Dissonance Theory, And The Mere Exposure Theory Of Persuasion

1038 Words3 Pages

Persuasion is the business creating thoughts, actions or feelings about something to achieve a particular outcome. (G.Magee, 2014) There are many types of persuasion, and many means of persuading others. Choosing the appropriate method of persuasion can have a large impact on the effectiveness of persuasion. Types of Persuasion In persuasion, the Mere Exposure Theory, the Dissonance Theory, and the Social Judgment Theory are used. Each of these theories of persuasion explains why it works or does not work in any specific setting. Depending on the theory, certain means of applying these theories can be successful or unsuccessful. The Mere Exposure Theory of persuasion states that people will be persuaded simply by repeated exposure. (G.Magee, …show more content…

Similarly, it can create a bond with the audience. This is a unique opportunity for the persuader to connect with its audience. However, when used improperly, it could lead to driving away the audience. Removing the ability of the persuader to recover. When a persuader is applying the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, humor can be an effective means of causing or removing cognitive dissonance while avoiding leaving the audience feeling offended. By using humor to create the dissonance, especially when using ironic humor, the persuader may be able to create the dissonance and increase the target's trust without risking the chance of the audience being offended. Humor can be highly useful when considering the Social Judgment Theory. Humor can decrease the likelihood of counter arguments. Using irony is practical in this scenario because it leads the audience to think about the irony, as opposed the possible counter argument. Using irony effectively is hard to accomplish in certain situations, but, when used properly, it could expand the efficacy of an argument to a larger more diverse

Open Document