Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T04:10:17.010Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Yang and Yin in Communication: Towards a Typology and Logic of Persuasion in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Li Liu*
Affiliation:
Beijing Normal University
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In contrast to the individualistically focused paradigm, this article suggests that persuasion is a relationship- and context-specific phenomenon. The article analyses how interpersonal and mass persuasion operates in Chinese daily life. The key concepts of filial piety and guanxi as a major feature of persuasion in the public sphere are thoroughly analysed. It is argued that persuasion is indispensable in dialogical relationships between the self and other, and between the individual and society; yet at the same time it is indigenous to the socio-cultural context.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © ICPHS 2008

References

Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Bartlett, F.C. (1940) Political Propaganda. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bi, J. and D'Agostino, F. (2004) ‘The Doctrine of Filial Piety: A Philosophical Analysis of the Concealment Case ’, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 31: 451–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumer, H. (1969) Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Brown, L., Macintyre, K. and Trujillo, L. (2003) ‘Interventions to Reduce HIV/AIDS Stigma: What Have We Learned?’, AIDS Education and Prevention, 15: 4969.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaiken, S. (1980) ‘Heuristic versus Systematic Information Processing and the Use of Source versus Message Cues in Persuasion’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39: 752–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, J. (2000) ‘The Power of Propaganda ’, Journal of Contemporary History, 35: 679–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, X.P. and Chen, C.C. (2004) ‘On the Intricacies of the Chinese Guanxi: A Process Model of Guanxi Development’, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 21: 305–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, G.M. and Starosta, W.J. (1997) ‘Chinese Conflict Management and Resolution Overview and Implications’, Intercultural Communication Studies, 7: 116.Google Scholar
Cialdini, R. (2004) ‘The Language of Persuasion’, Harvard Management Update, 9: 1011.Google Scholar
Cialdini, R. (2001) Influence: Science and Practice, 4th edn. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Craig, R.T. (1999) ‘Communication Theory as a Field’, Communication Theory, 9: 119–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crano, W.D. and Prislin, R. (2006) ‘Attitudes and Persuasion’, Annual Review of Psychology, 57: 401–21.Google Scholar
Denton, R.E. (1980) ‘The Rhetorical Functions of Slogans: Classifications and Characteristics’, Communication Quarterly, 28: 1018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutsch, F.M. (2004) ‘How Parents Influence the Life Plans of Graduating Chinese University Students’, Journal of Family Studies, 35: 393421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eagly, A.H. and Chaiken, S. (1993) The Psychology of Attitudes. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt.Google Scholar
Farr, R.M. (1991) ‘Individualism as a Collective Representation’, in Aebischer, V., Deconchy, J. P. and Lipiansky, E. M. (eds), Idéologies et représentations sociales, pp. 129–43. Cousset: Del Val.Google Scholar
Feng, Y. (1948) A Short History of Chinese Philosophy. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Fiske, A.P., Kitayama, S., Markus, H.R. and Nisbett, R.E. (1998) ‘The Cultural Matrix of Social Psychology’, in Gilbert, D., Fiske, S. and Lindzey, G. (eds), The Handbook of Social Psychology, 4th edn, Vol. 2, pp. 915–81. Boston: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
French, J.R.P. and Raven, B.H. (1959) ‘The Bases of Social Power’, in Cartwright, D. (ed.), Studies in Social Power, pp. 150–67. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.Google Scholar
Fukuyama, F. (1995) Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Garret, M. (1993) ‘Classical Chinese Conceptions of Argumentation and Persuasion’, Argumentation and Advocacy, 29: 105–15.Google Scholar
Goffman, E. (1967) Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-face Behavior. New York: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar
Gouldner, A.W. (1960) ‘The Norm of Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement’, American Sociological Review, 25: 161–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ho, D.Y. (1976) ‘On the Concept of Face ’, American Journal of Sociology, 81: 867–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ho, D.Y. (1998) ‘Interpersonal Relationships and Relationships Dominance: An Analysis Based on Methodological Relationalism’, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 1: 116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hovland, C. I., ed. (1957) The Order of Presentation in Persuasion. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Hovland, C.I., Janis, I.L. and Kelley, H.H. (1953) Communications and Persuasion: Psychological Studies in Opinion Change. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Hovland, C.I., Lumsdaine, A.A. and Sheffield, F.D. (1949) Experiments in Mass Communication: Studies in Social Psychology in World War II, Vol. 3. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Hsiung, R.O. and Bagozzi, R.P. (2003) ‘Validating the Relationship Qualities of Influence and Persuasion with the Family Relations Model’, Human Communication Research, 29: 81110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hwang, K.K. (1987) ‘Face and Vavor: The Chinese Power Game’, American Journal of Sociology, 92: 944–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hwang, K.K. (1997) ‘Guanxi and Mientze: Conflict Resolution in Chinese Society’, Intercultural Communication Studies, 7: 1742.Google Scholar
Hwang, K.K. (1999) ‘Filial Piety and Loyalty: Two Types of Social Identification in Confucianism’, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2: 163–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hwang, K.K. (2001) ‘The Deep Structure of Confucianism: A Social Psychological Approach’, Asian Philosophy, 11: 179204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelman, H.C. (2006) ‘Interests, Relationships, Identities: Three Central Issues for Individuals and Groups in Negotiating Their Social Environments’, Annual Review of Psychology, 57: 126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, S. and Cushman, D., eds (1992) Political Communication. New York: SUNY Press.Google Scholar
King, A.Y.C. and Bond, M.H. (1985) ‘The Confucian Paradigm of Man: A Sociological View’, in Tseng, W.-S. and Wu, D. Y. H. (eds), Chinese Culture and Mental Health, pp. 2945. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasswell, H.D. (1927) ‘The Theory of Political Propaganda’, American Political Science Review, 21: 627–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasswell, H.D. (1948) ‘The Structure and Function of Communication in Society’, in Bryson, L. (ed.), The Communication of Ideas, pp. 3751. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Lee, M.B., Wu, Z.Y., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Detels, R., Guan, J.H., and Li, L. (2005) ‘HIV-related Stigma among Market Workers in China’, Health Psychology, 24: 435–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, M.C. (1997) ‘The Properties and Functions of Chinese Important Social Relationships: Parents and Children' (in Chinese). Paper presented at the Vocational Class of Indigenous Psychology, National Taiwan University.Google Scholar
Li, M.C. (n.d.) Class of Indigenous Psychology. Taipei: National Taiwan University.Google Scholar
Liu, L. (2002) Quality of life in China: A social representational approach. PhD thesis, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of London.Google Scholar
Liu, L. (2006) ‘Quality of Life as a Social Representation in China: A Qualitative Study’, Social Indicators Research, 75: 214–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, L. (2007) ‘Filial Piety, Guanxi, Loyalty and Money: Trust in China’, in Marková, I. and Gillespie, A. (eds), Trust and Distrust: Sociocultural Perspectives, pp. 5177. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.Google Scholar
Lu, X. (1999) ‘An Ideological/Cultural Analysis of Political Slogans in Communist China’, Discourse and Society, 10: 487508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marková, I. (2003) Dialogicality and Social Representations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McGuire, W.J. (1964) ‘Inducing Resistance to Persuasion: Some Contemporary Approaches’, in Berkowitz, L. (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 1, pp. 191229. New York: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moscovici, S. (1961/76) La Psychanalyse, son image et son public. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.Google Scholar
Orina, M., Wood, W. and Simpson, J.A. (2002) ‘Strategies of Influence in Close Relationships’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 459–72.Google Scholar
Petty, R.E. and Cacioppo, J.T. (1981) Attitude and Persuasion: Classic and Contemporary Approaches. Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown.Google Scholar
Petty, R.E. and Cacioppo, J.T. (1986) ‘The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion ’, in Berkowitz, L. (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 19, pp. 123205. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Petty, R.E., Cacioppo, J.T. and Goldman, R. (1981) ‘Personal Involvement as a Determinant of Argument-based Persuasion’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41: 847–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petty, R.E. and Wegener, D.T. (1998) ‘Attitude Change: Multiple Roles for Persuasion Variables’, in Gilbert, D., Fiske, S. and Lindzey, G. (eds), The Handbook of Social Psychology, 4th edn, pp. 323–90. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Spence, J.T. (1985) ‘Achievement American Style: The Rewards and Costs of Individualism ’, American Psychologist, 40: 1285–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, M. (1951) The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.Google Scholar
Wood, W. (2000) ‘Attitude Change: Persuasion and Social Influence’, Annual Review of Psychology, 51: 539–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xia, M. (2005) ‘A Research Study in the Social Prevention Mode of HIV/AIDS in China’, Shanghai Academy of Social Science in cooperation with the Ford Foundation.Google Scholar
Yan, Y. (1999) ‘Rural Youth and Youth Culture in North China’, Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 23: 7597.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yang, L.S. (1957) ‘The Concept of Pao as a Basis for Social Relations in China’, in Fairbank, J. (ed.), Chinese Thought and Institutions, pp. 291309. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Yang, M.M. (1994) Gifts, Favours and Banquets: The Art of Social Relationships in China. New York: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Yeh, K.H., and Bedford, O. (2004) ‘Filial Belief and Parent—Child Conflict’, International Journal of Psychology, 39, 132–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yue, X.D. and Cheung, C. (2000) ‘Selection of Favourite Idols and Models among Chinese Young People: a Comparative Study in Hong Kong and Nanjing ’, International Journal of Behavioural Development, 24: 91–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zang, X. (2003) ‘Network Resources and Job Search in Urban China’, Journal of Sociology. 39: 115–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, E.Y. (2005) ‘Rethinking Sexual Repression in Maoist China: Structure, Ideology, and the Ownership of the Body’, Body & Society, 11: 125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar