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Twelve Angry Men
In the film Twelve Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, USA, 1957), Henry Fonda plays the role of a juror in a case involving a young man accused of murdering his father with a knife (there may be some Freudian overtones here). The case seems a forgone conclusion as all but Fonda are convinced of the youth’s guilt. Fonda has to try to win over the other 11. Watching the film, make a note of the strategies that the character played by Fonda uses to influence the majority.
- Discuss how would you have behaved in similar circumstances.
- What pressures to the majority try to exert on the minority.
- Would you have conformed to the majority if you had been in Fonda’s situation?
Clark (1994) actually conducted research using this film. He gave students a summary of the case. One group knew that the Fonda character disagreed with the other 11 but were not told of his arguments. The other group also knew the arguments that he had used to convince the other jurors. In fact both types of information had an effect. Although at first convinced of the boy’s guilt, they were prepared to reconsider their verdict if they knew that there was one dissenter. However, they were even more inclined to reconsider if they also knew his arguments. They were also more inclined to change their views when they were told that other jurors had changed their minds too.
Back to majority and minority influence
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