The science of defiance: A psychology researcher explains why people comply – and how to resist

You’re in a meeting when your boss suggests changing a number to make the quarterly report look stronger. Heads nod. The slides move on. You feel a knot in your stomach: Do you speak up and risk being branded difficult, or stay silent and become complicit?

Most people picture defiance as dramatic outbursts. In reality, it’s often these small, tense moments where conscience collides with compliance.

I first saw the power of defiance not in the workplace, but closer to home…

You can read my full article in The Conversation.

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America thinks it’s a country of free thinkers. But we’re actually compliant