Final answer:
Subjective discomfort is the main reason people seek professional help. It often stems from cognitive dissonance, which affects one's sense of consistency. Joining utilitarian organizations is motivated by tangible benefits, while informational social influence occurs when there is ambiguity and group expertise.
Step-by-step explanation:
In practice, subjective discomfort explains most instances in which people voluntarily seek professional help. This discomfort arises when individuals experience cognitive dissonance, which is a psychological discomfort that occurs from conflicting behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs that contradict one's self-perception. As for why people join utilitarian organizations, it is because they receive tangible benefits from joining. Lastly, informational social influence is more likely under conditions when the answer is unclear and when the group has expertise. These concepts all echo the complexity of human behavior and the influence of various societal factors, including social norms and conformity.
Cognitive dissonance causes discomfort because it disrupts our sense of consistency, which is pivotal to our self-perception and how we navigate social situations. Similarly, in Asch's study on conformity, the presence of an ally and the ability to keep one's answer private contributed to subjects' ability to resist conforming.