Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
by Robert B. Cialdini
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert B. CialdiniEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-07-09
ISBN: 0321011473
Number of pages: 262
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Product features:
- 2001 - Allyn & Bacon - 4th Edition - Paperback
- Influence : Science & Practice
- By Robert B. Cialdini
- Hugely Popular
- Collectible
Book Reviews of Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
Book Review: Survival manual for the information age
Summary: 5 Stars
Cialdini explains how we have become dependent on shortcuts to remain healthy and functional in a world of increasing complexity. Such shortcuts can work either for or against us, depending on the instigator. In particular, he outlines six or so of the most commonly manipulated varieties (fraudulently triggered, often by the marketing industry, but also by politicians or even inadvertantly by friends, or indeed ourselves). Examples abound, supported by well-documented studies and bringing the concepts gracefully to a practical level, ranging from eating cookies to buying vacuum cleaners to contemplating romantic rivals.
Advice for defending ourselves is also given, as summarized briefly here at the end of the book with a few (well, sorta smug in this case) examples:
"We should refuse to watch TV programs that use canned laughter. If we see a bartender begin a shift by salting the tip jar with a bill or two, that bartender should get no tip from us. If, after waiting in line outside a nightclub, we discover from the amount of available space that the wait was designed to impress passerby with false evidence of the club's popularity, we should leave..."
As far as the six main vulnerable points of influence are concerned, here is a summary:
1. Reciprocation. When a business gives us a gift (even a worthless little trinket), we are prone to an overwhelming feeling of obligation to return the favor with some sort of purchase. Or as a slight variation on this, the business might start out with an unrealistic offer and then apply a bargain, causing us to see this as a "concession" worth repaying in kind.
2. Commitment and consistency. If someone tricks us into committing to something (especially publically), we are likely to follow through, even if we realize soon afterwards that we were deceived. This tendency is especially strong if cancelling the commitment would violate a belief or reputation we hold tightly (i.e., force us to be inconsistent). The hazing process for fraternities operates by the same principle, making us feel guilty for leaving something that we overcame some ridiculous hurdle to achieve membership in.
3. Social proof. When we are unsure about the appropriateness of an action, we will often look to others to see what they do, assuming it's correct if (and only if) we see others doing it. Many crime victims are ironically _least_ safe in crowds, because passerby hesitate to act unless "everyone else" acts first. The tendency is stronger the more uncertain we are, and the more similar we are to those we are watching.
4. Liking. We are much more likely to comply to the wishes of someone we experience a positive feeling towards, even if this feeling is fake and fleeting. We are susceptible to such features as physical attractiveness, similarity, and associations (for example, connections with celebrities).
5. Authority. We will often blindly follow the advice or orders of someone we consider a superior in some way, in title or repuation or otherwise. This phenomenon explains why the majority of nurses fail to catch mistakes in prescriptions written by doctors. One amusing example offered is of a nurse who quite literally carried out orders to treat an ear infection by administering droplets to (abbreviated by the doctor) "R ear." The clincher here is that the patient was also neutralized by a sense of the nurse's superiority and failed to object!
6. Scarcity. We will lustfully pursue the most ludicrous things when they are in short supply, especially if they are in demand and reducing quickly in availability. For example, we will often buy something impulsively if we sense that a competitor is eyeing the same item.
So how do we know when and how to fight these tendencies? Sometimes they are working for our best interests, when they are correlated with actual desirability or utility. But often they are not, being concocted by someone wanting our money or time. Cialdini offers tips on how to distinguish between these two possibilities. Often it's as simple as learning to detect when one (or more) of these tendencies is triggered and using this chance to think twice, before we fall prey to a "click, whirr" response. With a wealth of real-life examples, this book makes it that much easier to get a head start!
Summary of Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request) and is written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research. Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and other positions, inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say "yes." Widely used in graduate and undergraduate psychology and management classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion. Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. New Reader's Reports are included in the Fourth Edition and illustrate how readers have used one of the principles or have had a principle of influence used on them.Self-Help Books
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