Changing Minds

CHAPTER 8

Mind Changing Up Close

WE ALL HAVE A KEEN INTEREST in mind changing in intimate settings—situations in which our persuasive energies are directed at just one or two people. In fact, most of us probably spend the bulk of our time thinking about how to change the minds of those to whom we are closest. We want to change the minds of family members, including parents, siblings, and children; to convince friends or defang enemies; to be able to work effectively with our boss and with our employees; to fuse our minds with those of our lovers. In such personal settings, we gain the most when we successfully change minds and pay the heaviest prices when our attempts fail.

Few encounters are more personal than that between patient and therapist. ...