MINORITY INFLUENCE UNDER VALUE CONFLICT - THE CASE OF HUMAN-RIGHTS AND XENOPHOBIA

A field experiment involving 91 Swiss apprentices tested the hypothesi s that a minority group evoking widely shared values (e.g. human right s) is influential under conditions of high rather than low value confl ict. Results supported this prediction. It is argued that value confli ct induces complex thinking (i.e. differentiation and integration) tha t accounts for indirect attitude change. Implications for 'consensual' minority influence attempts and the 'Zeitgeist phenomenon' are discus sed.