Social change in the aftermath of successful minority influence

This chapter describes a programme of research on group dynamics in the aftermath of successful minority influence that reverses minority and majority positions within a group. Supporting the authors' gain - loss asymmetry model of change, converging evidence suggests that loss of the majority position generates strong disidentification from the superordinate group whereas gaining the majority position does not yield comparable identification. This overall decrease in identification is associated with a general increase in hostility, reduced helpfulness, and a desire to exit the group. Thus groups may be especially fragile following internal changes in the majority - minority positions. Additional research suggests that such a pattern of reactions to majority - minority change is a specifically group phenomenon (versus aggregates of individuals) and occurs when majority - minority reversals follow the attitude change of existing group members (versus an influx of new members). New majorities will increase their identification with the group when converts provide genuine support or when their new majority position persists over time. Implications of these findings for intra-group relations in the aftermath of social change are discussed.