The Six Pillars of Influence: How Insurgent Organizations Manipulate Governments, Populations, and Their Operatives

This thesis is a study of insurgent use of six basic principles of human persuasion and influence. These principles are put forth by Robert B. Cialdini in his work Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. The principles of influence put forth in Cialdini’s work are reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. While past studies have sought to explain the manner in which insurgencies gain influence, there has not been a thorough study conducted using this particular framework. This thesis first provides an overview of Cialdini’s principles of influence, examining each of the six principles. Next, it will provide an historical look at six different
insurgencies—the Viet Cong, the Mau Mau Uprising, the Irish Republican Army, the Bolshevik Revolution, the 26th of July Movement (Cuba), and EOKA (Cyprus)—and will examine the manner with which insurgents influence
internal and external audiences. Next, a comparative case analysis examines the relative success of these influence tactics (or combination thereof), and the interrelations and relative importance of each of the six principles based on
the study of the six insurgencies. Finally, this thesis will recommend possible applications of the study in conducting counterinsurgency.