Persuasion, Essay Example

In regard to persuasion approaches I employ, reciprocity stands out as by far the most usual. In fact, I tend to equate persuasion with reciprocity, and this occurs in a pragmatic way; if I am seeking to have a favor done for me by a friend, for instance, I offer an appealing action or favor in return, and immediately. Persuasion is then seen by me as an element in transactions, and not as a social force I use. More exactly, if I feel that I must persuade another in doing something, my natural impulse is to “cut to the chase” and present the persuasion as a mutually advantageous deal. This is because I am skeptical of other circumstances wherein persuasion is less definitively based. Should I want a friend to do something for me, and I believe I can achieve this by means of nothing more than an appeal to that friend’s sense of our relationship, I feel I am in setting up situations in which I will be obligated in the future. I much prefer an understanding be in place, as I prefer the results of my persuasion to be satisfactory to all concerned. This reciprocity I favor relates strongly to authority at times, for that style actually carries with it reciprocal elements. For instance, should a fellow student be able to help me with a particular subject, I seek to persuade by means of my known authority in another subject with which that student is less successful. As with the reciprocity, then, the persuasion occurs because there are concrete benefits to be exchanged between both of us.

Interestingly, when I am the object of persuasion, I am usually unconcerned with reciprocity. I am as prone to being persuaded by tangible offers as anyone, but I find that other styles work on me just as effectively and consistently. On one level, I am susceptible to social validation. I am aware of this most keenly in terms of consumerism; recently, for example, I was not especially eager to see a new film. Both the validating forces of several friends, however, along with the validation component built into the media, persuaded me to see it. This media influence, in regard to a great deal I purchase, is enormous. It is not that advertising itself provides the validation, but the scope of the effect of it; as others are persuaded, I find myself pulled along by the same, persuasive tide. I am also vulnerable to the “liking” influence, as I believe most of us are. This is a visceral form of persuasion difficult to resist, when someone’s sheer, physical attractiveness is the active agent. I am at least able to aver that the scarcity factor rarely seems to influence me. This persuasive style usually triggers in me an alert; what happens is that I immediately focus on the subject of the persuasion itself, and determine how important it is to me. In a sense, this reaction echoes my reciprocity reflex; if I am being urged to engage in something because it is scarce, that thing must have obvious value for me.