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The Dynamics of Persuasion – Richard Perloff.Communication and Attitudes in the Twenty-First Century.
Perloff, R. (2017). The Dynamics of Persuasion (6th Ed). New York, NY: Routledge.
PART 1: FOUNDATIONS
Chapter 1: Introduction to persuasion
Just about everything that involves molding or shaping attitudes involves persuasion.
Persuasion is the study of attitudes and how to change them.
Persuasion: Constancies and changes
Contemporary persuasion differs from the past in the following ways.
Number of messages
Speed and brevity
Conducted via institutions and organizations
Subtlety
Complexity and mediation
Digitalization (exposure to short, metaphorical messages, with simultaneous message
exchange among millions of strangers, subject to multiple interpretations)
Exposure to a wealth of new, but also bias-confirming, information
Contemporary social media persuasive message effects are unique in that they:
o Can involve simple catchphrases
o Diffuse more quickly and widely than previous technologies
o Enable others to participate in meaning conferral
o Are capable of mobilizing individuals across national boundaries
Social media can act as an echo chamber.
Defining persuasion
Persuasion is a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change
their own attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an
atmosphere of free choice.
There are five components of the definition:
1. Persuasion is a symbolic process.
Persuasion takes time, consists of a number of steps, and actively involves the recipient of
the message. Persuasion is a process. It also involves the use of symbols. Symbol: a form of
language in which one entity represents a concept or idea, communicating rich psychological
and cultural meaning. Meanings, multiple and shifting, inhabiting the rich tableau of the
human mind: these are centerpieces of persuasion.
2. Persuasion involves an attempt to influence.
Persuasion involves a deliberate attempt to influence another person. Persuaders must
intend to change another individual’s attitude or behavior and must be aware (at least at
some level) that they are trying to accomplish this goal. Persuasion represents a conscious
attempt to influence the other party, along with an accompanying awareness that the
persuade has a mental state that is susceptible to change. It is a type of social influence.
Social influence: the broad process in which the behavior of one person alters the thoughts
or actions of another. Social influence can occur when receivers act on cues or messages that
were not necessarily intended for their consumption.
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, 3. People persuade themselves.
People persuade themselves to change attitudes or behavior. Communicators provide the
arguments. They set up the bait. We make the change, or refuse to yield. Persuasion typically
involves change. It does not focus primarily on forming attitudes, but on inducing people to
alter attitudes they already possess. This can involve shaping, molding or reinforcing
attitudes.
4. Persuasion involves the transmission of a message.
Persuasion is a communicative activity; thus, there must be a message for persuasion, as
opposed to other forms of social influence, to occur.
5. Persuasion requires free choice.
An individual must be free to alter her own behavior or do what he wishes in a
communication setting. A person is free when he has the ability to act otherwise – to do
other than what the persuader suggests – or to reflect critically on his choices in a situation.
It is important to remember that people do not have absolute freedom
Self-persuasion: In the end, we persuade ourselves. We decide to change our own minds about
issues, people, and ideas. Persuaders transmit messages, call on their most attractive features, play
word games, and even manipulate verbal cues in hopes of convincing us to change our attitudes
about an issue.
Persuasion versus coercion
Persuasion deals with reason and verbal appeals, while coercion employs force. But there are also
subtle relations between the terms.
Coercion occurs when the influence agent:
o Delivers a believable threat of significant physical or emotional harm to those who refuse the
directive.
o Deprives the individual of some measure of freedom or autonomy.
o Attempts to induce the individual to act contrary to her preferences.
Persuasion occurs in an atmosphere of free choice. It assumes the individual is capable of resisting an
influence attempt or of willingly persuading himself to alter an attitude about an issue.
The bad boys of persuasion
Propaganda and persuasion overlap in that both use communication to powerfully influence
attitudes. But there are important differences, both substantive and semantic.
Propaganda: a form of communication in which the leaders of a ruling group have near or total
control over the transmission of information, typically relying on mass or social media to reach target
audience members, using language and symbols in a deceptive and manipulative fashion.
There are several key differences between propaganda and persuasion:
1. Propaganda refers to instances in which a group has near or total control over the
transmission of information and dissent is prohibited or forcibly discouraged. Propaganda
aptly describes the nature and structure of their social environments, for members are
exposed only to one perspective.
Persuasion involves a freer flow of information, where people have easy access to
perspectives that challenge the government or ruling groups. Some persuasive messages can
be one-sides but people also can reach other information or see criticism to the original
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, message. In situations where persuasion operates, people can ordinarily question the
persuader and offer contrasting opinions.
2. Propaganda is deceptive, presenting only one sliver of the facts – the one propagandists
want people to hear. Propagandists deliberately hide or distort opposing positions, and
media systems make it impossible for citizens to access alternative viewpoints. Deceptive
propaganda has a strong political component.
3. Propaganda typically involves the media.
Persuasion occurs in mediates settings, but also in interpersonal and organizational contexts.
4. Propaganda has a negative connotation, it is associated with bad things or evil forces. We see
propaganda as a persuasive communication with which one disagrees and to which the
individual attributes hostile intent.
Persuasion is viewed as a more positive force, that can produce beneficial outcomes.
Another term frequently used synonymously with persuasion is manipulation. The terms overlap but
there are key differences.
Manipulation: a persuasion technique that occurs when a communicator hides his or her true
persuasive goals, hoping to mislead the recipient by delivering an overt message that disguises its
true intent.
Flattery, sweet talk, and false promises are manipulative techniques.
Because manipulation can be sneaky and has negative connotations, it is sometimes linked
with coercion. But it is not the same. Manipulation assumes free choice, it is a mildly duplicitous form
of persuasion. Coercion occurs when choice and freedom are compromised.
Understanding persuasive communication effects
Communications exert three different persuasive effects on responses:
o Shaping
o Reinforcing
o Changing
Chapter 2: Historical and Ethical Foundations
Historical review of persuasion scholarship
Rhetoric refers to the use of argumentation, language, and public address to influence audiences.
There are dual approaches to thinking about persuasion: one that emphasized in-depth thinking and
cogent arguments and the other focusing on style, oratory, and simpler persuasive appeals.
The first persuasion theorist
Aristotle: the goal of rhetoric wasn’t so much finding the truth of a matter as convincing an audience
to make the best decision about that matter.
Persuasion has three main ingredients:
Ethos: the nature of the communicator.
Pathos: the emotional state of the audience.
Logos: message arguments.
Speakers have to adapt to their audiences by considering in their speeches those factors that were
most persuasive to the audience member.
Social science perspectives, by drawing on theories and scientific methods, yield a wealth of
knowledge of the impact of persuasion and the processes by which it achieves its effects.
Persuasion and ethics
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