was written. People have a natural tendency to think that a statement
reflects the true attitude of the person who made it. What is surprising
is that they continue to think so even when they know that the person
did not freely choose to make the statement.
Some scientific evidence that this is the case comes from a study by
psychologists Edward Jones and James Harris, who showed people an
essay that was favorable to Fidel Castro and asked them to guess the
true feelings of its author.^8 Jones and Harris told some of these people
that the author had chosen to write a pro-Castro essay; and they told
the other people that the author had been required to write in favor of
Castro. The strange thing was that even those people who knew that
the author had been assigned to do a pro-Castro essay guessed that he
liked Castro. It seems that a statement of belief produces a click, whirr
response in those who view it. Unless there is strong evidence to the
contrary, observers automatically assume that someone who makes
such a statement means it.
Think of the double-barreled effects on the self-image of a prisoner
who wrote a pro-Chinese or anti-American statement. Not only was it
a lasting personal reminder of his action, it was also likely to persuade
those around him that the statement reflected his actual beliefs. And,
as we will see in Chapter 4, what those around us think is true of us is
enormously important in determining what we ourselves think is true.
For example, one study found that after hearing that they were con-
sidered charitable people, New Haven, Connecticut, housewives gave
much more money to a canvasser from the Multiple Sclerosis Associ-
ation.^9 Apparently the mere knowledge that someone viewed them as
charitable caused these women to make their actions consistent with
another’s perception of them.
Once an active commitment is made, then, self-image is squeezed
from both sides by consistency pressures. From the inside, there is a
pressure to bring self-image into line with action. From the outside,
there is a sneakier pressure—a tendency to adjust this image according
to the way others perceive us. And because others see us as believing
what we have written (even when we’ve had little choice in the matter),
we will once again experience a pull to bring self-image into line with
the written statement.
In Korea, several subtle devices were used to get the prisoners to
write, without direct coercion, what the Chinese wanted. For example,
the Chinese knew that many prisoners were eager to let their families
know that they were alive. At the same time, the men knew that their
captors were censoring the mails and that only some letters were being
allowed out of camp. To ensure that their own letters would be released,
some prisoners began including in their messages peace appeals, claims
Robert B. Cialdini Ph.D / 59