There are no angels when it comes to influence

Some of my friends are having a discussion on twitter about the ethics of certain persuasion strategies and it brought this quote to mind:

…we are all at the mercy of influences of which we are unaware and over which we have virtually no conscious control. What is even more frightening is that we ourselves, no matter how careful and discreet we believe ourselves to be, are constantly influencing others in ways of which we may be only dimly or not at all aware. Indeed, we may unconsciously be responsible for influences of which we consciously know nothing and which, if we knew them, we might find totally unacceptable.”

Dr. Paul Watzlawick, How Real is Real? Confusion, Disinformation, Communication

If Dr. Watzlawick is correct, and I suspect he is, there are no angels when it comes to influence. We’re all in the game whether we want to be or not. It’s only a matter of how much awareness we’re able to stomach.

Posted on Monday, July 07, 2008 at 08:47 PM

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Tags: persuasion, communication

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(3) Reader Comments about There are no angels when it comes to influence

Sean says...

I agree, we are all “guilty” at some point (probably many points) of using persuasion tactics in ways we’d find difficult to stomach if we were consciously aware of our actions.

I’m okay with that.

What really gets me, is the thought of someone actively, and by conscious design, employing those tactics with the complete understanding they are engaging in a win/lose activity.

I know I shouldn’t expect others to live, or even agree with, my personal code of conduct… but it still irks me. I also realize, after reading another one of your tweets, that my code of conduct is relative and situational to some extent.

But, from up here on my high horse, I still find it difficult to imagine that others don’t see it the same way.

Posted on 07/07/2008 at 09:08 PM

Blair Warren says...

Sean,

I completely understand your strong feelings about this issue. And, believe it or not, I share them. In fact, I often go into major funks about the whole persuasion “scene” for this very reason.

But I eventually seem to shake it off and rejoin the fray. Hopefully, a little better off for having had my crisis.

I think of influence as being a little like eating.

While we can despise and lament the fact that something must die in order for us to live, we must either directly or indirectly cause the death of something - even if it is just a carrot.

Same thing with influence.

In order for us to live we must engage in relationships with others. And in doing so, we’re GOING to influence them, directly or indirectly.

At best, we can do it with a little more awareness and thus a little more skill, but we cannot escape the fact that just by being alive we’re already influencing others.

The only question is, in what ways?

Posted on 07/07/2008 at 09:46 PM

Jenna Lloyd says...

Hi Blair,

While I certainly understand and have experienced the ethical dilemma of persuasion at times. It isn’t as if persuasion tactics will cause someone to do something that they are not already predisposed to do.

I used to have a continuing internal dialogue going on in my head about the ethical aspects of using persuasion in copywriting and sales.

But I decided that it served no useful purpose. I do not believe that I can convince someone to blindly act against their free will or against their personal moral compass.

At best, I confirm a decision they are already predisposed to, and at worst, trigger predictable behavior that confirms and conforms to their societal standards, personal beliefs, and self-conceptions.

People are driven to take action in a way that confirms their belief system and/or re-affirms their perceptions of themselves.

If, in the end, they view their own actions as positive and enforces their self-perception, then what is wrong with that?4

Posted on 07/22/2008 at 04:16 AM