- Firstly is the strategy of orchestrating and influencing by being in the background, or being invisible. Levine describes this in his book The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold
on how an umpire in a baseball game is able to control the game without even being noticed. This is because the fans are so focused on the players themselves, and the performance of the players that no one takes notice that it is actually the umpire who really determines to an extent the outcome of the game.
- The second point to note is that to be able to permanently influence someone, less force is better than more force. In others words, 'don't give someone more food than they can chew'. To influence you must have the slow and steady approach of feeding your subjects small bits of information at a time.
- The third strategy is giving your subjects the 'Illusion of Choice'. After exercising the first two techniques you must offer your subject the freedom to choose. If all the 3 techniques are synchronized correctly, your subject may decide on his or her freewill to stay with you. In The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold
- The fourth rule is to reward less. This point shows that too much of anything is not good for you. As humans, after we have achieved something we tend to crawl back to our usual ways because of the fact that we have conquered or accomplished whatever the challenge was. The motivation to strive and work hard is no longer there. Say for example, you worked hard because you were promised a promotion. What happens after you've been given the promotion? You may continue to work hard for the next couple of months (rule of reciprocity), then will eventually slow down to your usual working pace, until you are informed of your next target to meet, and the reward(s) accompanied with achieving the new target.
- The Fifth strategy is the use guilt and shame, or our conscience as persuasion tools. As emotional beings we are greatly affected by the feeling of shame and humiliation. Modern society are so self conscious, and worry about how others see them that they often must go for psychological assistance, which may last for several years. And this sense of self awareness starts when we start school all the way to our working lives as adults. In school, children are called names such as 'fatso' that may stay with them for a very long time. What about a husband who accidentally kills his wife in the midst of a violent argument? He will regret his actions till the day his dies, and may even commit suicide if the feeling of guilt is strong enough. Not only that, he may be subjected to hostility by family members and friends.
- Sixth strategy is self-justification brought up by the feeling of cognitive dissonance. We all are guilty of always trying to justify our actions. For example, you are overweight and the doctor says you need to exercise, because you are susceptible to diabetes and heart disease. You being the typical couch potato after work and during the weekends will probably tell yourself that you are too busy too exercise, or will exercise once a major project is completed. You will most probably blame it on your job because the job stress makes you eat more. How effective the self-justification will be depends on how much the person believes it to be true.
- The seventh strategy is about beliefs, and how your beliefs control your actions and behavior. We all have experienced this when we buy a particular brand over another because we believe in its' quality over the latter. You have also seen people with extraordinary mind powers bending hard objects, or the abilities to withstand pain, like magicians David Blaine and Chris Angel. All these comes from the inner belief. The same goes for those who think positively who are rewarded through law of attraction.
- Finally, the eighth strategy is that failure may propel you to more success. This strategy can be used on our human egos. No one like to lose in anything competitive. And because of the feeling of disappointment, and the uneasiness we will try harder to show that we are better. People often go all out just to prove that they are right. Look at the past explorers, even political figures. Or soldiers of war who will fight for their countries no matter what, even if they know (or justified to themselves) that what they are fighting for may not be right. Levine has pointed out many examples of many cult members who became more dedicated to their cult's mission even in the midst of uncertainties in their cults ritual or practices. These members will convince each other and justify the outcome; just like the members of Jonestown (People's Temple), who was carefully manipulated to enthusiastically take their own lives by drinking poison. The suicide was described by cult leader Jim Jones as 'a revolutionary act'.
'A women thinks a guy is good-looking, he's so nice, you go out on a few dates, he buys you a few presents. Then, one time, he hits you. But then he apologizes. You think, he's usually so good to me, and he bought me that present. Then maybe you have a child together. Then he hits you and the child. It's often so far down the road that you realize, "Oh my God. There's something definitely wrong here." But by that time you're in so many ways entrapped.'
California state senator, Jackie Specier made the following statement after observing the mass suicide in Jonestown: "No one should ever be so arrogant as to think it can't happen to them. We're all susceptible on one level or another."
The psychological manipulation techniques used by cult members are no different than the well-intended ones used by our friends, teachers and family members. Psychologist Margaret Singer quoted the following after decades of observations done on cult groups: "that cultic groups were not using mysterious, esoteric methods, but had simply refined the folk art of human manipulation and influence".
As a result we will always justify our commitments, and it becomes self-perpetuating. As quoted from Levine: 'If I did it, I must believe it. And if I believe it, I'm more likely to do it again, and more so.'
'It's really rather simple: move gradually, apply the least necessary force, remain invisible, and create the illusion of choice. The mind of the subject will take over from there. As the sign over the rostrum in Jonestown warned, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it".'
Posts
