Have you heard of the Korean War’s American POWs? Did you see them as defectors or victims of psychological manipulation? How were the same techniques used for sales applied to war?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Persuasion tactics<\/a> and the psychology of commitment were used to solicit collaboration with the Chinese Communists. Learn about the psychological manipulation of Korean War American POWs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The Consistency Principle says that humans have an obsession with sticking to their guns. Consistency is closely related to commitment. Once we\u2019ve committed to a course of action or to a belief, we pressure ourselves to conform to that commitment. <\/strong>We go through great mental gymnastics to convince ourselves that our current behavior and beliefs align with our past behavior and beliefs, even when they clearly don\u2019t. This principle can be used for psychological manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience of Korean War’s American POWs held by the Chinese Communists during the Korean War is a telling example of how the Consistency Principle can radically alter someone\u2019s beliefs and behavior through even small, token acts of prior commitment. The Chinese engaged in what they called a \u201clenient policy\u201d toward their captives. Unlike their North Korean allies, they didn\u2019t physically beat or torture their American captives. Instead, they engaged in a long campaign of psychological warfare against them. In doing so, the Chinese were able to get these POWs to collaborate with their captors and inform on one another. <\/strong>In fact, American authorities concluded that virtually all <\/em>Chinese-held American POWs in the Korean War collaborated with their captors in some way.<\/strong>The Commitment Trick: The Story of The Korean War American POWs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nStarting Small<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n