Methods of Persuasion: How to Use Psychology to Influence Human Behavior

by Nick Kolenda

You should never position negative information or weak arguments first because of a potentially harmful principle known as the inoculation effect (McGuire, 1964).

Whenever a freedom becomes limited, we react. Literally. It’s called psychological reactance (Brehm, 1966). When we perceive a particular freedom becoming restricted, we feel a natural tendency to maintain or recapture that freedom.

commodity theory (Brock, 1968). This theory proposes that people place higher value on something when it’s perceived to be limited and unavailable, compared to when it’s plentiful and abundant.