Networks, Interdependence, and Social Influence in Politics

This chapter addresses social influence in politics as it is realized among individuals who are located within networks of social interaction and communication. A series of issues is addressed: the problematic role of social communication in the realization of influence; the potential for self-selected patterns of association; the social contingencies operating on influence within dyads; the consequences of disagreement frequency within larger networks for influence within dyads; the role of social cognition in affecting patterns of influence; the multiple faces of influence for changes in attitudes, attitude strength, ambivalence, and more; the role of cognitive complexity in inhibiting influence; and the role of biology and personality in affecting who is influential and who is susceptible to influence.