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July 14, 2004
Penpals in prison -- persuasion or manipulation?
I just got off the phone with a reporter doing a story on the growing trend of women emailing prison inmates. I'm not an expert on this genre of website, but understanding psychology helps shed light on why people do this.The names of some of the sites . . . seeking lo Talked with a reporter doing a story on the growing trend of women writing inmates. She was concerned that the inmates and the sites don't tell the whole story, such as the child molester who talks about making a few mistakes but how he seeks someone to build his world around, etc. 1. Understand the psychological drive for intimate relationships2. Understand how people think (or don't think)People don't think rationally about the outcome, much like the lottery. 3. Understand the power of hopeP email penpals in prison Baumeister -- do whatever it takes to have one initiate relationshipText strips out other social cues (voice, appearance). People then see what they want to see -- construal. Feeds off of hope, a powerful motivator. Inmates know how to push the right buttons.The sites know how to make it seem possible -- testimonials and stories. Not so different from the psychology of lottery -- people ignore the odds, pay attention to stories. They do this for hope -- something to help feel better. Hope is the underlying driver. Hope is the basis for religion. It's the same thing as lottery -- people doPosted by at July 14, 2004 09:53 AM
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