Daniel Pick - Hidden persuasion: from advertising to politics

Daniel Pick, psychoanalyst and Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London, talks to us about subtle and obscure power.

About Daniel Pick
"I’m a Psychoanalyst and Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London.

My research has explored various issues, questions and problems in modern history, politics, culture and the human sciences. I’m also interested in the history of psychoanalysis and the ‘psy’ professions."

Hidden persuasion

A critical set of anxieties centres upon hidden persuasion. During the Second World War and the Cold War, there is concern about its use in extreme and coercive situations. This includes entire populations in thrall to a dictator or party with control over their lives.

Naturally, the matter is explored in the post-war human sciences, as well as in popular culture. Dramatic movies feature prisoners who are captives of a totalitarian regime and are broken down, manipulated and ultimately subjected to brainwashing.

Key Points

• Hidden forces of persuasion have long been of cultural interest. In particular, several movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s highlighted this theme.
• While hidden persuasion may be associated with totalitarian societies, it has been effectively exercised in Western societies through advertising.
• Concerns around hidden persuasion remain highly relevant today as big data platforms allow for the manipulation of behaviour and political sentiment.