Influence Science and Practice

Influence Science and Practice

Compliance principle number one is reciprocation and is a type of social norm that influences our behaviors. The rule of reciprocation says, “We should try to repay in kind what another person has provided us.” In other words, “a favor for a favor”. By virtue of the reciprocity rule we are indebted to future repayment whether in form of a favor returned, gifts, invitations, etc. This rule operates on one simple foundation, that we tend to feel obligated to return favors after people do favors for us. The lecture gives an example of this when a university professor sends Christmas cards to strangers, the response he received was incredible, and oddly enough he received many holiday cards back to him that never inquired for his identity. Although small in scope it shows that action of one of the most potent influence around us, the rule of reciprocation.

We’ve all been taught to live up to the reciprocity rule, that if someone does a favor for us we are to return that favor. My first gut reaction to a person who doesn’t return a favor would be a ‘freeloader’ someone (usually not term I’d use on a friend) but someone who asks for favors and doesn’t give any in return. Another word that comes to mind is a ‘leech’. Let’s face it no one wants to be considered either of those terms. We will go to great lengths to avoid being called either of those terms. It is to those lengths we will often be taken and in the process be taken by the person who stands to gain by our indebtedness.

Psychologist Dennis Regan conducted the Art appreciation experiment. There were two raters. One rater was only posing as a subject but his actual assistant. Experiment took place in two different conditions. Joe did a small favor for subject; he left and returned back with a coke for the subject and one for himself. In other case he returned empty handed and no coke for the subject. All other aspects he behaved identically. He then asked...