social pressure and conformity. He brought subjects into a room full of confederates (actors who are working for the experiment) for a “visual perception” task. He then showed subjects a drawing of a line, and asked them to select another line from a group of three different lines that matched the original in length.
. Resisting the urge to go along with the group, therefore, is physiologically similar to standing in oncoming traffic. </p>
<p>This week’s Torah Portion, Shelach, describes an instance of resistance to conformity. At the edge of Israel, Moses sends a spy from each tribe into the land to see what the nation would encounter upon their entry. Ten of those spies report a land filled with giants, and warn the people that they could never conquer or reclaim that land. Only Caleb and Joshua differ in their report, and describe the land of “milk and honey” in positive, encouraging terms. </p>
<p>Interestingly, in Asch’s experiments and others like them, if even a single other person in the room joins the subject in offering the correct answer, the likelihood that the subject will stick to his guns increases significantly. This suggests that it is far less stressful and dangerous to disagree with a group when you have someone else on your side than when you are completely alone, and of course that is what we see in the narrative – it isn’t only Joshua, but Joshua and Caleb who manage to present a counter-argument to the discouraging report of the other ten spies. </p>
<p>It is also interesting to note that modern juries are composed of twelve individuals, and research on these settings indicates that a single voice of dissent, while technically enough to prevent a jury from reaching a verdict, is rarely heard. It is far more likely for dissent to be part of deliberations if more than one person harbors a minority opinion. </p>
<p>Standing up for what you believe in the face of a majority that disagrees is therefore a challenging, sometimes risky endeavor. Knowing the source of that challenge, however, can hopefully empower us to step up when necessary, particularly if we have a friend who will stand up with us. </p>
<p>This Shabbat, I encourage you to ask your children if they have ever had to stand up and disagree with a group. What did that feel like? Share with them if you’ve ever been in that position – what did you do? What do you wish you had done differently? </p>
<p>Shabbat Shalom, </p>
<p>Dan </p>
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