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Persuasive Blaming: Use With Caution |
By:
Kenrick Cleveland |
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Persuasive Blaming: Use With Caution
Kenrick Cleveland
In previous articles I've written about using superstition and people's beliefs as a means to persuade. The term 'everything happens for a reason' is one of these concepts; 'there are no accidents' is another. If you've read these articles, you're already familiar with the power that they can hold in persuasion.
The other side of the 'everything happens for a reason'/'there are no accidents' coin is the use of assigning blame. Both concepts require that our client or prospect has a belief in an ordered and equitable universe in order for it to be potently persuasive.
Better hang on here if you are religiously oriented because I'm going to shake the tree just a little bit here. (Disclaimer: My intention is never to intrude on anyone's beliefs or practices because I vehemently believe in Freedom of Religion and to me, this extends to spiritual practice of all kind. But, like it or not, religion and spirituality are intertwined with everything in life and I use the examples below to teach persuasion, not to push my beliefs or dissuade yours.)
In group theory, there's a lot of discussion about enemies, common enemies. One of the greatest ways you can ever use to bond a group is for them to have a common enemy.
The common enemy in Christianity is obviously the devil. This concept is installed in Christians from a very early age through sayings like, 'We as humans are born into a world of sin and the mere act of being born causes us to not be able to get into the life hereafter until and unless we accept Jesus as our savior.'
That's a fairly severe presupposition. What or who is the enemy in this instance? Well, just being born is. We're born into sin. And who is responsible for that? The devil, the common enemy.
This is a great tool. I heard someone say many years ago, 'The devil is the best friend the Christian ever had because without him, there would be no need for a savior.' Think about the word 'savior'. Savior implies someone needs saving. And if you're born into sin, you in fact do need saving.
I am absolutely not debating any of this. I'm being more of a devil's advocate (no pun intended) because I am standing back and removing my own beliefs to point out how you can see this.
None of this is to say that having a common enemy is a bad thing. In fact, I think it's a great thing to use, but carefully and responsibly.
Another advantage of a common enemy who you can't see (such as the devil) is that things such as basic drives and desires can be attributed to the influence of said being. . . (i.e. lust, gluttony, etc.)
We have an inherent need to assign blame. In fact, it's so fundamental to the core of who we are that everybody does this.
And if the religious example weren't enough. . .how about the world of politics? We have a war on terror and a war on poverty going on. If these were actual tangible enemies, I'd be on board to fight the good fight and eliminate both. However, these are virtual common enemies, concepts against which fighting a war is impossible. And yet, they are insanely powerful enemies to most people.
Look to the contrast between 'things happen for a reason' and the concept of blame.
A word of warning: I wouldn't dwell in the land of negativity, it's like a double-edged sword. It cuts going and coming. Be very careful.
Kenrick Cleveland teaches techniques to earn the business of wealthy prospects using http://www.maxpersuasion.com/ persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in http://www.maxpersuasion.com/ persuasion techniques.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article64953.html |
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