Psychology of Influence

The Psychology of Influence provides an up-to-date student-oriented overview of how people are persuaded to change their attitudes, preferences or behavior. It uses international examples from contemporary written texts, TV commercials and social media, and provides an ideal core text for courses on consumer behavior and the psychology of attitudes and persuasion. Whether it’s our choice of a new car or what we think about our neighbours, our opinions and attitudes are a way of negotiating the world around us. The Psychology of Influence explores how these preferences and behaviours are influenced and affected by the messages we receive in daily life. From consumer choices to political, lifestyle and financial decisions, the book examines how and why we may be influenced by a range of sources, from written text and television to social media and interpersonal communication. In a field that has fascinated scholars since Plato, the book addresses the key questions across cognitive, social and emotional domains: When do arguments become persuasive? What influence do role models have? What role do simple rules of thumb, social norms or emotions play? Which behaviours are difficult to influence, and why? Covering topics from attraction, prejudice and discrimination to reward, punishment and unconscious bias, The Psychology of Influence will be invaluable reading for students and researchers across a range of areas within applied and social psychology, as well as those in political science, communications, marketing and business and management.