Communication and Persuasion in Psychology and Social Work

As far back as I can remember, I have loved people-watching and counseling. Even as a seventh grader, I had friends coming to me for advice and a listening ear. I have always found comfort in be confided in and love the satisfaction of easing people's’ burdens a little.         
As one would suspect, talking and communication is an essential part to my field. Not only does the client need to be able to communicate and talk out their problems, but the psychologist or social workers need to be able to effectively communicate advice and facilitate understanding.

At the prison, I get to see this every day at work. Because this is the work in psychology and social work that I have experience with, I will be focusing most of my essay on this aspect of psychology.

            At work, there are two circumstances in which I communicate with inmates. The first is in an individual setting, testing. Here, communication is very structured. The words are very formal and consistent among all the tests. We, as psychiatric technicians are supposed to read from the testing manuals and instructions word for word. Most of these tests are administered in a small room, with the inmates sitting in a hard, chair with a desk attached. This isn’t the most comfortable of situations and this one-on-one interaction can often feel intimidating to the inmates. In this situation, it is very important for us to be able to build rapport and ease the inmates into cooperation and full disclosure.
            The other circumstance in which I interact with inmates on a psychological level is in a group setting, in a large room. Here, the psychologist or social worker encourages the inmates to talk about their offenses openly and learn to feel empathy for the people they victimized. Therapy sessions are primarily used for discussions and hearing how the inmates are interacting outside of the group setting. They are also used to go over the assignments that are required. For this reason, most of the acts of persuasion in this field are verbal, with a small portion of the persuasion conducted in a written form.

            In the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) therapy, each inmate is given a set of assignments to help them better communicate their thoughts and help to encourage them to think about their offenses in a different way. One of the assignments asks the inmates to take a look at the thoughts and actions surrounding their offense. They are asked to examine what types of things they thought they needed and how they thought those “needs” were being accomplished by their crime. The inmates communicate their thoughts and then the therapists help them identify thinking errors and help them rework their ideas.

            People in psychology and social work, as a general rule, are very interested in helping people. Anything that would encourage equality and happiness is likely to persuade them. For this reason, rapport, kind words, and emotional openness are valued by them. They act this way, as well as encourage their clients to act this way.

            Many of the inmates, on the other hand, are more self-serving and concerned with their own well-being. They participate and are open because they know in the long run that it will be good for their appeal to the Board of Pardons. Luckily, they are able to gain something out of therapy, even if in the beginning they are only going through the motions. This kind of persuasion relates to deliberative oratory, as we are encouraging future change. Psychology in general, however deals with all forms of oratory. Clients are asked to look at their past and present to be able to plan a better future.