If the agent wants to be successful in persuading the subject into something, they are going to have to come up with some techniques that will help them out. Every day the subject is going to be confronted with different forms of persuasion. Food makers will work to get the subject to purchase the new products or more of the old while studios will advertise their latest blockbusters. Since persuasion can be found almost anywhere, it is going to be a big challenge to the agent to find a way to impress their point of view on the subject.
The techniques that come with persuasion have been observed and studied for many years, all the way back to ancient times. This has been done because influence is so useful to a wide variety of different people. The formal study of these techniques has grown starting in the early 20th century. Since the
ultimate goal of using persuasion is to convince the subject to take the persuasive argument, internalize it, and then adopt it as a new attitude, there is a lot of value in discovering which techniques of persuasion are the most successful. The three persuasion techniques that provide the most value to the agent and which will be discussed in this section are creating a need, appealing to the social needs, and using loaded images and words.
Create a Need
One way that the agent is going to be able to get the subject to change their way of thinking is to create a need or they can appeal to a need that already existed in the subject. This type of persuasion will appeal to the subject if done correctly; this means that for the agent to be successful they will need to appeal to the fundamental needs of the subject such as their need for self-actualization, self-esteem, love, food, and shelter. The reason that this method is going to work so well for the agent is because the subject is
actually going to need these things. Food is not something that they will be able to survive without for very long. If the agent is able to persuade the subject that their store is the best or by switching their beliefs they would be able to get more food or shelter, there is a higher chance for success.
Appealing to Social Needs
Next, the agent could appeal to the social needs of the subject. While social needs are not as effective to use as the primary needs, they are still an important tool that can be used. People like to be wanted and part of the crowd. They like the prestige that some items are able to give them and to feel like they belong in a higher social standing. The idea of appealing to the social needs of the subject can be found in most television commercials that are on; in these commercials the viewer will be encouraged to buy an item so that they can become well-known or be just like everyone else. When the agent appeals to the social needs of the subject, they are able to reach a new area that might interest the subject.
Using Loaded Images and Words
When it comes to persuasion, the choice of words that are made can make all of the difference. There are many different ways to say the same thing but one way might spur the subject into action while the other will not. Saying the right words the right way is going to make all of the difference when it comes to using persuasion. The example about the phone-a-thon earlier in this chapter is a good example of how words can be used to persuade subjects to jump into action.
Persuasion is a powerful tool of mind control that is often underestimated and overlooked. Perhaps this is
because it offers more of a choice to the subject compared to the other forms of mind control. In the other options, the subject is forced into submission, sometimes in isolation, by the agent and ends up not having much of a choice in what is going on in the process. In terms of persuasion, the facts are presented so that the subject is able to make up their own mind, even if the facts are placed in a certain way to show them in the best light.
Chapter 6: Deception
The next type of mind control that will be discussed is deception. This mind control technique is going to have some similarities to manipulation in the fact that manipulators will use a lot of deception in order to get to their final goal. This chapter will go into more details about how deception works, the techniques involved in it, and some of the research that has been found.
What is Deception?
To start with is the definition about what deception is. Deception, along with subterfuge, mystification, bluff, deceit, and beguilement, is an act used by the agent to propagate beliefs in the subject about things that are falsehoods or which are only partial truths. Deception can involve a lot of different things such as concealment, camouflage, distraction, sleight of hand, propaganda, and dissimulation. The agent will be able to control the mind of the subject because the subject is going to trust them. The subject will believe what the agent is saying and might even be basing future plans and shaping their world based on the things that the agent has been telling them.
If the agent is practicing the process of deception, the things they have been telling the subject will be false. Trust can easily be ruined once the subject finds out, which is why the agent must be talented at the process of deception and good at turning things around if they want to continue on with their subject.
Often, deception will come up in terms of relationships and it can lead to feelings of distrust and betrayal between the two partners who are in the relationship. This is because deception violates the rules of most relationships and is also seen to have a negative influence on the expectations that come with that
relationship. Most people expect to be able to have a truthful conversation with their partner; if they have learned that their partner is deceptive, they would have to learn how to use misdirection and distraction in order to get the reliable and truthful information that they need. The trust would also be gone from the relationship, making it difficult to build the relationship back up to where it had once been. The subject would always be questioning the things that the agent was telling them, wondering if the story were true or something made up. Because of this new mistrust, most relationships will end once the subject finds out about the deception of the agent.