The power of persuasion

Persuasion is a process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. The powers of persuasion can be seen all around us, since they are used in such arenas as politics, marketing, seduction, parenting, negotiations, and religious movements. The interesting thing about persuasion is there is no definitive ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but we as humans categorize the ‘bad’ as propaganda and the ‘good’ as education. For persuasion to take place, there must be a communicator, a message, a method by which the message is communicated, and an audience. We tend to be persuaded more often than not if the individual has credibility, such as a Phd. However, on certain issues, we are more persuaded if the individual is attractive and likable. The two methods of persuasion are reason and emotion. If the message is one where the individual has a Phd, then reason will be more persuasive. If the message is given by an individual that is attractive and/or likable, emotion will be the dominant form of persuasion. The emotions can be either love or fear. A organization trying to stop smoking may show a picture of a black lung in a commercial against smoking.

It is important to understand how we are persuaded on a daily basis, in order for us to not fall into a trap of believing, becoming a part of, or joining in on some ideology, movement, philosophy, etc. The greatest example here would be a cult, or under its less stigmatized name of being a ‘new religious movement’. Popular examples of cults are usually the ones that have done something less-than-valiant such as mass suicides (The Order of the Solar Temple is one such example). However, most of the 2,500+ religious cults today are largely pacifist, at least to the superficial glance.

Attitudes follow behavior. People usually internalize commitments made voluntarily, publicly, and repeatedly; which is something cult leaders seem to know very well. Furthermore, compliance breeds acceptance. Activities such as behavioral rituals, public recruitment, and fund-raising strengthen the cult initiates’ identities as members. An excellent depiction of this is in a short film entitled How to Start a Cult. The greater the personal commitment, the more the need to justify it. The so-called foot in the door technique is utilized as a way of persuading individuals to make a commitment to a cause. This allows for gradual acceptance, first of small things which later culminate into very large objectives (sometimes people can even be persuaded to take the lives of others). I had an encounter which a group that may be classified as a cult one night on the streets of New York, where two individuals were asking certain passersby (I was one of the chosen they wished to speak to) and they asked me if I knew about the “female image of god”. Unfortunately for them, given my background and knowledge on such issues as well as the psychology behind persuasion, they were not able to successfully use the foot in the door technique on me, which was an invitation to coming to a meeting their organization held somewhere.

Let us reexamine the persuasive elements mentioned earlier. First, there is the communicator. This is an individual that is usually a charismatic leader (someone who attracts and directs people). The communicator should be credible so that others perceive him or her as an expert or trustworthy. A characteristic that goes along with credibility is trust. If someone is very trusting, this may pose an issue of being more susceptible of being persuaded for a cause, movement, ideology, etc. that may not be very positive in nature. Next, there is the message. A message is usually very vivid, warm, and accepting, if it is utilizing the emotional approach, particularly if the individual is feeling depressed or in some other debilitating low level of consciousness. The audience is the third element of persuasion, which usually may comprise of individuals who are unsure about the nature of reality and life or are people that are facing personal crises and feel a need or want for being a part of something greater or some higher purpose. The current economic crisis around the world is one of the ideal times for the masters of persuasion to be able to lure in susceptible individuals.

As mentioned in the beginning, persuasion is not inherently ‘bad’ or ‘good’. However, it is how we use them that determines whether their effect is destructive or constructive. With all this said, here are some suggestions on being wary of persuasion, when it can be debilitating in the long run:

• Use reason – Reason is a level of consciousness just above Acceptance, as illustrated in Dr. Hawkin’s consciousness calibrations, which you may read about here. Using reason, we are able to resist falsehoods.
• Strengthen personal commitment – Making a personal commitment to a position beforehand will greatly lessen the extent to which you will be able to be persuaded.
• Develop counterarguments – Have a preconceived response to a forthcoming persuasion that may arise in order to not fall for something deceptive or subversive.

There are more examples of how one is able to hinder the persuasion power of malevolent or debilitating causes, movements, ideologies, etc. but hopefully these will give the you a general understanding of the tools available out your capacity. Perhaps the best advice can be summarized like this: Be open-minded but not naive.