Persuasion, Seduction, and Manipulation

Siblings, trained to influence:
Persuasion, Seduction, and Manipulation
Misty Filippelli
Persuasion and Argumentation
Professor Lawler
March 15, 2010

If the art of influencing others is a person, persuasion is a lawyer, seduction is Delilah, and manipulation is a Mafia boss. They are siblings trained in the art of influencing, but who grew up in different societies. Persuasion came from a patriarchal world, wherein argumentation is the norm, wherein logos dominates his rhetoric appeals (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302). Seduction grew up in a matriarchal society, wherein women convey power through the art of symbolic persuasion, using aesthetic appeals when needed (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302). Manipulation is reared in a dog-eat-dog culture, and he would shoot you dead, if you are hard to change and not that important. In many cases, however, he will change how you think, through deception or cleverness in packaging language. Persuasion is the masculine version of seduction, and the euphemism of manipulation, because they are different strategies of influencing other people. They will be all treated as people here, as the representative of their influencing strategies. The main difference among them is their varied combinations of rhetoric appeals, wherein persuasion tends to focus on pathos, so it appeals to people who are persuaded by rational methods, seduction dominates through ethos and non-aggressive flirtatious form of rationality (Perloff, 2003, p.26), and it appeals to people who are hard to persuade through logic alone, but can be changed through a mix of anticipation and promise (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302), while manipulation employs win rhetoric, which refers to exhausting all means, to inflict influence, which can influence people who are easily led by fear, and who are not trained in critical thinking (King, 2010, p.72).

Persuasion is the science and art of refined influence (Perloff, 2003, p.26). It is refined or “civilized,” because instead of scaring the audience to believe in our views, we can use logic, emotions, and authority, or logos, pathos, and ethos, respectively, so that we can persuade others to believe in the validity of our arguments (Perloff, 2003, p.26). It is also a science, because it is possible to study persuasive strategies, in order to understand what makes up persuasiveness and how this knowledge can be used to design persuasiveness skills training (Perloff, 2003, p.28). Scholars can study persuasive people and determine what it is about them and their communication styles that make them “persuasive” (Perloff, 2003, p.28). Persuasion is also an art, because there are people who seem to be born persuaders, as if they were born with the talent of influence, which can be embodied as the silver spoon on their tongues. People who have good persuasion skills commonly have charismatic personalities that entice people to listen to them and trust what they say. They can move people to believe in them and follow their vision and mission. Persuasion is also argued as the masculine version of seduction, because it is often ascribed as a male influencing domain (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302). This is not to say that women cannot persuade or that they only persuade through seduction, and even as some say, through manipulation, or that men cannot also be clever seductors. It is only argued that persuasion has come to imbibe a masculine sense of reason, because it often relies on aggressive kind of argumentativeness using logos, and also ethos (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302).

Persuasion uses ethos more in its rhetorical appeals, like a lawyer does. Persuasion will use evidence to argue his points. For instance, he will say, Pluto is no longer a planet, because it does not dominate its neighborhood and it cannot clean its own orbit (Inman, 2006). He is making an argument based on criteria of the planets that Pluto no longer fits. Persuasion provides details and facts to assert his main and minor points. Furthermore, he also uses ethos, by asserting his authority. For example, he will say, according to the Surgeon General’s report, smoking affects all bodily organs, so yes; it kills smokers in many ways. He will say that something is based on the authority of an expert on the field, or a great leader of the industry. It is like President Bush who argued for the Iraq War using pure ethos: “You are either with us or against us” (CNN, 2001). It is pure ethos because he uses his authority as the president of a superpower nation, so that he can remove the possibility of neutrality in his war against terrorism. Persuasion also uses pathos, although not as predominantly as ethos. He can also use emotions, for instance, when courting women, so that he can appear as a true sensitive individual (Spitzberg et al., 2005, p.6). Nonetheless, the main rhetoric appeals are logos and ethos.

Persuasion generally appeals to people who are convinced through logos, and even ethos. These are people who ask: where did you get your information? Are your sources valid and reliable? An example is a new drug, which says it can renew your poor memory, and then it will cite three thousand people who experienced memory enhancements because of the drug. Another example is a drug that sells products through its well-respected and trusted company name, such as “Pfizer made it.” This is a slogan that assures consumers that its products are safe, because of the integrity of its company brand name. Persuasion can be effective for these people who want something trustworthy to back up assertions and claims.
Seduction, on other hand, is considered as the art of influencing other people, and not through sexual favors, as often linked with seduction. It is considered more as an art, because of its pervasive use of aesthetic symbols and appeals through pathos (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303). Unlike persuasion, especially manipulation, seduction’s object is not easily evident (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303). Its strategies are even not that evident, because of the seeming passivity of its process of argumentation (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303). But its passivity is not at all entirely passive, but a form of non-aggressive way of representing real intentions and arguments (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303). An example of seduction is a commercial that shows people’s attention being grabbed by something on the road. They are being seduced by its subtle beauty, and it is no other than the Mitsubishi Lancer EX model. This is a seductive form of persuasion, because it bases on aesthetic appeal and the symbol of commanding attention from different kinds of people. This makes the model the new authority of the road- the one that people will always take a second, or even, a third look, or sometimes, a stupefied gaze.

Seduction is considered also as the sister of persuasion, because it influences through pathos, most of the time, in order to assert its logos. This is an inverted form of logic, wherein logic starts with the engagement of emotions, so that people’s attention can be caught, which is often related to the feminine rationality (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303). From here, logos is also inserted in a dramatic way, so that the emphasis becomes more than the usual male language game, but instead, influence becomes a part of the process of the production of symbolic communication that comes from rich and nuanced meanings (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.303).

The target of seduction is the people who are hard to persuade through logic alone, but can be changed through a mix of anticipation and promise (Erickson & Thomson, 2004, p.302). Examples are senior people who are not always persuaded through logic alone. A travel agency uses anticipation and promise, the anticipation of something that can still be unexpected and novel for their age, and the promise of enjoyment, in packaging their Asian tours. They provide a sense of mysticism and exoticism, so that they can seduce their market into buying their services. Another example is the seduction of voters, through being an apprehensive candidate, so as perhaps to entice supporters from people who would rather want an unsure candidate, compared to one who is too sure and aggressive. Seduction teases, hence, but not always through the physical aesthetic, but also through delicately plucking psychological and heart strings.

Finally, manipulation can be considered as a science and art also, because it is also frequently studied, as the negative side of persuasion. Manipulation has become more prominent, when subliminal influences became dominant as a clever form of marketing manipulation (Perloff, 2003, p.28). Manipulation employs win rhetoric, which refers to exhausting all means, to inflict influence (King, 2010, p.72). Win rhetoric can be in the form of logic, ethos, or pathos, but used in a more deceiving manner.
Manipulation uses the art of deception, wherein a manipulator studies the psyche of another and discovers connecting symbols and values that can be easily manipulated. It uses win rhetoric because a manipulator is willing to say anything, in order to change or influence another person. An example is a salesperson that lies about the product features to make the product appear more than it actually is. Another example is a politician that uses black propaganda against another candidate, so that he can manipulate the feelings of the voters.

Manipulation can influence people who are easily led by fear, and who are not trained in critical thinking (King, 2010, p.72). Examples are people who can be blackmailed because they can lose their precious status quo. Other examples are people who cannot do extra research and thinking, in order to determine the validity and reliability of the manipulator’s claims. This statement is also a form of manipulation: “You are either with us or against us” (CNN, 2001). When Bush said this, he is manipulating others into supporting him, because he divides decisions into black and white. He creates an illusory nature of one right and one wrong, with the right in his favor. He also uses a commanding tone, which emphasize the role of creating fear, in order to influence people.
Persuasion, manipulation, and seduction are all fruits from the same tree. They just feel and grew in different soils. As a result, they have different ways of influencing people and they are also effective for different people and situations. The most negatively defined is manipulation, while seduction is elevated as a clever symbolic form of pathosized logos. Nonetheless, there are also no clean-cut boundaries between them. Influence is a three-way street, but how do you know if you are always in the path of persuasion or seduction, without stepping into the boundaries of manipulation?

References

Burgoon, J.K., Blair, J.P., & Strom, R.E. (2008). Cognitive biases and nonverbal cue availability in detecting deception. Human Communication Research, 34 (4), 572-599.

CNN (2001, November 6). 'You are either with us or against us.' Retrieved March 12, 2010, from http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/11/06/gen.attack.on.terror/

Erickson, K.V. & Thomson, S. (2004). Seduction theory and the recovery of feminine aesthetics: Implications for rhetorical criticism. Communication Quarterly, 52 (3), 300-319.

Inman, M. (2006, August 24). Pluto Not a Planet, Astronomers Rule.

National Geographic News. Retrieved March 12, 2010, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060824-pluto-planet.html
King, C.L. (2010). Beyond persuasion. Journal of Business Communication, 47 (1), 69-78.

Perloff, R.M. (2003). The dynamics of persuasion: communication and attitudes in the 21st century (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Routledge.

Spitzberg, B., Kam, J., &Roesch, S. (2005). You're nobody 'til somebody loves you: Seeking esteem and commitment through manipulation. International Communication Association, 2005 Annual Meeting, New York, 1-37.