Power Of Persuasion

Nearly all of us are bombarded with advertisements and situations that attempt to influence our decisions. Many of us face these instances multiple times a day. However, it is how we handle such persuasive situations that truly matters. Robert Levine, author of The Power of Persuasion, draws attention to these ways in which people use persuasion to influence the choices of others. For myself, I believe one of the most persuasive situations I have ever been in occurred when I transferred to a new college and moved away from my childhood home. I was 20 years old at the time when I began searching for and visiting potential colleges to continue my education. I was quite independent despite still living at home with my parents. However, this
I know it was hard for them to accept, yet they knew it was time for me to move on. I think the biggest shock to my parents was when I finally chose a school and accepted my invitation to admission. I had done nearly everything throughout this process without their input, so I did not think to ask their permission when making my final decision. That may be where I faltered. While they knew I must transfer schools to complete my education, that fact did not ward off their shock and hurt when I chose to attend Cal State East Bay, a university that was over three hours from my home town. To add insult to injury, my parents knew virtually nothing of CSUEB, its programs, or campus and surrounding area. They were scared to say the very least.
This is where persuasion enters. Even though, my parents knew my mind had already been made up, it took some convincing from me for them to understand and accept my moving
Unlike Levine, Boeree refers to these traits as “credibility” and “believability” (Boeree, 1999). Boeree also includes additional factors that help to establish trust and likability – “expertness,” “trustworthiness,” and “attractiveness” (Boeree, 1999). While “expertness” does not apply to my situation, Boeree’s definition of trustworthiness is alike to Levine given its focus on honesty with the addition of possible ulterior motives being a red flag to one’s honesty (Boeree, 1999; Levine, 2003). Again, “ulterior motives” does not apply to my situation given it was a necessity if I was to continue my education. I had to ulterior motive for moving to Hayward, which given this element of straightforwardness, I feel added to my honesty in this