ABSTRACT
There can be little doubt that the influence process is a universal feature of human social experience. Many times a day, people of all cultures and groups are both the initiators and targets of attempts to influence perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. What is more, the influence process is not limited to any one arena of human social exchange: It is embedded in close personal relationships (e.g., among family and friends), political contexts (e.g., in election campaigns, international negotiations, government efforts at structural change within whole societies), commercial endeavors (e.g., as embodied in sales, marketing, and advertising appeals), and a multitude of other settings. As such, a thorough understanding of the workings of the social influence process would be of immense value to those who wish to create change in others as well as those wishing to block change.
