When we hear the word “persuasion”, we have quite a number of associations. The first idea that comes to our mind is trying to change somebody’s outlook for the sake of improving certain negative sides. Take for instance a huge campaign conducted at the universities in order to make students quit smoking. Actually, people are not forbidden to do this but when you are told thousands of times how dangerous it is to smoke and what negative impact this addiction can have on you and your future children, you begin to change your attitude towards this relatively harmless addiction. We are sure that a considerable percentage of people will give up their harmful habit. At least our close friend did so and it was done with the help of persuasion. Still, it is also should be mention that persuasion is a powerful weapon and not always it is used in our interests. Huge corporations ground their advertising campaigns on the power of persuasion and earn a lot of money making their clients waste money on unnecessary things. They apply secret techniques and consult persuasive professionals and these actions bring them profit never known before. The main task of this essay is to feature and explicate the theory of interpersonal persuasion; its techniques and principles that make a person spend money and make purchases. The additional tasks are to summarize current literature relevant to the theory and to form conclusions.
Collins English Dictionary defines the word “persuasion” as the act of persuading or of trying to persuade; the power to persuade; the state of being persuaded; strong belief; an established creed or belief, especially a religious one; a sect, party, or faction. At the same time the action of persuasion can be defined as inducing, urging and causing to believe. From the very definition of these words it gets obvious that persuasion is the influence that is not always desired by a person and it is something that can totally change one’s ideas. One of the best definitions concerning persuasion as a psychological act was suggested by K. Murphy and P. Alexander: “Persuasion is an interactive process through which a given message alters individual’ perspectives by changing the knowledge, beliefs or interests that underlie those perspectives” (Murphy& Alexander 337). Another definition is proposed by Richard Perloff who defines persuasion as “… a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice” (34). There is one more definition suggested by O’Keefe that states that persuasion is “a successful intention effort at influencing another’s mental state through communication in a circumstance in which a persuadee has some measure of freedom” (5). All of these definitions broadcast the main idea that any kind of persuasion is an attempt of influence on one’s mental state in which a persuaded person feels no physical or other kind of pressure.
From these definitions it gets …