Eliphas Levi
May 8, 2007, 01:25 PM
One of the things that fascinates me about religion in general and Christianity in particular is the techniques utilized to persuade and influence so many people. What is it about that Christianity that has allowed it to become so incredibly successful? How do some sects within Christianity suddenly rise up and gather so many followers? Why has Christianity been so successful at persuasion and influence where many other religions have failed?
One of the best books on the topic of persuasion and influence is "Influence:The Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Robert Cialdini. If this topic interest you at all, I highly recommend it. As you read about what Cialdini calls the six "Weapons of Influence" you will likely recognize many techniques used quite effectively by many religions throughout history. I would like to get the thoughts on other here on how you see these different principles used to persuade and influence many people to become "true believers".
Cialdini focuses his research on what he calls "compliance professionals". Sales people in various industries, advertising agencies, pr firms, and fund raisers were all study. Cialdini not only interviewed many people in these industries and reviewed their literature, he also posed as a job applicant and went through training in several of these fields. Cialdini spent three years in this "participant observation". He observed thousands of techniques, tactics and methods. Many of the examples he cites in the book come from different reliogions or religious institutions. He has boiled these down to the six most effective and most commonly used techniques. For each, I added a few of my thoughts on how I see the technique used in practice by different religious groups today and in the Bible.
Cialdini's six "weapons of influence" are as follows:
1) Reciprocation - "The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided for us" (pg 17, Chapter 2). One example Cialdini cites is Krishnas giving out a gift (a flower or copy of Bhagavad Gita) before soliciting a donation in a public place like an airport.
I can think of many examples where there is practiced by various religious institutions. Many churches have free dinners that include bible study between courses, while other sponsor sports leagues that include testimonials during intermission. In the OT, the covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David all involve God making promises to each in exchange for obeying his will. In the NT, if you believe in Jesus you will "not perish, but have everlasting life".
2) Commitment and Consistency - Cialdini writes that this rule is based on "quite simply, our nearly obsessive desire to be (and appear) consistent with what we have already done." (pg. 57, Chapter 3). Each of the OT Covenants involve making a commitment to follow God's law (each time the commitment is brought about through reciprocity).
This rule is also used often by many religious institutions. I remember attending vacation bible school as a child at a Baptist church. At the beginning of the week, all of us were required to stand up and repeat a pledge to be attentive and participate in all the activities so that we could come "closer to Jesus". Several of the steps in the Rite of Christian initiation of Adults in Catholicism involve making a commitment early in the process. The recitation by the audience of the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed during a catholic mass is also example of commitment and consistency (among several others).
3) Social Proof - Cialdini describes social proof "the tendency to see an action as more appropriate when others are doing it". "As a rule, we will make fewer mistakes by acting in accord with social evidence than contrary to it." (pg. 116, Chapter 4). Many of the stories in the Bible (both the OT and NT) persuade on the basis on social proof. Faith in God in the face of incredible adversity worked for Job, Daniel, Lazarus, and others.
The church as a gathering place provides a great deal of social proof to those that are in the pews. Personal testimonials, the joint singing of hymns, and the many social functions that are often held by churches all utilize the principle of social proof for persuasion.
4) Liking (and Consensus) - "We most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we know and like." (Pg. 167, Chapter 5). Elements of Liking include physical attractiveness, similarity, compliments, contact and cooperation, and conditioning and association.
Many televangelists have tried to use the physical attractiveness aspect of Liking and Consensus, if not with themselves then with their assistants. Similarity works for church groups that target a specific demographic, such as rural whites, suburban parents and families, urban minorities, hispanics, etc...
In describing contact and cooperation, Cialdini writes "we like things that are familiar to us" (pg. 176). Churches that offer numerous events throughout the week increase contact and cooperation of church members and strengthen the bond to the church group and its leaders.
Conditioning and association attempts to link positive feelings with a desired belief or outcome, and negative feelings with a undesired belief or outcome. Celebrity testimonials or endorses for charities utilize this positive association. On the opposite side of this, often a person or group is linked to some very undesired belief or outcome and demonized for it (a very violent murder may be blamed on satanists or witches, homosexuals blamed for 9/11, blacks blamed for crime, arabs or muslims blamed for terrorism, etc...)
5) Authority - Cialdini quotes Stanley Milgram in this chapter - "the extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority" (pg. 215, Chapter 6).
This section first introduced me to the "Obedience toAuthority" experiment of Stanley Milgram (read more about it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment)). He wanted to understand how many Germans could come to participate in the horrors of the Holocaust. The set of experiments started at Yale in 1961. Milgram measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. Each person was assigned the role of "teacher". The teacher was instructed to give the "learner" an electric shock each time they missed a question about a list of word pairs. The shock began at 45 volts, and continued on (in 15 volt increments) up to 450 volts. Psychologists surveyed before the experiment expected less than 1% to continue until the 450 volt level. Almost two thirds of the "teachers" went to 450 volts, and every one of them reached at least 300 volts.
I recommend reading more at the Wikipedia entry linked above. Here (http://www.radford.edu/~jaspelme/gradsoc/obedience/Migram_Obedience.pdf) is a link to Milgram's article in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology.
I found the video of this online and downloaded and watched it. It is incredibly disturbing to see. You can find a re-enactment in Derren Brown's "The Heist" and in numerous on programs. The power of authority as demonstrated in the numerous variations Milgram used in this experiment is frightening.
Of course, authority is utilized a great deal in the great majority of religoins. Abraham, Moses, David and others in the OT obtained their authority by speaking to God. In the NT, Jesus authority comes both from his knowledge of existing Hebrew scriptures (channeled authority) and from speaking to God. Paul's authority is based on his vision of Jesus and his knowledge of scripture. The Gospel's are likely cited as being written by Disciples to to provide their authority as part of the original 12 disciples.
Of course, most christian leaders to day relied on the channel authority of the bible. Few claim God speaks directly to them any more, but all can find some justification in the bible for virtually any stance. If your audience believes the bible is the inerrant word of god and you can find a passage to back up your message, you have a much better chance of using the authority of the bible to increase your influence.
6) Scarcity - Cialdini states that scarcity comes into play when anything "interferes with our prior access to some item" then "we will react against that interference by wanting and trying to possess the item more than before." (pg. 246, Chapter 7)
The first idea that strikes me about scarcity in the bible is when God choses the Hebrews as his people. Of all the people in the world, only the Hebrews are his "chosen people". The NT redefines this idea by stating the only way to "have everlasting life" is to believe in Jesus. Revelation reinforces this scarcity with the only 144,000 christians on Mt. Zion.
I believe the many people who constantly obsess about the "rapture" are falling prey to scarcity (in addition to several other principles). The persistent prophecies of "End of Days' and the Battle of Armageddon consistently highlight how few opportunities each person has left to be "saved".
Cialdini's work is very interesting to anyone interested in how influence and persuasion works. You may be interested in the work of Dr. Eric Knowles, who focuses on the opposite end of the spectrum, resistance. You can read more about Cialdini at his web site (http://www.influenceatwork.com/).
I would like to hear the thoughts of other on the topic of how influence and persuasion techniques are used to move so many people down the path of "true believers".
One of the best books on the topic of persuasion and influence is "Influence:The Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Robert Cialdini. If this topic interest you at all, I highly recommend it. As you read about what Cialdini calls the six "Weapons of Influence" you will likely recognize many techniques used quite effectively by many religions throughout history. I would like to get the thoughts on other here on how you see these different principles used to persuade and influence many people to become "true believers".
Cialdini focuses his research on what he calls "compliance professionals". Sales people in various industries, advertising agencies, pr firms, and fund raisers were all study. Cialdini not only interviewed many people in these industries and reviewed their literature, he also posed as a job applicant and went through training in several of these fields. Cialdini spent three years in this "participant observation". He observed thousands of techniques, tactics and methods. Many of the examples he cites in the book come from different reliogions or religious institutions. He has boiled these down to the six most effective and most commonly used techniques. For each, I added a few of my thoughts on how I see the technique used in practice by different religious groups today and in the Bible.
Cialdini's six "weapons of influence" are as follows:
1) Reciprocation - "The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided for us" (pg 17, Chapter 2). One example Cialdini cites is Krishnas giving out a gift (a flower or copy of Bhagavad Gita) before soliciting a donation in a public place like an airport.
I can think of many examples where there is practiced by various religious institutions. Many churches have free dinners that include bible study between courses, while other sponsor sports leagues that include testimonials during intermission. In the OT, the covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David all involve God making promises to each in exchange for obeying his will. In the NT, if you believe in Jesus you will "not perish, but have everlasting life".
2) Commitment and Consistency - Cialdini writes that this rule is based on "quite simply, our nearly obsessive desire to be (and appear) consistent with what we have already done." (pg. 57, Chapter 3). Each of the OT Covenants involve making a commitment to follow God's law (each time the commitment is brought about through reciprocity).
This rule is also used often by many religious institutions. I remember attending vacation bible school as a child at a Baptist church. At the beginning of the week, all of us were required to stand up and repeat a pledge to be attentive and participate in all the activities so that we could come "closer to Jesus". Several of the steps in the Rite of Christian initiation of Adults in Catholicism involve making a commitment early in the process. The recitation by the audience of the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed during a catholic mass is also example of commitment and consistency (among several others).
3) Social Proof - Cialdini describes social proof "the tendency to see an action as more appropriate when others are doing it". "As a rule, we will make fewer mistakes by acting in accord with social evidence than contrary to it." (pg. 116, Chapter 4). Many of the stories in the Bible (both the OT and NT) persuade on the basis on social proof. Faith in God in the face of incredible adversity worked for Job, Daniel, Lazarus, and others.
The church as a gathering place provides a great deal of social proof to those that are in the pews. Personal testimonials, the joint singing of hymns, and the many social functions that are often held by churches all utilize the principle of social proof for persuasion.
4) Liking (and Consensus) - "We most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we know and like." (Pg. 167, Chapter 5). Elements of Liking include physical attractiveness, similarity, compliments, contact and cooperation, and conditioning and association.
Many televangelists have tried to use the physical attractiveness aspect of Liking and Consensus, if not with themselves then with their assistants. Similarity works for church groups that target a specific demographic, such as rural whites, suburban parents and families, urban minorities, hispanics, etc...
In describing contact and cooperation, Cialdini writes "we like things that are familiar to us" (pg. 176). Churches that offer numerous events throughout the week increase contact and cooperation of church members and strengthen the bond to the church group and its leaders.
Conditioning and association attempts to link positive feelings with a desired belief or outcome, and negative feelings with a undesired belief or outcome. Celebrity testimonials or endorses for charities utilize this positive association. On the opposite side of this, often a person or group is linked to some very undesired belief or outcome and demonized for it (a very violent murder may be blamed on satanists or witches, homosexuals blamed for 9/11, blacks blamed for crime, arabs or muslims blamed for terrorism, etc...)
5) Authority - Cialdini quotes Stanley Milgram in this chapter - "the extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority" (pg. 215, Chapter 6).
This section first introduced me to the "Obedience toAuthority" experiment of Stanley Milgram (read more about it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment)). He wanted to understand how many Germans could come to participate in the horrors of the Holocaust. The set of experiments started at Yale in 1961. Milgram measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. Each person was assigned the role of "teacher". The teacher was instructed to give the "learner" an electric shock each time they missed a question about a list of word pairs. The shock began at 45 volts, and continued on (in 15 volt increments) up to 450 volts. Psychologists surveyed before the experiment expected less than 1% to continue until the 450 volt level. Almost two thirds of the "teachers" went to 450 volts, and every one of them reached at least 300 volts.
I recommend reading more at the Wikipedia entry linked above. Here (http://www.radford.edu/~jaspelme/gradsoc/obedience/Migram_Obedience.pdf) is a link to Milgram's article in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology.
I found the video of this online and downloaded and watched it. It is incredibly disturbing to see. You can find a re-enactment in Derren Brown's "The Heist" and in numerous on programs. The power of authority as demonstrated in the numerous variations Milgram used in this experiment is frightening.
Of course, authority is utilized a great deal in the great majority of religoins. Abraham, Moses, David and others in the OT obtained their authority by speaking to God. In the NT, Jesus authority comes both from his knowledge of existing Hebrew scriptures (channeled authority) and from speaking to God. Paul's authority is based on his vision of Jesus and his knowledge of scripture. The Gospel's are likely cited as being written by Disciples to to provide their authority as part of the original 12 disciples.
Of course, most christian leaders to day relied on the channel authority of the bible. Few claim God speaks directly to them any more, but all can find some justification in the bible for virtually any stance. If your audience believes the bible is the inerrant word of god and you can find a passage to back up your message, you have a much better chance of using the authority of the bible to increase your influence.
6) Scarcity - Cialdini states that scarcity comes into play when anything "interferes with our prior access to some item" then "we will react against that interference by wanting and trying to possess the item more than before." (pg. 246, Chapter 7)
The first idea that strikes me about scarcity in the bible is when God choses the Hebrews as his people. Of all the people in the world, only the Hebrews are his "chosen people". The NT redefines this idea by stating the only way to "have everlasting life" is to believe in Jesus. Revelation reinforces this scarcity with the only 144,000 christians on Mt. Zion.
I believe the many people who constantly obsess about the "rapture" are falling prey to scarcity (in addition to several other principles). The persistent prophecies of "End of Days' and the Battle of Armageddon consistently highlight how few opportunities each person has left to be "saved".
Cialdini's work is very interesting to anyone interested in how influence and persuasion works. You may be interested in the work of Dr. Eric Knowles, who focuses on the opposite end of the spectrum, resistance. You can read more about Cialdini at his web site (http://www.influenceatwork.com/).
I would like to hear the thoughts of other on the topic of how influence and persuasion techniques are used to move so many people down the path of "true believers".