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Six principles of influence that are used everywhere in
society are discussed by Dr. Robert Cialdini. While
these are common principles that can be effective, ethical, and lasting,
they can also be used unethically, as by those leading totalist groups.
Compliance is behavior that occurs only because it is requested, that
is, getting what you ask for.
The Agents
of Influence:
Bunglers: Those who don't know the principles.
Smugglers: Those who know the principles and exploit them in
unnatural ways for their own benefit only. Those who "smuggle"
risk losing our trust.
Sleuths: Those who know and use the principles in an ethical
manner so that both parties benefit.
Those agents who are most effective carefully structure what they do
before they make the request. They create a psychological context for
making their request. Perceptions can be manipulated by means of
comparison to contrasts or extremes. The context is extremely important.
The Six
Principles:
1. RECIPROCITY (give and take)
a. Obligation
We are programmed from childhood to pay back those
who give us
something. If someone gives us a present for our
birthday, we have to give
that person a gift for his birthday. If someone sends
us a Christmas card we
feel we must send them one. Those who only take are
called moochers,
ingrates, parasites. We feel we must pay back the
debt, even if we don't like
the person or the gift.
For example, the Krishnas are mostly funded by
contributions. They give
you something like a book or flower, then ask for
money. People buy their
way out of the obligation. Some try to give back the
flower, or throw it on
the ground in order to break free. Now the Krishnas
are pinning small
American flags on people's lapels, because we won't
throw our flag on the
ground.
Often the first approach by a cult recruiter to a
potential recruit is with an
invitation to a free dinner followed by a lecture.
How can you reject
someone who has been so generous, especially when the
invitation has been
offered in the context of profuse
"love-bombing"?
b. Reciprocation
of concessions
A person will start by asking for something very high, and then come
down.
Compliance is very high in this situation. Compare
the method of car
salesmen, or charity solicitor.
2.
SCARCITY (if I can't have it, I want it)
Something held in abundance is much less highly
valued than something
scarce. Deceptive groups use this, for example, by saying that
this is the only
way to salvation. To a slightly less degree this is also
done when the group
claims to be the "best," the "closest to the
will of God," "God's Green berets,"
the "fastest path to enlightenment," etc.
a. Exclusivity
of information
Exclusive information is more prized, and more
readily believed. A test of
scarcity showed that scarcity of commodities
produced increased revenue,
but the exclusivity of the information about a
future shortage produced a far
greater increase in revenue. Note that the
information must be true to
maintain the relationship of trust.
b. Rivalry
for scarce items
Scarcity can be manipulated, especially by creating
rivalry for it. In cults this
can apply to such things as leadership positions,
praise from the leader,
other special favors.
3. AUTHORITY
(if an expert says it, it must be true)
We automatically believe the expert or follow
those in authority. This is true
even if the person is not and cannot be an
authority, but is only perceived as
such. We react automatically, without thinking,
because an "authority" says
so. Deceptive groups put people in a position where the
recruit cannot think
straight and then are manipulatable: fatigue, information
overload, sensory
overload, etc. The most credible authorities are both
knowledgeable and
trustworthy.
a . Trust
Must be impartial, unbiased, honest. A short-cut to
gaining trust is to say
something mildly contradictory to your own
position. Then you will be seen
as impartial, willing to acknowledge the negative
side of your own position,
and you will thus establish credibility.
b.
Misplaced Trust
Trust can be established either by
"smuggling" or by being honest and
providing the truth.
4. CONSISTENCY (I can't back out now, nor do I need to)
a. Obtain
a commitment
People become more certain after they invest in
something--or make a
decision.
b. Start
small and build
Start by getting a person to make a very small
commitment, then ask for
increasingly larger request. The buildup can
be slow, subtle, insidious. Once
the commitment is made, it is very hard to
change.
5. CONSENSUS (everyone else is doing it)
a. The
actions of many
others
We often look to see what other people are doing
before we act. In
Singapore, a bus strike caused a run on a bank and
its closure because the
people outside the bank waiting for the bus created
the impression of a
problem with the bank.
b. The
actions of similar others
The more we see others like us doing something,
the more we do what they
do.
c. Rejection of Original
Referent Group
If the original referent group is rejected,
a person is susceptible to the
coercion and persuasion of the new group. This is
one of techniques used by
cults: reject normal society, parents, and friends
and substitute the cult.
6.
LIKING (positive connections create liking)
E.g. the Tupperware Corporation makes $2M a day on
parties put on by
friends.
a. Similarities
We
like people who are like us.
b. Compliments,
praise
We like people who compliment us, whether the
compliment is true or false.
This is why "love-bombing" is so
successful.
c.
Cooperative
efforts
Bonds form through cooperative efforts, whether
natural and legitimate or
unnatural and manipulative.
These
principles will be seen in any influence-setting situation. It is
crucial to take a psychological step back, away from the situation to
ask yourself, "Why do I feel this obligation to say yes to this
person's request [or to believe what this person is telling me]?"
Are you just feeling obligated because the person gave you something,
or because he or she seems to be an "authority," or because
the person claims to have exclusive truth, or because he or she is
"a nice person," or because all your friends signed up, or
because you've already agreed to an earlier request? Are these
reasons, by themselves, sufficient to warrant your going ahead and
saying yes to the person? Make sure there are legitimate reasons for
doing forward.
When
you are the influence agent, examine the setting to see which
of these principles reside there naturally, and engage them rather
than smuggle in influence. This is the way to produce influence that
is effect, ethical and lasting.
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