đ€ Reciprocity
In 1976, a sociologist named Phillip Kunz sent out Christmas cards along with his family picture to a bunch of strangers.Â
These were people he never met, they hadnât heard of him before and expressed no interest in knowing him.Â
Yet, to Kunzâs surprise the holiday cards came pouring back from these people even though they had no idea who Phillip was.Â
Most people who responded here were merely reciprocating to Phillipâs initial gesture.Â
Reciprocity - a useful social model that can help not only to build good relationships but also good businesses.Â
Idea of Reciprocity
It refers to the norm in which we feel a sense of obligation when we receive something positive.
Even if you do not like someone, there is a good chance that if employed tactfully, reciprocity will work in their favour.Â
This was demonstrated by the research by Dennis T. Regan. [Study]
A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine the effects of a favour and of liking on compliance with a request for assistance from a confederate.Â
Liking for the confederate was manipulated, and male subjects then received a soft drink from the confederate, from the experimenter, or received no favour.Â
Compliance with the confederate's request to purchase some raffle tickets was measured, as was liking for the confederate.Â
The results showed that the favour increased liking for the confederate and compliance with his request, but the effect of manipulated liking was weak.Â
Detailed ratings of the confederate as well as correlational data suggested that the relationship between favours and compliance is mediated, not by liking for the favour-doer, but by normative pressure to reciprocate.
Politicking ReciprocityÂ
According to research, in the 2002 election, U.S. Congress Representatives who received the most money from special interest groups were over seven times more likely to vote in favour of the group that had contributed the most money to their campaigns.
This is reciprocity deviating politicians from acting for the interest of people who voted them to power in spite of the politicianâs claims of autonomy.
Using Reciprocity Via Concession
This refers to the concession tactic where you reduce the load of an initial request with an alternative request that is smaller and easier.Â
For example, you start by requesting someone to spend an entire day taking care of your dog for you. The other party rejects since this is clearly asking a lot but soon you propose that they could take care of the dog just for 4 hours while you go out for a movie.Â
This time since youâve made a concession of them not having to look after the dog for the whole day, they might feel obligated to say yes to the 4-hour request.Â
A variation of this is called the âFoot in the Doorâ strategy in sales.Â
Countering Reciprocal Malpractice
Firstly, when you feel compelled to give to someone, the best way to avoid getting carried away is to not take decisions in the moment. Let it cool off for a couple of days and then you can make that decision rationally.Â
Secondly, it is always good to look at motivations before dealing with anyone. When you go into a situation knowing the expectation of the other person, it makes it harder to get fooled.Â
So that is it about Reciprocity. What are your thoughts on it?
Also, Iâve arranged an AMA with Kieran who is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to building products without code. You can ask him your questions here.