Persuasion

Persuasion

Theory

Throughout history, many people have defined the times in which they lived. Whether they are political leaders or business people, they all employ the use of their charisma to persuade others to follow them. According to Gass and Seiter (2011), “Charisma is a lay term used to describe someone who possesses a certain indefinable charm or allure. Such a person may be said to have a magnetic personality.” Charismatic people tend to possess great credibility, and use this to their advantage (Gass & Seiter, 2011).

Event

Many companies seek out well known individuals to speak for their products to entice others to purchase said products. The way that these spokespeople are able to stir others to pay closer attention to these products is through their charisma, the same goes for politicians for that matter.

Some of the primary dimensions of credibility as outlined by Gass and Seiter (2011) are expertise, trustworthiness, and goodwill. Expertise in a field would give someone much more credibility. For example, if I was looking for a person to work on their house, it would make all the difference to know that the person was experienced and knowledgeable in the field of work that I'm needing to use them for.

Trustworthiness also impacts credibility. If a person is known to be honest, dishonest, ethical, or unethical, it can be inferred whether they are trustworthy. Goodwill, or at least my perception of it, can make a huge difference in ones credibility. Whether a person truly cares or not can make or break credibility, as it can become difficult to have confidence in someone who doesn’t have my best interest at heart.

References

Gass, R. H. & Seiter, J. S., (2011). Persuasion: Social influence and compliance gaining. 4^Th Edition. Allyn & Bacon.

Myers, D. (2013). Social psychology. (eleventh ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.