How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Seite 208

On another occasion, a man was stranded on the side of the road because
his car had run out of gas. A young man pulled over and identified
himself as a friend of the man's daughter. He took the man to get gas and
then brought him back to his car. Of course, feeling indebted, the man
said, "If you ever need anything, just ask." Three weeks later, capitalizing
on the offer, the young man asked if he could borrow the man's expensive
car. The man's best judgment screamed, "Are you crazy? You don't know
if you can trust this kid to get it back to you in one piece!" But the mental
pressure to satisfy his obligation to the young man won out over his better
judgment and he loaned the young man his car.
The pressure to reciprocate is strong enough that when people don't return
the favor, they are viewed with contempt and disgust. Accepting gifts or
favors without attempting to return them is universally viewed as selfish,
greedy, and heartless. It is often strictly due to this internal and external
pressure that people conform to the rule of reciprocity.
[2]B. M. Depaulo, A. Nadler, and J. D. Fisher, New Directions in Helping.
Volume 2: Help Seeking (New York: Academic Press, 1984).
[3]K. Gergen, P. Ellsworth, C. Maslach, and M. Seipel, "Obligation, Donor
Resources, and Reactions to Aid in Three Cultures," Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology (1975): 390–400.
[4]P. R. Kunz and M. Wolcott, "Seasons Greetings: From My Status to Yours,"
Social Science Research (1976): 269–278.
[5]Dennis Regan, "Effects of a Favor on Liking and Compliance," Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology (1971): 627–639.

The Rule of Obligation and Marketing
A film-developing company thrived on the Rule of Obligation. They
would send a roll of film in the mail along with a letter explaining that the
film was a free gift. The letter then outlined how the recipient should
return the film to their company to be processed. Even though a number
of local stores could process the film at a far lower price, most people
ended up sending it to the company that had sent them the film. The
technique worked because the company's "pre-giving" incurred a sense of
obligation to repay the favor. We often see this method at work when
companies give out complimentary calendars, business pens, T-shirts, or
mugs.
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