Persuade to win: Part 4: Authority

Continuing this series on the Psychology of Persuasion. The 4th principle that Robert Cialdini talks in his book is called “Authority”. People will tend to confer authority on those who possess the trappings associated with power or knowledge such as clothes and titles of positions, especially in areas where we tend to have little or no knowledge. Dressing up therefore can help earn you a fancy work title and gain a position of authority.

Cialdini discusses three symbols of authority which influence behaviour:

• Titles (e.g. “Her Royal Highness”, “Dr”, “General”), 
• Clothing (not just expensive clothes but uniforms, lab coats and other vocational vestments),
• Trappings (luxuries and special contexts or settings that come with status). 

Cialdini refers to the concept of ‘blind obedience’ and the fact that “we are trained from birth to believe that obedience to proper authority is right and disobedience is wrong” 

Dress code of bankers

Bankers in important centers of financial markets such as New York, London and Singapore typically wear business suits every day to impress wealthy clients.

Politicians in India

Most politicians in India would be dressed in in kurta pajama with a khadi jacket and ladies in a saree. The reason being that they want to portray the look of a mass leader and make themselves relatable to the aam-admi.

Chefs

As you may have seen from reality cooking shows, they are seen wearing a white chef coat and sometimes also wearing the tall chef hat.

Advertising Taglines With Reference To Authority :

 Eg: Sensodyne Toothpaste: “Trusted by the experts.”

        Ujala clothes whitener: “ Based upon our laboratory research”

       So called beauty creams: “ Tried and tested formula”

The above examples clearly show that the principle of authority as stated by Cialdini is used extensively not only by advertisers but also by working professionals and the media to influence our behaviour. It may lead to us buying a product or service or respecting someone of authority . It’s important therefore that we understand the power of these trappings and measure our innate psychological response in reaction to these signals.