As the author of Maximum
Influence, Kurt W. Mortensen states, “The proper fusion of emotion and
logic will speak to both the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind and
increase your ability to persuade” (Mortensen 138). That is, the Law of Balance
explains that in order to be an effective persuader, you must be able to use
the proper amount of emotion and logic based on who you are trying to persuade.
Whenever I’m trying to persuade someone I always put this law into effect. In
order to persuade someone you have to explain to them why what you have
proposed makes sense logically, as well as tie them in emotionally. But since
every person on Earth is unique you need to be able to adjust the balance of
how much logic and emotion you use on each person. Some people may be more
persuaded by logic, others by emotion, and some want an equal amount of both. I
use this law when I try to persuade my different professors, my parents,
friends, and my sister. For example, most of my professors are more persuaded
by logic when I try to convince them, while my parents want a balance of logic
and emotion. More often than not I am effective when I use this law, but there
are times when I’m unsuccessful because I used the wrong amount of logic and
emotion. As the semester goes on I want to continue to strengthen my
understanding of this law and how it can be used to its full potential. I have
a good understanding of the Law of Balance now, but it never hurts to continue
to improve and better yourself whenever you get the opportunity to do so.
During my senior year of high school my cat Lilly had
just turned two years old. I had noticed that she was sleeping more than usual
and tacked on a few extra pounds, which is the nice way of saying she was
becoming rather obese. She also didn’t have any motivation to get up and do
anything because she was the only pet in the house. One day I saw that a kitten
had been brought into the humane society and was just a couple of weeks old. To
say the least she was precious and I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her
picture. I saw that it was the perfect opportunity to get another cat not just
to fulfill my need of having her, but to make life better for Lilly. I
immediately approached my mother, who conveniently had the day off, and told
her about the kitten. My mom was hesitant when I told her that we should buy
another cat, but I was more than determined to get her to see things my way. As
I pointed to an obese Lilly, who was sleeping on the couch, I told my mom that
Lilly’s weight wasn’t a good thing. I explained to her that the weight she was
carrying around couldn’t be good for her health, and my mother agreed. I used
the power of logic to explain that healthier cats are happier cats, and an
energetic kitten could solve that problem in an instant. The kitten would force
Lilly to play and get her some more exercise, and she would be happy to have a
new playmate instead of being alone all day. I topped off my persuasive attempt
by telling my mom how happy she would be to have an adorable kitten running
around and playing with anything she could get her paws on. The emotional side
of my argument seemed to persuade her most because my mom loves adorable
animals, so there was no question in her mind that she would love a new kitten.
In the end I successfully persuaded my mother to adopt that kitten, her name
being Lola, and she has successfully helped Lilly drop her weight. They play
together all of the time and it is warming to watch them run around doing cat
stuff. I’m glad I was able to effectively persuade my mother to adopt Lola
through the Law of Balance.
Last year my mom was contemplating putting my sister into
a different school district because the one she was in no longer delivered a
quality education. She was worried that my sister would miss her friends
because despite the frustration of the declining education the school district
offered, she enjoyed her plethora of friends. My sister didn’t mind going to
another school, but she admitted that she would miss her friends. I felt that
my sister should go to a different school because a quality education is the
foundation to a successful future. I told my mom my opinion, when she asked me,
and explained that her new school would not only offer a better education, but
a good experience in the classroom would probably lead to new friendships. Not
only did I explain that it was a logical choice in terms of education, but I
included positive emotions by explaining that my sister will gain new
friendships that will make her even happier. It was essentially a win-win
situation at her new school and fortunately my sister was accepted into the new
school she is currently attending. I like to think that I played some role in persuading
my mom to make the choice she wanted to (thereby supporting her) because my
sister is so happy at her new school, way more than any point at her old one,
which makes me happy.
Whenever I get the chance to go outside and play
basketball on a warm summer day I take full advantage of that opportunity. Most
of the time I will try to persuade my friends to come and join me play
basketball. On the very, very rare occasions my friends aren’t in the mood to
play basketball I persuade them to join me by using the Law of Balance. I use
logic by explaining to them that playing basketball is good for their health
and that getting fresh air is a great thing. I then use emotion by reminding
them of the countless memories and good times we have had on the basketball
court ever since we became friends; I try to explain that there is no way we
won’t have fun. I’m almost always effective in getting my friends to come and
play basketball because I am able to use the correct amount of logic and
emotion when I attempt to persuade them.
As the semester has progressed I am happy to say that I
have been learning how to use the Law of Dissonance in a successful manner. According
to Kurt W. Mortensen, “The Law of Dissonance states that people will naturally
act in a manner that is consistent with their cognitions and commitments”
(Mortensen 93). To stay with the tradition I have followed this entire
semester, I have been testing my ability to use this law on the guinea pig
known as my sister. The other day I saw that my sister was reaching for one of
my favorite snacks, an apple, in the refrigerator. I don’t mind sharing things
with other people, but when it comes to my fruit I’m a different person. When I
realized what her intentions were as her arm stretched towards my apple I shot
up from the couch and quickly approached her. I asked her what she was doing
and she told me that she was getting a snack. With a look of betrayal on my
face I asked my sister if she knew that I loved apples, and she replied yes.
Then I asked her if she liked apples as much as me, and she knows I love fruit,
and she told me that it was highly unlikely. I explained to her that I knew she
liked chips way more than she liked apples and that it would be wrong of her to
eat that apple when chips were available. She looked at the apple, handed it to
me, grabbed some chips, and walked to her room. When I realized that I
persuaded her I gave myself a fist pump because I was able to create enough pressure
on her self-image so that she grabbed the chips instead of eating my apple to
keep her actions in line with her beliefs. She reduced her dissonance by
choosing the chips and once again my sister has helped my ability to use
persuasive techniques grow.
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