How To Use Reverse Psychology To Persuade, In 5 Steps
Reverse psychology is one of the concepts linked to psychology that have garnered the most fame at a popular level. You don’t have to be a university graduate to have ever heard, even in a superficial way, what this type of resource used especially in persuasion consists of.
However, it is one thing to know the what and quite another thing to master the how. And the idea that reverse psychology basically consists of asking for one thing to get the opposite done is totally fallacious. If this worked that way, no society would exist or be able to sustain itself, since our collective lives are based on constantly making requests, delegating tasks, giving orders, etc.
In the following lines we will see precisely basic and fundamental ideas about how to use reverse psychology in persuasion processes.
Getting to the core, we can define reverse psychology as a process by which we increase the likelihood that a person or group will engage in a task by communicating a frame of reference through which it is indicated that they should do the opposite. That means that it does not simply consist of giving an order for others to do actions opposite to it, but rather it works taking into account the roles of each person and the expectations that are at stake.
Fundamentally, reverse psychology consists of shifting people’s attention to an aspect of the situation that gives reasons to behave in a manner apparently opposite to that suggested who has released that information. Creating the impression that a communication error has occurred, in short, clearly showing which option is preferable and which is not.
Whether or not to use reverse psychology depends on a series of context-dependent moral considerations. For example, if it involves giving false information, its moral implications will not be the same as if one works at all times with objectively correct information. The fact that what is said is true or false goes beyond the concept of reverse psychology, it is something independent of it.
That said, let’s see how to use this persuasion strategy step by step.
1. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the action you want to promote
The action option that you would like to be chosen by the other person (or by the group of people you will address) necessarily has advantages and disadvantages.
So, start by distinguishing these positive and negative aspects so that you can take them into account at all times. When using reverse psychology, you should create a framework in which at least one of these advantages is clearly presented and the possibility of thinking about the disadvantages is discouraged. For example, going to the gym has the advantages of offering a habit that makes us feel good, improves our health and reinforces our self-esteem, but it requires physical effort and costs money.
2. Discover a frame of reference that may be attractive
Based on what you know about the person or people you are going to address, think about those aspects of the action you want to promote that may be more attractive. For example, in the case of going to the gym, this element could be the fact of looking fitter and having the admiration of other people when they see your progress.
3. Plan from which role you are going to speak
This is important, since one of the keys to knowing how to use reverse psychology is to keep in mind that part of its power is based on assuming a role to which the other person should oppose, although not from hostility. . That is, we must embody something that represents a “category” in which, right off the bat, the other person does not feel included or even opposes it.
For example, this can even be done when talking to a friend if we take as reference any of the characteristics in which we most differ or oppose each other. Something that illustrates this well would be taking advantage of the role of “older brother”, although speaking from its not so fraternal aspect as it regulates the behavior of those who are in his care. If we imply that an older brother is not a perfect machine for defining what is best for his younger brothers or sisters, it is easy to generate this subtle, transitory antagonism.
4. Offer the option you want to promote as if it were a temptation
Working from the previous step, create a frame of reference for the conversation that makes it clear that you are speaking from that role in which your interlocutor or interlocutors are not included and can easily have conflicting interests.
Thus, introduce the idea of carrying out the action you want to promote making it seem tempting but at the same time not recommended from the point of view of the role from which you speak (and towards which the listener has an antagonistic predisposition from the beginning). That is, it is not recommended from a dysfunctional or meaningless logic unless you embrace a role that you do not feel is your own.
5. Use a false dichotomy
To make the action you want to promote attract more attention, you can use a false dichotomy. Speak as if there were two possible options: choose that option or, on the contrary, another that you apparently recommend, the latter only because you speak from a certain role. So, It is not even necessary to focus on apparently attacking what you are actually encouraging to do but you can focus on praising the qualities and advantages of the other option, in a way that is not at all attractive to others.
