The Dating Game

Reverse psychology is often used as a rhetorical device.  However, one must be conscious of the audience to which they are posing it.  This is all too familiar in the “dating game”—especially in the vast dating metropolis that we call BYU.  It’s known as “playing hard to get”.  In essence, in pursuing a potential suitor, one decides that the most effective method would be to create distance, show disinterest, or simply be busy.  While this counters the regularly accepted practices of increasing affection and attention to attract a prospective, the goal is turn the hunted into the hunter. 

In Homer’s, The Iliad, Agamemnon employs a similar technique with his army.  After receiving the deceiving dream, Agamemnon attempts to appeal to the courage of his troops.  Though it was not his intent, he tells the troops that he plans to give up and not fight the impending battle.  Agamemnon assumes that this form of reverse psychology will persuade the army to abandon fear and rage forward to battle.  However, he had perhaps misjudged his audience.  At the mention of fleeing from duty, the troops “were…swayed as they flew with loud cries towards the ships” in the opposite direction of Troy.

Just as in dating, reverse psychology does not always fulfill its intended purpose.  This is often because it is not suited at all audiences (read more).  Audiences that it generally works for are those that, even if subconsciously, have at least some intention to do the desired act.  In this example, it was a flop—leaving Agamemnon to utilize different rhetorical tactics in working with his soldiers.  Moral of the story—proceed with caution.  If your potential suitor is not the right audience, you may just be left lonely this Friday night.