Persuasion, Manipulation, and Seduction

Originally written September 28, 2009

Persuasion, manipulation and seduction are different forms of communication used to exert influence over another or others.  Although all three forms of communication have had no shortage of critics because of their ability to be used in unethical ways, as human beings, learning to communicate effectively and influence others is a matter of survival.  This happens because most of what we need to accomplish on a daily basis in order to continue moving forward depends on the help and cooperation of other people.  A baby cries in order to be changed and fed and most young children learn which behaviors will elicit the desired reaction from their parents before they have any understanding of persuasion, manipulation or seduction.  Communication in all of its forms is a powerful tool and like any tool, may be used for unethical purposes.

There are hundreds of definitions of persuasion, such as: “persuasion is human communication designed to influence the autonomous judgments and actions of others;” (Simons, H.W., 2001 cited in Seiter, J. & Gass, R., 2004) “any message that is intended to shape, reinforce, or change the responses of another, or others” (Stiff, J.B., & Mongeau, P.A, 2003 cited in Seiter, J. & Gass, R., 2004).  Merriam-Webster defines “to manipulate” as “to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage” and “to seduce” as to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises.”  Different definitions may focus on certain aspects of each but one difference is clear.  Whereas persuasion is neutral and implies consciousness on the part of the persuader and persuadee, manipulation and seduction seem to impart a connotation that one party is, through potentially unfair means, obtaining an advantage over the other. 

“Even if persuasion often appeals to other resources, such as emotions, it is mainly based on a logical address to consciousness: its content is primarily conscious.  Manipulation appeals to the cultural programming of the individual, to the basis of the stereotypes of thinking, frames and schemes, to what could be called a prior encoding of the individual.” (Codoban, A., 2006)  I understand that manipulation and seduction are appropriate in certain situations, however, many rely on manipulation and seduction because they were unsuccessful at persuading based on the merits of an issue and their ability to present them in a compelling way.  Manipulating and seducing are certainly faster and easier, the same way that obtaining liposuction is easier than changing one’s lifestyle habits.

In order to be successful in life we have to be persuasive on a regular basis.  We have to reason with our spouses to keep the house clean, persuade our children to eat their vegetables, persuade an interviewer that we are the right person for the job.  In order to deal with these situations we prepare our best arguments and delivery and hope that the strength of our convictions on the subject will register with our audience.  Persuasion works best when there is mutual respect and a desire to bring about willing conscious change in another.  In order for a trial attorney to be successful, they must be respectful toward the jury, (at least appear to) tell the truth and be ethical.  If members of the jury feel that they are being manipulated, the lawyer will lose their credibility and hence the credibility of their client.  Juries are an example of audiences who are well-informed and respond well to persuasion but would respond negatively to manipulation or seduction.

Unfortunately for the democratic process, most of the political discourse put out every day is manipulative rather than persuasive in nature.  The current political climate targets the common voters’ fears and baser instincts, therefore mudding the debate.  Because this has become the norm more than the exception, people have become more and more tolerant of it and even have come to expect it.  As the debate continues to foster an intolerant climate, the divisiveness of the political spectrum creates a perfect storm for so-called “slick” or Machiavellian politicians to manipulate and obfuscate the voter.

The leap from the unethical political process to the world of seductive advertising is a short one.  How many times has a commercial caught the attention of the unwary consumer by preying on their fear of being un-cool?  For example, a common ad seen during prime time network TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT6IWAIf580.  In it, a young, attractive woman, smells the product on the young man and makes an aggressive and sensual move towards said young man.  The ad infers that the woman only would notice the young man because of the product.  The advertisers use seduction in a negative way in order to increase sales, by targeting the consumer’s self-esteem and need for companionship.  This is but one example of the seductive effect advertising that bombards homes every day. 

            Persuasion, manipulation and seduction are indisputably related forms of communication as seen above and often used to arrive at the same results.  However, the situation, the abilities of the influencer and the audience determine which method will be the preferred choice.  The study of these forms of human communication can help the student not only become more effective at communicating but also in identifying each technique and responding accordingly. 

References

Seiter, John E., and Gass, Robert H. (2004), Perspectives on Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining, Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc.

Codoban, A. (2006) From persuasion to manipulation and seduction (A very short history of human communication), JSRI, p 151-158