Social influence refers to the way in which individuals change their behavior, that one person causes in another, intentionally or unintentionally to meet the demands of a social environment, as a result of the way the changed person perceives themselves in relationship to the influencer, other people and society in general. It is not necessarily negative. It is generally perceived to be harmless when it respects the right of the influenced to accept or reject it, and is not unduly coercive.
Social influence is a broad term that relates to many different phenomena. It allows to change people's beliefs and attitudes in order to manipulate people's opinions and behaviours. Depending on the context and motivations, social influence may constitute underhanded manipulation.
