Techniques of Social Influence

Dariusz Dolinski is Professor at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław Faculty in Poland, editor of the Polish Psychological Bulletin, president of the Polish Association of Social Psychology and past president of the Committee for Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

• 1. Introduction 2. Sequential techniques of social influence 2.1 Foot-in-the-door 2.2 Four walls and Repeating "yes" 2.3 Door-in-the-face 2.4 Foot-in-the-face 2.5 Dump-and-chase 2.6 Law ball 2.7 Summary 3. Techniques involving egotistic and self-presentation mechanisms 3.1 Using the name of one’s interlocutor 3.2 Incidental similarity 3.3 Induction of hypocrisy 3.4 A witness to an interaction 3.5 Summary 4. The role of wording the request 4.1 "Please" is it always the magic word? 4.2 Even a penny will help 4.3 But you are free! 4.4 Labelling and asking questions 4.5 How are you feeling? 4.6 Dialogue involvement 4.7 The power of imagination 4.8 Summary 5. Interaction dynamics and the surprise factor 5.1 That’s not all 5.2 Disruption-then-reframe 5.3 The pique technique – requesting in an unusual manner 5.4 Gaze 5.5 Touch 5.6 Summary 6. Techniques of social influence using mood and emotion 6.1 Physiological arousal 6.2 The role of positive and negative mood 6.3 Fear and anxiety 6.4 The feeling of guilt and shame 6.5 Embarrassment 6.6 Emotional see-saw 6.7 Summary 7. A few more issues and final remarks 7.1 Academic researchers vs practitioners of social influence 7.2 Catalysts of social influence 7.3 Unethical social influence 7.4 How to study social influence techniques. A short guide for students and beginning researchers

'The book is a relatively quick and easy read... The book would be useful for graduate students or scholars new to the area, who might want to know more abotu the details of the studies and be better able to understand the research on the various processes that might explain why a technique works. People involved in fudraising may also be interested in the book, as the majority of the studies described involve how to use techniques to get people to buy small products or donate time or money to charities. Overall, the book provides a useful addition to the social psychological literature on compliance, with a slight European bent." - Helen C. Harton, University of Northern Iowa, PsycCRITIQUES‘Professor Dolinski, in the most thorough review I have seen to date, has done a valuable service to anyone interested in the process of social influence. Scholars, practitioners, and consumers alike will profit from reading this important book.’ – Robert B. Cialdini, Regents' Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, and Author of Influence'This book provides a fascinating overview of the most important techniques of social influence. It will be a key reference for scientists, students and practitioners seeking to understand the compliance-gaining procedures that can be used to influence an individual's behaviour.'– Nicolas Guéguen, Institut de Management, University of South Brittany, France