Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Cialdini

Do Diligence,

Some of the methods mentioned so far, advertising, propaganda, and thought reform can be used to influence people's behavior.

I can only really scratch the surface on a weblog.

For those interested, I would suggest starting with and excelllent book: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD. It is a very practical introduction to social psychology. Thanks to Michael Webster.

Cialdini defined his Weapons of Influence as follows:

1. Reciprocation - we will repay our debts (often many times over and to our detriment, "a free flower at the airport"),
2. Commitment and Consistency - getting to "yes" by rigging the questions ("do you want your funeral costs to burden your children?"),
3. Social proof - we seek validation in other people's same behavior (conformity, we act just like sheep),
4. Liking - we buy from people we like, people who seem to share in our values (Tupperware/Pampered Chef party anyone?),
   
5. Authority - it is scary how far we will go in obeying men in white coats (ie. Milgram experiment), and
6. Scarcity - the rule of the few.

But I must caution: Do not just take a few words here and there. These ideas can be misused if you don't study them adequately. A little bit of information can be a dangerous thing.

I have found the study of these concepts very useful in many ways.

Les Stewart MBA
Understanding Franchising