Techniques of Persuasion

A classic mid‑20th‑century study of propaganda and mass influence, this book examines how opinions are shaped in politics, advertising, religion, and everyday social life. Drawing on psychology and contemporary examples from the postwar world, the author— a British social psychologist known for his work on mass communication—explores the mechanisms of suggestion, group pressure, leadership, and “brainwashing,” separating popular myths from research-based evidence. Clear and accessible in style, it considers why people are persuaded, how attitudes are formed and changed, and what ethical questions arise when persuasion becomes manipulation. Both a period piece and a thoughtful introduction to the psychology of influence, it will interest readers curious about media, propaganda, and the social forces that shape belief.