Forces of Habit

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Print The Essence Written in 1984, Influence is a classic in the fields of marketing and sales that validates and categorizes the six key principles of human influence. Our lives are ruled by the automatic behavior patterns that govern human nature. With more information than ever available, our brains compartmentalize models of action that make up a majority of the conscious decisions we make. These mental shortcuts have been harnessed as ‘Weapons of Influence’ by compliance practitioners to exploit what science has discovered […]

The Road to Character by David Brooks Print The Essence Brooks addresses his core issue with western modern culture; we are too achievement oriented. Using a selection of autobiographical examples, Brooks criticizes our obsession with “the Big Self” to emphasize the merits of developing character. To Brooks ‘character’ is two things. First, it is a settled disposition to do good. Moral goodness requires we escape the pattern of pleasure-seeking, and resolve to follow our callings while also identifying the core sins of ourselves so that they may be conquered. Secondly, […]

The Social Animal by David Brooks Print The Essence In the form of a story, Brook’s attempts to dethrone what some would consider the center of the human experience; the conscious mind. Recent advancements in the science of the mind have been used to study the unconscious processes that influence our day to day lives such as our emotions, perceptions, and intuitions. Scientist’s agree that a majority of what makes us human is not the autobiographical stories that we tell ourselves, it’s the parts of the mind that we do […]

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell Print The Essence The conventional wisdom underlying what we identify as advantages and disadvantages are not for everyone. To beat the Goliath’s (giants), the David’s (underdogs) can choose to play by a different set of rules. Once the underdogs realize it is the perspective that they take that impacts the outcome, obstacles, weakness, and adversity become the tools that breed strength, resilience, and grit. David and Goliath Summary Journal Entry: This is my book summary of David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. My notes […]