Ethical Principles of Persuasion: An Analysis

According to Merriam Webster, the term “ethical” can be defined as “rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.” Being able to differentiate between what is good, and what is bad is key when it comes to many things. One of these things includes persuasion. There are many concepts that can explain why certain principles of persuasion can be more ethical than others, and many that are critical to being an ethical communicator. Said concepts are explained in Rothwell’s text, In the Company of Others, Robert Cialdini and Steve Martins video, Science of Persuasion, and Stephen Carter’s text, Integrity. One principle that I believe to be an ethical principle of persuasion is “liking”. A concept in the book that helps support

When you find a person that seems to put forth this much effort into getting to know other people, and showing how much you care for and respect them, it is easier to create a bond and mutual respect. When relationships are on the same page, it makes a principle of persuasion like “liking” much easier to act upon. In the Science of Persuasion video, Robert Cialdini and Steve Martin state that the “liking” principle of persuasion consists of “people who are similar to us, people who pay us compliments, and people who cooperate with us” (8:00). The concept of respect from Rothwell supports this because respecting another person helps others cooperate together, and ensues that both people are on the same level, thus being similar to one another. A second concept that helps prove “liking” to be an ethical principle of persuasion comes from Stephen Carter’s book Integrity. The second concept itself is integrity. Carter describes integrity as a 3 step definition including “(1) discerning what is right and what is wrong; (2) acting on what you

One principle I believe to not be as ethical as the others would be “consensus”. In the Science of Persuasion video, Cialdini and Martin state that people who follow the persuasion principle of consensus “will look to the actions of others to determine their own” (9:14). This could be less ethical than others because people will base their actions off of another person’s actions, which might not be how they truly feel about the certain situation. One’s own communication should be solely based on their own opinion and choice, but if they change their ways due to someone else’s actions, their “actions are unintentional” and doesn’t allow the “individual to think or act for themselves” (Rothwell 24). Choice is a very big part when it comes to communication and the coercion of someone else’s thoughts negatively impact how a person will relay their communication to others. Since it is not fully their own thoughts and ideas, this makes their actions seem unintentional. The person who sees the individual’s actions to be unintentional does not feel as comfortable and it does not create a level of trust, which would would likely cause the person to cut off contact or communication with the individual. Like the last principle, integrity can also play into why this principle of persuasion is not as ethical as others. Carter explains in his text Integrity that “it is sometimes necessary to take that