Author Topic: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view  (Read 326 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Calavera

  • The Intellectually Deficient of the Aspie Elite
  • Elder
  • Dedicated Postwhore
  • *****
  • Posts: 3735
  • Karma: 358
  • Gender: Male
Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« on: November 19, 2013, 05:55:58 AM »
Has anyone read Cialdini's book on Influence? He has a section dedicated to explaining how the Watergate idiocy came about. It's thanks to the return concession rule or the door-in-the-face technique or what Cialdini refers to as the rejection-then-retreat rule.

Basically, according to Cialdini, what happened was that Mitchell and his associates were manipulated by Liddy's abuse of such a technique and that they had to give in to allowing him to execute some plan, no matter how absurd, because they felt too much psychological pressure to utterly reject what he proposed.

It started out first with Liddy proposing to the council a much more grandiose plan of not only attempting to bug one of the Watergate offices but to also kidnap, assault, and use call-girls to entrap the Democratic politicans. When the council refused to allow Liddy to go through with such a plan, Liddy proposed a less complicated version, which was also rejected.

Some time later, he came up with a third plan, this one was much simpler and only involved bugging the office. This time, the council ended up accepting despite the stupidity of it all (despite their good judgement and all). One of the council members even said, in hindsight, it was stupid of them to agree to such an operation, given that it was guaranteed that Nixon would've won the next elections anyway.

So what happened exactly? Like I said before, they were manipulated through an abuse of one of the principles of social psychology.

According to the door-in-the-face technique, if you request a favor or an agreement or whatever from someone, and he rejects it, he is very likely to agree to your next request should you make a concession and ask for a smaller favor instead. This is because seeing you concede to a smaller request makes him feel guilty if he doesn't make his own concession as well. So he ends up complying with your second request.

So when Liddy "conceded" to a relatively small proposition, and unaware of the psychological factors going on, the committee had no real choice but to let him have his way eventually just so they could relieve the psychological pressure by conceding as well.

Interesting analysis from Cialdini. Share your thoughts.

Offline odeon

  • Witchlet of the Aspie Elite
  • Webmaster
  • Postwhore Beyond Repair
  • *****
  • Posts: 108879
  • Karma: 4482
  • Gender: Male
  • Replacement Despot
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2013, 04:24:30 PM »
I haven't read the book but I know of the theory behind the technique. I have used it myself, with surprisingly good results.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein

Offline Icequeen

  • News Box Slave
  • Insane Postwhore
  • *****
  • Posts: 12027
  • Karma: 2030
  • Gender: Female
  • I peopled today.
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2013, 10:55:21 PM »
"We're all sick of listening to him, so lets do something so he'll finally shut up".

More like the PITA technique...the bigger PITA you are, the more chance you have that eventually people will make
concessions in your favor.

It definitely works, I've seen it in use.

Offline Calavera

  • The Intellectually Deficient of the Aspie Elite
  • Elder
  • Dedicated Postwhore
  • *****
  • Posts: 3735
  • Karma: 358
  • Gender: Male
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2013, 10:55:46 AM »
Yeah, it might work like many other tactics, but some tactics are just more powerful and effective than others.

Odeon, in what context did it work well for you? Were you trying to sell them some product or service? Details please. :zoinks:

And, yes, I know it's a very late reply, but I've been too lazy to regularly post in multiple forums lately.

Offline Semicolon

  • The Punctuated Equilibrium Of The Aspie Elite
  • Elder
  • Insane Postwhore
  • *****
  • Posts: 12344
  • Karma: 693
  • I am an echolalic mastodon.
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2013, 05:50:25 PM »
Yeah, it might work like many other tactics, but some tactics are just more powerful and effective than others.

Odeon, in what context did it work well for you? Were you trying to sell them some product or service? Details please. :zoinks:

And, yes, I know it's a very late reply, but I've been too lazy to regularly post in multiple forums lately.

We're lazy, and we still manage to find the time. :pirateship:
I2 has a smiley for everything. Even a hamster wheel. :hamsterwheel:

Quote from: iamnotaparakeet
Jesus died on the cross to show us that BDSM is a legitimate form of love.
There is only one truth and it is that people do have penises of different sizes and one of them is the longest.

Offline odeon

  • Witchlet of the Aspie Elite
  • Webmaster
  • Postwhore Beyond Repair
  • *****
  • Posts: 108879
  • Karma: 4482
  • Gender: Male
  • Replacement Despot
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2013, 12:15:44 AM »
Odeon, in what context did it work well for you? Were you trying to sell them some product or service? Details please. :zoinks:

Selling, yes. But sorry, I can't give you any details.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein

Offline Semicolon

  • The Punctuated Equilibrium Of The Aspie Elite
  • Elder
  • Insane Postwhore
  • *****
  • Posts: 12344
  • Karma: 693
  • I am an echolalic mastodon.
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2013, 07:28:24 AM »
Odeon, in what context did it work well for you? Were you trying to sell them some product or service? Details please. :zoinks:

Selling, yes. But sorry, I can't give you any details.

You could just say that you were picking up women at the local bar. :orly:
I2 has a smiley for everything. Even a hamster wheel. :hamsterwheel:

Quote from: iamnotaparakeet
Jesus died on the cross to show us that BDSM is a legitimate form of love.
There is only one truth and it is that people do have penises of different sizes and one of them is the longest.

Offline odeon

  • Witchlet of the Aspie Elite
  • Webmaster
  • Postwhore Beyond Repair
  • *****
  • Posts: 108879
  • Karma: 4482
  • Gender: Male
  • Replacement Despot
Re: Watergate operation from a social psychology point of view
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2013, 12:02:55 AM »
Odeon, in what context did it work well for you? Were you trying to sell them some product or service? Details please. :zoinks:

Selling, yes. But sorry, I can't give you any details.

You could just say that you were picking up women at the local bar. :orly:

I could, but that would be a lie.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein