As expressed in the previous chapter, there is no clear and concise definition as to what exactly is and is not persuasion. Therefore, persuasion has several names and meanings making it difficult to define this complex topic. In this chapter, the author examines some of the reasons as to why defining this phenomenon is such a hassle. To do this, the author first describes two important factors that clarify the source of differences among definitions of persuasion, which are the ideas of pure versus borderline persuasion. Following these characteristics, the author presents five other controversial factors that also contribute to the differences among definitions of persuasion. When a person focuses on pure persuasion when defining the overall term, much of their definition will focus on what the book describes as “clear cut cases of persuasion”. These are types of persuasion that most people would agree upon. The textbook uses the examples of commercials and presidential debates as illustrations of pure persuasion. In addition to the fact that most people would agree that these examples are undoubtedly acts of persuasion, these examples were also used because each instance contains central concepts or actions that most people would normally associate with persuasion. …show more content…
On the other hand, when a person focuses on borderline persuasion when defining the overall term, this definition will take into account other instances of persuasion that some, or most, people would not agree upon.
The disagreement may come about because these types of persuasion are less clear and sometimes “iffy” cases. The text exemplifies borderline persuasion using the idea of a derelict, or abandoned object, and its effects or ability to “persuade” pedestrians to keep their distance. Some people may not agree that the object persuaded the pedestrians but others may; therefore, making this instances a prime example of the idea of borderline
persuasion. Intentionality, effectiveness, free will and conscious awareness, symbolic action, and interpersonal versus intrapersonal persuasion are limitations that stem from the two primary types of persuasion described above. Similar to the two main types of persuasion, these ideas cause discrepancies among definitions of persuasion. Intentionality becomes some people’s integral feature of defining persuasion when they focus on whether accidental persuasion is as important as deliberate persuasion different viewpoints on the importance of intentions in persuasion effect how the term is described. Others focus on whether or not a failed attempt at persuading can still be described as an act of persuasion, which then makes effect an integral feature in some people’s definition of persuasion. Others feel that if the receiver is not aware that they are being persuaded, the act becomes coercion, which some feel cannot be used to define persuasion because persuasion is nonceorcive. Another discrepancy among definitions comes from the idea that persuasion must begin and end with symbolic expression or else all human behavior could possibly be considered persuasion. Lastly, there is contradicting viewpoints on the actual number of players needed for persuasion to happen. Pure and Borderline persuasion serve as two integral features that make up the discrepancies among definitions of persuasion. All in all, these features along with the five other limiting criteria described in this chapter prove that many definitions are dependent on the defining person’s viewpoint of what constitutes persuasion, which only further highlights the complexity of this topic.
Summary – It is quite difficult to avoid any persuasive acts while resisting them at the same time. Being prepared with knowledge of how easy it is to be manipulated, controlled, seduced, etc. allows us to open up to the use of rhetoric.
Often Advertising uses persuasion to inform the audience; in fact it is the most import aspect to advertising. Advertising would simply be a conversation between the communicator and their recipients if persuasion weren’t present. Although the basic purposes are to inform and persuade, it is left to the audience when it comes to differentiating between factual information and unethical persuasive tactics. The persuader, wishes for the consumer to act or believe in a certain way. Whether sought after actions are positive or negative, ends up being the question. In the modern world it has become more difficult to differentiate between truths and untruths; mainly due to the technological advances in advertising medium. Differentiating between facts and propaganda becomes increasingly more challenging when it comes to politics. Whether it is an election for student senate or the United States general election for Presidency; there are a lot of factors weighing in on the decision process. During an election year, persuasive tactics become essential in the success of a campaign. Although many voters have made up their minds when they are first bombarded by the political campaigning, these pre-developed opinions are not viewed as an impenetrable force by the campaigner. The campaigner typically recognizes these patterns in opinion and instead aims to persuade them from a different angle, most commonly the emotions surrounding the issues rather than the issues themselves. This paradigm changed in political persuasion was first seen September 7, 1964 when a rattling ad for Lynden Johnson played over NBC. The ad now known as “Daisy Girl” forever changed political persuasion in advertising. With this change came the issue of ethi...
In this day and age, persuasion can be seen on almost any screen. The average American views thousands of advertisements every week. Most ads are simply pushed out of a person’s mind, but the successful advertisements are the ones that resonate with people. Some forms of ads are very annoying to those who put up with them constantly. Online pop-up ads, for example, are proven to do worse for products and business than no advertising at all! This is because this form of advertising does nothing to convince or persuade the person viewing the ad, and no effort is put into actually put into proving what it’s worth to make a point. Pop-ads make zero use of something known as “rhetorical devices”. In Julius Caesar, Brutus and Mark Antony both try to convey their point of view to a large audience of Roman citizens. One had a better speech than the other since he used “rhetorical devices” more effectively. Logos (logical; what makes sense), Ethos (ethics and morals; portraying similar beliefs and values), and Pathos (emotions; natural feelings that can be counterintuitive to logos) are the rhetorical devices that Aristotle
Kerbel, Matthew R. (1993). An Empirical Test of the Role of Persuasion in the Exercise of
Conger, J. A. (1998). The necessary art of persuasion. Harvard Business Review,76 (3) , 85-95.
Persuasion is a process by which the persuader, through communication, gains the approval or support for the topic (Let's Compare Motivate and Persuade, 2013). The arguments to motivate this change in thinking comes through careful use of rhetoric, but one must also be able to define the six principles of persuasion in social psychology: “Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Commitment and Consistency, Consensus, and Liking” (McLean, 2010, p. 521) and be able to recognize them as they are taking place. Then, one must carefully apply these concepts in order to find the means to effectively facilitate persuasion (p. 518).
Persuasion: the action or fact of persuading someone or of being persuaded to do or believe something. The point argument, "Hollywood, Stop Exposing Our Kids to Violence" is more persuasive and contains facts that better support its claim. While the counterpoint argument contains strong evidence and good points it is not as good at persuading the reader as the point argument. The author uses facts that would hopefully connect with the reader, and that is why the argument is so persuasive.
Persuasion is a commonly used communication technique that allows us to socially influence a certain topic positively or negatively. Its purpose is to help affirm or nullify an idea, belief or attitude. Sometimes the exact topic is very detectable in communication such as during debates but other times it displayed a little more subtly. Persuasion is more than just verbally speaking. Non-verbal communication such as body language, tone and pitch of the voice can also add to the affirmation of the topic. The setting and location also help encourage the acceptance of what is being persuaded.
There are two main ways which can be used to persuade, the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves the proposal of a strong and logical argument to alter a person’s attitude (Coufano, 2024). Contrastingly, the peripheral route evokes emotion to persuade, altering the affective and behavioural components of attitude (Coufano, 2024). In 1986, Petty and Cacioppo suggested the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), which outlined these methods of persuasion. Their study had found that when participants were highly motivated and were able to clearly process the message, the argument strength was much greater and therefore, greatly influenced individual attitudes (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986).
Since the dawn of time, man has always sought to manipulate and control his surroundings for his own benefit and survival. In many societies, this desire has carried itself over into public life in the form of propaganda, a “deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist” (Jowett and O’Donnell 2015, 7). One such example of modern day propaganda is indubitably the campaign ad released by presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on March 23rd 2015 entitled “Ted Cruz for President”. As William J. McGuire explains in his theory of persuasion however, failure at any stage in the persuasive process can result in
Persuasion is the force exerted to influence behavior that includes a reflected change in attitude. Everyday we are bombarded with messagesfrom people who wish to influence our behavior and attitudes. Persuasion canbe used to accomplish good as well as bad, though, in my paper I willrefrain from making value judgements and only report the factual aspects. I will discuss the two basic routes to persuasion, the elements involved, andways to protect current attitudes and behaviors from change. When trying to persuade someone, there are two different methods from which to choose-the central and peripheral routes. The central route persuades by usingdirect arguments and pertinent information. The peripheral route persuadespeople by association with incidental cues
I believe, to successfully persuade someone, you must take into account how you want them to answer or decide. This is difficult when our decision making process is highly flawed. You cannot accurately predict the outcome. By nature, humans are influential creatures. We have a natural “desire to fit in or to conform to the social norms of society.”(Dvorsky) This is also called the bandwagon effect. It’s when people assimilate or agree with a belief or idea simply because they see others going along with it. Another cognitive bias is status quo bias. This bias is the root of human error simply because we don’t like change. The purpose of status quo bias is to make decisions based on which decision will bring about the least amount of change. (Dvorsky) Taking these cognitive biases into account with Campbell’s definition of rhetoric, one should be able to successfully communicate using rhetoric whether it is on paper or in person, or
The ad is for Nike shoes. Nike released their new shoes, the “Nike Trainer One” for women, with a new technology which is supposed to activate your muscles.
In closing, Persuasion is a powerful tool, both in trying to persuade others and being
Persuasion is an important aspect of communication, certainly a significant business activity. Regardless of whether this comes in the form of a sender influencing a party or the receiver itself is being influenced. Typically, this could come in the form of a salesman or, even a manager communicating with key stakeholders, such as potential investors.