6 Psychology Principle of Persuasion

Principle 2: Commitment

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion — In-Depth Summary

This Book consists of seven chapters, the first chapter introduces the basis for weapons of Influence used by compliance professionals. The next six-chapter builds on top of chapter one (So make sure to read chapter one first). Each chapter introduces one principle of persuasion listed as below:

6 Psychology Principle of Persuasion

Principle 1: Indebtedness

Principle 2: Commitment and Consistency

Principle 3: Social Proof

Principle 4: Liking

Principle 5: Authority

Principle 6: Scarcity

Principle 2: Commitment and Consistency

“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end” — Leonardo Da Vinci

We all fool ourselves from time to time to keep our thoughts and beliefs with what we have already done or decided. Psychologists have long understood the power of the consistency principle to direct human action. The drive to be (and look) consistent constitutes a highly potent weapon of social influence, often causing us to act in ways that are clearly contrary to our own best interests. However, it is important to recognize that in most circumstances consistency is valued and associated with intellectual strength while inconsistency is commonly thought to be an undesirable personality trait, they may seem indecisive, confused, two-faced, or even mentally ill. but because it is so typically in our best interests to be consistent, we easily fall into the habit of being automatically even when situations are not sensible.

Why do humans tend to be consistent?

1. Like most other forms of automatic responding, it offers a shortcut through the density of modern life. Once we have made up our minds about an issue, we really don’t have to think hard about the issue anymore. We don’t have to sift through the blizzard of information we encounter every day to identify relevant facts; we don’t have to expend the mental energy to weigh the pros and cons; we don’t have to make any further tough decisions. Instead, all we have to do when confronted with the issue is to turn on our consistency tape, and we know just what to believe, say, or do.
2. “The truth hurts”, Sometimes it is not the effort of hard, cognitive work that makes us avoid thoughtful activity, but the harsh consequences of that activity. Sometimes it is the cursedly clear and unwelcome set of answers provided by straight thinking that makes us mental slackers. Automatic consistency can supply a safe hiding place from those troubling realizations or in other words, “avoids reality”. Sealed within the fortress walls of rigid consistency, we can be impervious to the sieges of reason.

Some highlights of the example provided:

1. Needs. When desperately finding a solution to a problem, driven by their needs, they very much wanted to believe that a certain product is their answer. When their hope is threatened, they panic! Something must be done at once before logic takes its toll and leaves them without hope again, and it doesn’t matter that the fortress to be erected is a foolish one. “Quick, a hiding place from thought! Here, take this money. Whew, safe in the nick of time. No need to think about the issues any longer. And started convincing itself that it will somehow work
2. Promise. They start prior to Christmas with attractive TV ads for certain special toys. The kids, naturally, want what they see and extract Christmas promises for these items from their parents. Now here’s where the genius of the companies’ plan comes in: They undersupply the stores with the toys they’ve gotten the parents to promise. Most parents find those things sold out and are forced to substitute other toys of equal value. The toy manufacturers, of course, make a point of supplying the stores with plenty of these substitutes. Then, after Christmas, the companies start running the ads again for the other, special toys. That juices up the kids to want those toys more than ever. They go running to their parents whining, ‘You promised, you promised,’ and the adults go trudging off to the store to live up dutifully to their words.”
3. Using a survey to create an image in that person, and later would try to use consistency against that person and ask if that person is willing to participate or buy a related event or products.
4. By using “How are you?” before asking for donations or participate can improve the outcome. The theory behind this tactic is that people who have just asserted that they are doing/feeling fine — even as a routine part of a sociable exchange — will consequently find it awkward to appear stingy in the context of their own admittedly favored circumstances.
5. foot-in-the-door technique. The strategy is to obtain a large commitment by starting with a small one. This technique is implement in prisoner-of-war(POW) camps run by the Chinese Communist. They try to get their collaboration by making them make inconsequential decision such as “America is not perfect”. But once these minor requests were complied with, the men found themselves pushed to submit to related yet more substantive requests. Suddenly he would find himself a “collaborator,” having given aid to the enemy. Aware that he had written the essay without any strong threats or coercion, many times a man would change his image of himself to be consistent with the deed and with the new “collaborator” label, often resulting in even more extensive acts of collaboration.
   Notice that all of the foot-in-the-door experts seem to be excited about the same thing: You can use small commitments to manipulate a person’s self-image; you can use them to turn citizens into “public servants,” prospects into “customers,” prisoners into “collaborators.” And once you’ve got a man’s self-image where you want it, he should comply naturally with a whole range of your requests that are consistent with this view of himself. A person’s actions will cause people to change their views of themselves to align with what they had done.
   POW were asked to copy testament that is pro-communist if they refuse to write it freely, which seems like a “harmless” enough concession. First, it provides undeniable physical evidence that the act occurred. There it was in his own handwriting, an irrevocably documented act driving him make his belief and his self-image consistent with what he had undeniably done. The second advantage of a written testament is that it can be shown to other people. People have a natural tendency to think that a statement reflects the true attitude of the person who made it. What is surprising is that they continue to think so even when they know that the person did not freely choose to make the statement. It can persuade them to change to align with the statement they made — a tendency to adjust our image according to the way others perceive us. What those around us think is true of us is enormously important in determining what we ourselves think is true.
6. The Public Eye. Public commitment is a lasting commitment. Research shows that we are truest to our decision if we have bound ourselves to them publicly, and it can be put to good use. For example, using it to commit ourselves to quit smoking, losing weight, etc.
7. The Effort Extra. “Persons who go through a great deal of trouble or pain to attain something tend to value it more highly than persons who attain the same thing with a minimum of effort.” This is the very technique used during initiation such as Hazing, Tribal initiation, or military groups. The ritual often includes beatings, exposure to cold, thirst, eating of unsavory food, punishment and threats of death. These often cause mental and physical abuse. The greater the harassment, the person is more likely to persuade himself that his new group and its activities were interesting, intelligent, and desirable.
8. The inner choice. Social scientists have determined that we accept inner responsibility for a behavior when we think we have chosen to perform it in the absence of strong outside pressures. A large reward is one such external pressure. It may get us to perform a certain action, but it won’t get us to accept inner responsibility for the act. Consequently, we won’t feel committed to it. The same is true of a strong threat; it may motivate immediate compliance, but it is unlikely to produce long-term commitment.
   It suggests that we should never heavily bribe or threaten our children to do the things we want them truly to believe in. Such pressures will probably produce temporary compliance with our wishes. However, if we want more than just that, if we want the children to believe in the correctness of what they have done, if we want them to continue to perform the desired behavior when we are not present to apply those outside pressures, then we must somehow arrange for them to accept inner responsibility for the actions we want them to take.
   Compliance professionals love commitments that produce inner change. First, that change is not just specific to the situation where it first occurred; it covers a whole range of related situations, too. Second, the effects of the change are lasting. So, once a man has been induced to take action that shifts his self-image to that of, let’s say, a public-spirited citizen, he is likely to be public-spirited in a variety of other circumstances where his compliance may also be desired, and he is likely to continue his public-spirited behavior for as long as his new self-image holds.
9. give-it-and-take-away-later. An advantage is offered that induces a favorable purchase decision; then, after some time after the decision has been made but before the bargain is sealed the original purchase advantage is deftly removed. Most of the time it works, the person often finds justification for their commitment. The loss can be shrugged off by a person, and even be happy, and never realizing that additional reasons might never have existed had the choice not been made in the first place.

Find out Next Principles of Influence

Principle 3: Social Proof

Disclaimer

All information above are the summary of the book: “Influence: The Psychology Principles of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini” There are a lot more interesting and eye-opening techniques used by compliance professionals that are not mentioned in this summary. Find out more by buying this book at Amazon.com