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The Social Psychology of Con Artists

A great con artist is a great persuader.  A con man must persuade a mark to trust him.  Usually a con involves a mark thinking that he is part of the con - a co-con artist.  How does a con artist con you?  By using principles of social psychology.While social psychology is a broad topic, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, lists six main principles of persuasion: reciprocation; commitment and consistency; social proof; authority; liking; scarcity.  In a fascinating book (upon which this article is based), a con man illustrates the principles of persuasion.  How does a con man get you to like him?  Here's how:   Mr Lovell draws people in by mirroring their body language. He breaks their defences by entering their physical space.This is the liking principle at work...continue to full post

Full post as published by Crime & Federalism on May 04, 2009 (boomark / email).