ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, Kelman and Lawrence (1972) explained the differences between persons who indiscriminately capitulate and those who selectively respond to the demands of authority as follows: “Those who resist … have somehow managed to maintain the framework of personal causation that applies in normal situations. Perhaps they have never made the radical shift in perception of the situation … or perhaps they are better able to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate demands [p. 181].” Inherent in this explanation is the assumption of cognitive activity that facilitates making fine discriminations. Individuals must maintain their sense of personal causation, according to Kelman and Lawrence, despite the onslaught of bewildering situations that tempt them to surrender their sense of personal control and responsibility.
