Have you watched the latest Mohanlal starrer Thudarum directed by Tharun Moorthy? Also, are you familiar with the 2012 American thriller Compliance directed by Craig Zobel? Though the story and plot of these two films are entirely different and unrelated, they both explore a fascinating psychological concept: compliance. This term is widely studied in social psychology to understand how individuals respond to requests made by others.
What is Compliance?
There are situations in life where we end up doing things we don’t actually want to do, just because someone asked us. For instance, you may give away something you don’t want to share, buy a product you don’t need from a persuasive salesman, or donate to a cause even when you’re unwilling. This tendency to agree or yield to requests, despite our own reluctance, is called compliance.
Compliance v/s Obedience
Compliance is often confused with obedience, but they are different. Both are forms of social influence:
- Obedience involves following the demands of someone in a position of authority. You often feel you don’t have a choice, as refusing may lead to consequences.
- Compliance, on the other hand, is changing your behaviour in response to a request, not a demand. You have the freedom to say “no”, but you still choose to agree.
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How Compliance Was Portrayed in Thudarum
In Thudarum, we can observe both obedience and compliance. Initially, Shanmughan obeys those in power to avoid conflict and retrieve his car. Even though Benny denies his requests, he eventually receives permission from George to take the car and leave. The events that follow—from this point until George threatens Shanmughan —can be considered as compliance.
During this period, Shanmughan is not under threat; he agrees to take them to the wedding out of compliance, not coercion. George simply makes a request, and Shanmughan accepts it. His behaviour of doing what George wants even though he isn’t fully willing is called compliance. It isn’t fear that motivates him, but rather his difficulty in denying a request from someone who had just allowed him to take his car.
The film Compliance presents a far more disturbing portrayal. Based on a true story, it shows how a person can be manipulated into doing extreme things simply because they were told to. The film reveals the dangerous side of compliance, highlighting how people can harm others or themselves just by yielding to someone’s authority or persuasion even when they sense something is wrong. In this film too, a person in a position of power makes demands on the victim, but still, there are a lot of compliance stretches involved in it.
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Common Strategies Used to Gain Compliance
- Door-in-the-Face Technique: First, a large request is made (which you’re likely to refuse), followed by a smaller request, which seems more reasonable in comparison. E.g., A friend asks for ₹1000. When you refuse, they ask for ₹100, which you then agree to.
- Foot-in-the-Door Technique: A small request is made first, which you agree to. Then, a larger request follows. E.g., You buy food for your roommate once because they had a busy day. Then they begin asking you every day.
- Lowball Technique: You agree to an attractive offer, and once you’re committed, the terms are changed. E.g., You agree to buy a car because of a great offer. After committing, you’re told about hidden charges.
Now, coming back to Thudarum, the first instance, when Shanmughan agrees to drive them to the wedding function, reflects the Door-in-the-Face technique. Even though it involves two people (Benny and George), from Shanmughan’s perspective, he couldn’t present Maniyan who had hit Benny and run away. This was important as Benny was continuously demanding Maniyan in exchange for the car.
So, from his point of view, this initial, larger request was effectively rejected. Later, when George makes a smaller request, asking Shanmughan to drive them to the wedding, Shanmughan accepts it thinking it is better than having his car remain at the station. Thus, a large request was denied (by Benny), followed by a smaller request (by George), which was accepted—illustrating the Door-in-the-Face strategy.
After the wedding, Shanmughan was not interested in going to the plantation as they requested. However, once again, George used his polite words and charm to gain Shanmughan’s trust. He used this trust to persuade Shanmughan to drive through rough and tricky terrain, even though Shanmughan was reluctant. This time, George was using the Foot-in-the-Door technique. The strategy ended the moment George revealed what was in the car and threatened him.
From that point on, the situation shifted into a case of obedience, as George’s position of power came into play. Since both these strategies—compliance and obedience—are forms of persuasion, they can sometimes overlap, as seen in Thudarum and Compliance. Still, it’s important to understand the distinction between the two concepts.
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Have you ever found yourself saying “yes” when you really wanted to say “no”? You might’ve been caught in a compliance trap. Think back—has this happened to you?
