Differences between Persuasion, Manipulation, and Seduction

            Persuasion, manipulation and seduction: it is all the same thing, right? Ways of making a person do something? In actuality, the three techniques are very different. The main focus of this paper is to describe the techniques of persuasion, manipulation, and seduction, and to show how each technique is different. The paper will also include modern day examples of each technique, which types of audiences respond best to each technique, and the ethical perspectives of each.

 

 

            Persuasion is a communication that is consciously intended to influence another person’s choice; in other words, the persuader is purposely trying to change the receivers mind, and the receiver has the choice to accept or deny the attempt (Magee, 2014). Persuasion is generally individualized and is based on a logical address to consciousness (Codoban, 2006). Let us take a look at a modern example of persuasion - you go to your family doctor to have a skin rash examined. Your doctor tells you that he has seen this type of thing many times before, and he is confident this prescription will work to clear up the rash. You, as the patient, have the free will to fill the

prescription (. . . and use it) or not to.

            In general, persuasion is not unethical, but it can be if the persuader is using it for personal gain, or to hurt someone else. As for the example above, the doctor is persuading the patient to use a medication that they otherwise would not have used. This is a perfectly ethical situation where the doctor is helping the patient through his vast knowledge of medicine. Persuasion works with a variety of types of audiences because it can be individualized to meet the ethos, pathos, or logos of its audience.

            Next we will look at manipulation. Manipulation is “the ability to produce a distinct kind of automatic, mindless compliance from people – that is, a willingness to say yes without thinking first” (Codoban, 2006, p. 154). From the definition you can see that persuasion and manipulation are very different; persuasion uses the audiences conscious decision, while manipulation uses the audiences subconscious – a ‘mindless compliance’. Let’s examine a personal example of manipulation. A person goes to a liquor store to purchase a case of beer. There is a table set up where an attendant is handing out free samples of a new flavor of vodka. The customer does not really like vodka, but the sample is free, so s/he drinks it and then buys a bottle of the vodka.

            As with persuasion, manipulation is not generally unethical. It is often used in marketing and targeted towards a large number of people (Codoban, 2006). Companies want to make a profit by selling their goods or services, and they want to create a thoughtless reaction to choose their product as opposed to the one sitting next to it on a shelf. Manipulation also works on a variety of audiences, but appeals most to people-pleasers – the type of people that want to fit in with the crowd and follow the societal norms.

             The last topic is seduction. Many people hear the word seduction and think of ‘sex’, but from a communication view there is so much more to it. Seduction could use a sexual appeal, but it could also use an appeal to any other area where the audience seems to be missing something. The technique of seduction is a bit difficult to explain, but the best definition found was that “seduction promises something that it cannot give: an entire, total happiness, without discontinuity and tiredness” (Codoban, 2006, p. 155).  

            More like persuasion than manipulation, seduction uses the audiences conscious thought to influence them, but it does so by promising something that they will never really get. Seduction is commonly used in advertising, which is a great example of this technique. Think of the commercials for Axe Body Spray. A man sprays himself with Axe, and suddenly he is desired by the women around him. This could be targeted at adolescent males, socially awkward males, and ladies-men all at the same time. The seduction here would appeal to any one that wants to be desired by women.

            Unlike persuasion and manipulation, seduction has more of an unethical goal because it is promising its audience something that only has a virtual reality, it cannot actually become real (Codoban, 2006). Looking at the example provided, if you use logic to assess the commercial, it is obvious that spaying yourself with cologne is not going to automatically grab the attention of all of the nearby women and make them chase after you – that would only happen on television or in a dream. Yet, the commercial works because it plays into the missing piece that the audience has.

            Seduction works best on audiences that are not completely happy with their lives (. . . almost everyone); a person could be lacking a happy relationship; it could be a person that wants to have children, but has not had any yet; a person who desires a better relationship with their parents – or their children; a person who is materialistic and is never satisfied with everything s/he has already, and the list goes on. Everyone is missing something, seduction uses that missing piece to target a strong feeling and influence the audience into believing in a fallacy.

            As you can see, there are many ways to influence other people, and some are more ethical than others. Persuasion, manipulation and seduction are all very different, and they appeal to different parts of the mind – and different types of people. Influence is everywhere and it is especially overwhelming in marketing and advertising. Being aware of the different types of influence we are bombarded with every day better enables the audience to process the attempts and to make better decisions.

 

References

Codoban, A. (2006). From persuasion to manipulation and seduction (A very short history of global communication). Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 5(14), 151-158.

Magee, R. G. (2014). Persuasion: A Social Science Approach. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.