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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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What Motivates Nonconformity? Uniqueness Seeking Blocks Majority Influence

Roland Imhoff

University of Bonn

Hans-Peter Erb

Helmut-Schmidt-University, Hamburg

A high need for uniqueness undermines majority influence. Need for uniqueness (a) is a psychological state in which individuals feel indistinguishable from others and (b) motivates compensatory acts to reestablish a sense of uniqueness. Three studies demonstrate that a strive for uniqueness motivates individuals to resist majority influence. In Study 1, the need for uniqueness was measured, and it was found that individuals high in need for uniqueness yielded less to majority influence than those low in need for uniqueness. In Study 2, participants who received personality feedback undermining their feeling of uniqueness agreed less with a majority (vs. minority) position. Study 3 replicated this effect and additionally demonstrated the motivational nature of the assumed mechanism: An alternative means that allowed participants to regain a feeling of uniqueness canceled out the effect of high need for uniqueness on majority influence.

Key Words: majority • minority • consensus • social influence • uniqueness

This version was published on March 1, 2009

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 3, 309-320 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167208328166
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