The Psychology of Persuasion

About The Psychology of Persuasion

Persuasion is not just something that is useful to marketers and salesmen, however. Learning how to utilize these techniques in daily life can help you become a better negotiator and make it more likely that you will get what you want, whether you are trying to convince your toddler to eat her vegetables or persuade your boss to give you that raise.

Because influence is so useful in so many aspects of daily life, persuasion techniques have been studied and observed since ancient times. It wasn’t until the early 20th century, however, that social psychologists began to formally study these powerful techniques.

Both attitudes and behaviours of a person may change under the influence of the manner of speaking and information others have provided us with. This process is, in its broadest meaning, known as persuasion. Buttering up, social influence and persuasion are common methods exploited by advertisers and leaders alike. 

Many people are of the opinion that persuasion is essential to put society in order. When the stimulus comes in the form of pleasant communication, the listener responds to it by changing his attitude.

If a person starts using the product that was highlighted in an advertisement he saw or heard, it basically means that that person agrees with what was conveyed and has come forward to implement it. The ad has changed his attitude and the change in his attitude made him change his behaviour. Bringing changes in someone’s behaviour or encouraging them to take action is the ultimate goal of persuasion.

The reason the tactics are so effective is due to fixed action patterns, which are automatic responses in humans to certain behavior. These fixed action patterns exist because they are a very efficient form of behavior that allow us to act without thinking, thus minimizing brain strain. Many simple examples of this exist. For example, a mailed out coupon that provided no saving (due to a printing error) produced just as many customer responses as the one that actually provided the discount.

In day-to-day activities such as business, education, politics, economic reforms, etc., persuasion plays an important role. Apart from advertisements, mass media, news, legal declarations, etc. alter people's minds by influencing their opinions. However, not all people are the same – some individuals are aware of the manipulations made to achieve a certain goal and are determined not to fall victim to the power of persuasion even when it comes from figures of authority. 

In such situations, after understanding clearly what was said or written, they analyze everything thoroughly and come to their own conclusion. But this, in its essence is just another way of responding to persuasion.

Response to influence and persuasion depends on numerous factors – some of which take place in our subconsciousness. 

When we decide not to switch over to the product which was highlighted in the TV commercial, we respond to persuasion in a negative way. When people decide to collect all waste materials from the home and dispose of them every day, the persuasion in a public service campaign made them to act positively. 

Positive and negative changes under social influence
The presence, as well as the action of other people, makes an individual change or modify his attitude and behaviour. This process is called Social Influence. Social influence on individual behaviour may lead to positive and negative implications.

However, his compliance is only for show even if he believes that smoking is injurious to health. That is why a change of behavior due to social influence may also be only temporary.  

Sometimes, we change our behavior because we want to be right. When we lack knowledge or when we are quite new to a situation, we observe others and learn from their actions and change our behavior accordingly. This shows that social influence can generate positive changes in an individual's behavior.