Resistance & Persuasion
Masters course (2022)
Course code: 880080-M-6
Tilburg University
Course summary including;
Weekly lecture notes
Learning Goals
Key terms, theories, and models.
Lecture Notes..................................................................................................................................2
Lecture 1 | Introduction................................................................................................................2
Lecture 2 | Underlying psychological processes I: Self-control..................................................2
Lecture 3 | Underlying psychological processes II: Advertising Literacy...................................4
Lecture 4 | Underlying psychological processes III: Physiological Reactance & Politeness
Theory..........................................................................................................................................5
Lecture 5 | Receivers’ resistance strategies I...............................................................................7
Lecture 6 | Receivers’ resistance strategies II & Sender strategies to overcome resistance I:
Alpha and omega strategies for change.......................................................................................8
Lecture 7 | Sender Strategies to overcome resistance II: Narrative Persuasion and Self-
persuasion..................................................................................................................................10
Lecture 8 | Sender strategies to overcome resistance II: Emotions............................................11
Lecture 9 | Sender strategies to overcome resistance III: Disclosures & endorsers..................13
Learning Goals.............................................................................................................................14
Learning Goal 1.........................................................................................................................14
Learning Goal 2.........................................................................................................................17
Learning Goal 3.........................................................................................................................19
Key terms, Models, and Theories...............................................................................................22
, Lecture Notes
Lecture 1 | Introduction
Resistance to persuasion -> starts at the receiver (think of mailbox stickers, skipping video ads,
avoiding fundraisers). This is up to the receiver.
Persuasion is not always about selling products, it can also be about warnings. For example,
health & environmental campaigns. These are also the campaigns that generally cause the
biggest resistance.
To succeed in persuasion, you must understand resistance first. This is the most important
element. Resistance to persuasion can be defined as not agreeing/avoiding:
As a reaction against change;
The ability to withstand persuasion;
As an outcome: not being moved by pressure;
As a motivational statement.
Lecture 2 | Underlying psychological processes I: Self-control
Chugging: charitable (good cause) muggers (‘robbing’)
Working towards the end request by starting with a different request. From there you can work
towards the target (main) request.
This happens in a sequence = sequential request technique. These requests are a class of
persuasive methods that depend on requests and persuasive statements being carried out
in a specific sequence. Examples of this are:
Foot-in-the-door: a compliance tactic that assumes agreeing to a small request increases
the likelihood of agreeing to a second, larger request.
o Heuristic principle of consistency
Door-in-the-face: a compliance method whereby the persuader attempts to convince the
respondent to comply by making a large request that the respondent will most likely turn
down. The respondent is then more likely to agree to a second, more reasonable request,
than if that same request is made in isolation.
, o Heuristic principle of reciprocity (returning favor)
That’s-not-all: a two-step procedure for enhancing compliance that consists of (a)
presenting an initial large request and then, before the person can respond, (b)
immediately making the request more attractive by reducing it to a more modest target
request or by offering some additional benefit.
Disrupt-then-reframe: a persuasion technique for enhancing compliance in which one
uses an odd request to surprise or confuse another person before following up with a new
framing of the same request.
Lowball: a technique designed to gain compliance by making a very attractive initial
offer to induce a person to accept the offer and then making the terms less favorable.
Automaticity is the cornerstone of all influence techniques -> automatic, mindless compliance in
a social influence situation: depletion!
These initial requests eventually cause self-control depletion, meaning you run out of the ability
to control yourself (exhausting, fatigue). When depleted, you rely on decisional heuristics
(consistency, reciprocity, authority, liking, etc) if they are present.
Heuristics = all that is mind-programmed. Mental shortcuts to reduce task complexity, ease the
cognitive load of making decisions. Such as an educated guess. The use of ‘because’ is also a
strong heuristic.
The requests are most effective when they are high involving: 1) they demand cognitive actions
(can be any complex task) and on top of that 2) ask for active, in favor, self-presentation
(maintaining a good image of yourself).
Depletion causes less resistance to counterargue -> you do not consider arguments that much
anymore. Heuristics might take over.
Two-stage model. Stage 1: from initial request to depletion. Stage 2: from depletion to
compliance, eventually moderated by heuristics.
Masters course (2022)
Course code: 880080-M-6
Tilburg University
Course summary including;
Weekly lecture notes
Learning Goals
Key terms, theories, and models.
Lecture Notes..................................................................................................................................2
Lecture 1 | Introduction................................................................................................................2
Lecture 2 | Underlying psychological processes I: Self-control..................................................2
Lecture 3 | Underlying psychological processes II: Advertising Literacy...................................4
Lecture 4 | Underlying psychological processes III: Physiological Reactance & Politeness
Theory..........................................................................................................................................5
Lecture 5 | Receivers’ resistance strategies I...............................................................................7
Lecture 6 | Receivers’ resistance strategies II & Sender strategies to overcome resistance I:
Alpha and omega strategies for change.......................................................................................8
Lecture 7 | Sender Strategies to overcome resistance II: Narrative Persuasion and Self-
persuasion..................................................................................................................................10
Lecture 8 | Sender strategies to overcome resistance II: Emotions............................................11
Lecture 9 | Sender strategies to overcome resistance III: Disclosures & endorsers..................13
Learning Goals.............................................................................................................................14
Learning Goal 1.........................................................................................................................14
Learning Goal 2.........................................................................................................................17
Learning Goal 3.........................................................................................................................19
Key terms, Models, and Theories...............................................................................................22
, Lecture Notes
Lecture 1 | Introduction
Resistance to persuasion -> starts at the receiver (think of mailbox stickers, skipping video ads,
avoiding fundraisers). This is up to the receiver.
Persuasion is not always about selling products, it can also be about warnings. For example,
health & environmental campaigns. These are also the campaigns that generally cause the
biggest resistance.
To succeed in persuasion, you must understand resistance first. This is the most important
element. Resistance to persuasion can be defined as not agreeing/avoiding:
As a reaction against change;
The ability to withstand persuasion;
As an outcome: not being moved by pressure;
As a motivational statement.
Lecture 2 | Underlying psychological processes I: Self-control
Chugging: charitable (good cause) muggers (‘robbing’)
Working towards the end request by starting with a different request. From there you can work
towards the target (main) request.
This happens in a sequence = sequential request technique. These requests are a class of
persuasive methods that depend on requests and persuasive statements being carried out
in a specific sequence. Examples of this are:
Foot-in-the-door: a compliance tactic that assumes agreeing to a small request increases
the likelihood of agreeing to a second, larger request.
o Heuristic principle of consistency
Door-in-the-face: a compliance method whereby the persuader attempts to convince the
respondent to comply by making a large request that the respondent will most likely turn
down. The respondent is then more likely to agree to a second, more reasonable request,
than if that same request is made in isolation.
, o Heuristic principle of reciprocity (returning favor)
That’s-not-all: a two-step procedure for enhancing compliance that consists of (a)
presenting an initial large request and then, before the person can respond, (b)
immediately making the request more attractive by reducing it to a more modest target
request or by offering some additional benefit.
Disrupt-then-reframe: a persuasion technique for enhancing compliance in which one
uses an odd request to surprise or confuse another person before following up with a new
framing of the same request.
Lowball: a technique designed to gain compliance by making a very attractive initial
offer to induce a person to accept the offer and then making the terms less favorable.
Automaticity is the cornerstone of all influence techniques -> automatic, mindless compliance in
a social influence situation: depletion!
These initial requests eventually cause self-control depletion, meaning you run out of the ability
to control yourself (exhausting, fatigue). When depleted, you rely on decisional heuristics
(consistency, reciprocity, authority, liking, etc) if they are present.
Heuristics = all that is mind-programmed. Mental shortcuts to reduce task complexity, ease the
cognitive load of making decisions. Such as an educated guess. The use of ‘because’ is also a
strong heuristic.
The requests are most effective when they are high involving: 1) they demand cognitive actions
(can be any complex task) and on top of that 2) ask for active, in favor, self-presentation
(maintaining a good image of yourself).
Depletion causes less resistance to counterargue -> you do not consider arguments that much
anymore. Heuristics might take over.
Two-stage model. Stage 1: from initial request to depletion. Stage 2: from depletion to
compliance, eventually moderated by heuristics.
