PERSUASION, ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS - CASE STUDY RESISTING PERSUASION:ATTITUDE INOCULATION
What is persuasion? What are the essential elements of Persuasion? Give summary of the case study “Resisting Persuasion: Attitude inoculation.
PERSUASION – AN OVERVIEW
Sometimes
we like to believe that we are immune to persuasion. That we have a natural
ability to see through the sales pitch, comprehend the truth in a situation and
come to conclusions all on our own. This might be true in some scenarios, but
persuasion isn’t just a pushy salesman trying to sell you a car, or a
television commercial enticing you to buy the latest and greatest product.
Persuasion can be subtle, and how we respond to such influences can depend on a
variety of factors.
When we
think of persuasion, negative examples are often the first to come to mind, but
persuasion can also be used as a positive force. Public service campaigns that
urge people to recycle or quit smoking are great examples of persuasion used to
improve people’s lives.
WHAT IS
PERSUASION?
According
to Perloff (2003), persuasion can be defined as "...a symbolic process in
which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or
behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an
atmosphere of free choice."
The key
elements of this definition of persuasion are that:
• Persuasion is symbolic, utilizing
words, images, sounds, etc
• It involves a deliberate attempt to
influence others.
• Self-persuasion is key. People are
not coerced; they are instead free to choose.
• Methods of transmitting persuasive
messages can occur in a variety of ways, including verbally and nonverbally via television, radio,
Internet or face-to-face communication.
THE ELEMENTS OF PERSUASION
Social psychologists have explored four ingredients
of persuasion, some central to the message, others more peripheral. These are:-
The communicator
The message
How the message is communicated
The audience
The Communicator: Successful cults[1] have a charismatic leader someone who attracts and directs the support of the members. As in experiments on persuasion, a credible communicator is someone the audience perceives as expert and trustworthy for example, as “Father” Moon. Trust is another aspect of credibility. Cult researcher Margaret Singer (1979) noted that middle-class Caucasian youths are more vulnerable because they are more trusting. They lack the “street smarts” of lower-class youths (who know how to resist a hustle) and the wariness of upper-class youths (who have been warned of kidnappers since childhood). Many cult members have been recruited by friends of relatives, people they trust (Stark & Bainbridge, 1980).
The Message: To lonely or depressed people,
the vivid, emotional message and the warmth and acceptance with which the group
showers them can be strikingly appealing. Trust the master, join the family; we
have the answer, the “one way”. Te message echoes through channels as lectures
small group discussions and direct social pressure.
The Audience: Recruits are often young people
under 25 and still at that comparatively open age before attitudes and values
stabilize. Some such as the followers of Jim Jones, are less educated people
who like the simplicity of the message and find it difficult to counterargue.
More are well-educated and middle-class people who taken by the ideals overlook
the contradictions in those who profess selflessness and practice greed, who
pretend concern and behave indifferently.
WHO SAYS? THE EFFECT OF THE COMMUNICATOR
Credible communicators are
perceived as trustworthy experts. People who speak unhesitatingly, who talk
fast, and who look listeners straight in the eye seem more credible. So also
are people who are overheard without their knowledge or who argue against their
own self-interest. An attractive communicator for example, someone who is
appealing or similar to the audience also is effective on matters of taste and
personal values.
WHAT IS SAID? THE CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE
Emotional factors can play a
role. Associating a message with the good feelings one has while eating,
drinking or listening to music makes it more convincing. People often make
snappier, less reflective judgments while in good moods. Some types of messages
that arouse fear can also be effective, perhaps because they are vivid and
memorable. For example, ads to encourage AIDS prevention both arouse fear and
suggest preventive strategies.
Is a message most persuasive
when it presents only its position or when it introduces the opposing side as
well? This depends on the listeners. When the audience already agrees with the
message, is unaware of opposing arguments, and is unlikely later to consider
the opposition, then a one-sided appeal is most effective. With more
sophisticated audiences or with those not already agreeing, two-sided messages
are most successful.
HOW IS IT SAID? THE CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION
Another important consideration
is how the message is communicated. Attitudes developed from experience are
usually stronger than those shaped by appeals passively received. Nevertheless,
although not as potent as face-to-face personal influence, the mass media can
be effective when the issue is minor (such as which brand of aspirin to buy) or
unfamiliar (such as deciding between two otherwise unknown political
candidates). Some of the media’s effect may however, be transmitted in two
steps; directly to opinion leaders and then on the others through their
personal influence.
TO WHOM IS IT SAID? THE AUDIENCE
Finally, it matters who receives
the message. Traits such as self-esteem bear no simple relation to persuadability,
apparently because a trait that enables one to receive and comprehend a message
will often work against yielding to it. More crucial is what the audience
thinks while receiving a message. Do they think agreeing thoughts? Do they
counterargue? Forewarning an audience that a disagreeable message is coming
reduces persuasion by stimulating counterarguments. On the other hand,
distracting people while they hear a disagreeable message can increase
persuasion by interfering with their counterarguing. Highly involved or
analytically minded people are more likely to be affected by the quality of the
arguments than by such peripheral cues as the communicators attractiveness.
The age of the audience also
makes a difference. Researchers who have resurveyed people over time find that
young people’s attitudes are less stable. Apparently, we form most of our basic
attitudes and values when young and then carry them through adulthood. As
succeeding generations form new attitudes, generation gaps result.
SUMMARY OF THE CASE STUDY “RESISTING PERSUASION: ATTITUDE
INOCULATION.”
Inoculation: Exposing people to weak attacks upon their
attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations
available.
This exposure to persuasive
influences has perhaps made you wonder if it is possible to resist unwanted
persuasion. Of course it is. If because of an aura of credibility, the repairperson’s
uniform and doctor’s title have intimidated us into unquestioning agreement, we
can rethink our habitual responses to authority. We can seek more information
before committing time or money. We can question what we don’t understand.
How do people resist persuasion? A prior public commitment to one’s own position, stimulated perhaps by a mild attack on the position, breeds resistance to later persuasion. A mild attack can also serve as an inoculation, stimulating one’s attitudinal defenses to develop counterarguments that will then be available if and when a strong attack comes. This implies, paradoxically, that one way to strengthen existing attitudes is to challenge them, though not so strongly as to overwhelm them.
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