Nature and Dynamics of Social Influence

Book excerpt: The book presents the various ways in which persuasion can be used to make people behave in certain ways without coercion, intimidation, or brute force. It explores the intricacies of social influence processes like self-presentation, impression management, ingratiation, persuasion, manipulative social behavior, and compliance in socio-cultural contexts. Social influence constitutes one of the key themes in the field of social psychology. Contributions in the book highlight social influence behavior and its importance in human social life. The book deepens the reader's understanding of social psychology research on the science and applications of social influence. It invites readers to consider critical questions, such as the interactive effects of personality/disposition and situational factors on social influence. Given its scope, the book is of interest to those in academic fields like social psychology, political science, mass communication, and marketing.