Georgiy Stepanov, 3-2

Georgiy Stepanov, 3-2

THE PHENOMENON OF PERSUASION:

CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL ROUTES[AL1]

Persuasion is a widespread phenomenon of social psychology, which influences people’s attitudes and opinions. People face it everywhere: in economy, in parent’s behavior, in trade, in religion, and in judgements. A lot of people behave in a certain way, but they may not understand why. What exactly leads to an effective change in social attitude? What factors influence the process of persuasion?

The first studies of this phenomenon began in the United States (at Yale University) in the 1940s. Professor Hovland C. studied the influence of special historical films on the masculinity, selflessness and motivation of soldiers, and paid attention to their involvement in military life (Myers, 2002). Later, in the 1980s, American psychologists (Petty, R. et al., year) took the problem more seriously and developed a model of persuasion. According to scientists, people can convince others in two ways: by influencing knowledge and their interests or by focusing on the emotional sphere of the individual. Afterwards, these routes to persuasion were called «central» and «peripheral» (Petty, Richard, Cacioppo, 1986).

Which of the routes to persuasion do we most often encounter in modern life? Perhaps, this is a rhetorical question. When people make decisions, they often rely on real facts and argumentation, trying to find benefits for themselves. This route was called «central». On the other hand, many people tend to give in to emotions, to ignore scientific information and to do, what their heart tells them. Emotionally labile people become subject to such a route as «the peripheral» one (Petty, Cacioppo, 1984). It is often used in the field of advertising. With its help, companies attract customers and buyers and increase sales of goods and services.

Which route to persuasion is the most effective? This question is currently quite relevant. It is worth noting, this phenomenon has a situational nature and also depends on secondary factors (Petty, Wegener, Fabrigar, 1997). The products of the company «Apple» is in great demand on the trade market. Teenagers buy the latest models, guided by «the peripheral route». They see famous people, actors, singers, and politicians, and convince themselves, that by purchasing a phone, they can achieve the same success and popularity. Adults trust the quality of a product. They read reviews, learn about the features of technical equipment and buy this item. The influence of persuasion on people's social attitudes is directly related to their age: an elderly person is more influenced by «the central route».

Personal experience is the second factor, that influences persuasion. For some people, buying new sneakers «Nike» is an attempt to appear fashionable and similar to their idol. Other people, on the contrary, buy a product according to its quality: for example, convenience of using during sports and good sliding. An athlete will never buy shoes for creating a false image of himself, he will rely on quality characteristics. So, he will follow «the central route».

In many situations these routes are related to each other - they do not exist alone. An excellent example of it is the advertising of state elections to amend the Russian Constitution. The simultaneous representation of famous actors and ordinary citizens demonstrates the general nature of this phenomenon. It is important to achieve results, but how – this is a secondary question.

In conclusion, I would like to note, that it is pointless to talk about the greater effectiveness of two routes. Each person has a different character and temperament, different life principles and goals. Persuasion influences people's decisions and actions in different ways, but it leads to the same result. The only thing is that «the central route» is more reliable and carries permanent changes.

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