ABSTRACT
From the very earliest days of the field, social psychologists have actively studied social influence processes (e.g., Sherif, 1936). Social psychologists consider the empirical study of social influence processes to be a core competence for the field (see Cialdini & Trost, 1998). Indeed, social influence processes are arguably the very core of social psychology. Social psychologists have not been dispassionate observers of the social influence process, however. They have chosen specific influence processes to study as they emerge from societal trends (cf. Steiner, 1986), and they have regularly commented on the ethical and social implications of their research findings (e.g., Janis, 1982; Milgram, 1974). The first purpose of this chapter is to call attention to the ethical underpinnings of a number of the classic works in social psychology. Specifically, I discuss important early milestones in research on the ethical implications of the use of social influence by powerful people, the origins of this research in ethical concerns of the day, and the continuing effect those studies have on how social psychologists frame their research. This review is not intended to be a comprehensive look at the social influence literature (see Cialdini & Trost, 1998, for a comprehensive review). Rather, it is a reminder that interests in social influence and ethics have a long and intertwined history in social psychology.
