Persuasion
Related: advertising - influence - discourse - rhetoric
Definition
Persuasion is a form of influence. It is the process of guiding people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not only logical) means. It is a problem-solving strategy, and relies on "appeals" rather than force.
Dissuasion is the process of convincing someone not to believe or act on something.
Persuasion is often confused with manipulation, which is the act of guiding another towards something that is not in their best interest by subverting their thought processes. Persuasion is meant to benefit all parties in the end.
Aristotle says that "Rhetoric is the art of discovering, in a particular case, the available means of persuasion." --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion [Mar 2006]
The Hidden Persuaders (1957) - Vance Packard
The Hidden Persuaders (1957) - Vance Packard
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Vance Packard (May 22, 1914 - December 12, 1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and author. His million-selling book The Hidden Persuaders, about media manipulation of the populace in the 1950s was a forerunner of pop sociology: science-based thinking without the weight of detail or eloquence, geared for sale to the mass market. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packard [Jan 2006]
See also: hidden - propaganda - consumerism - advertising - 1957
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