In the world of politics, political campaigns are common strategies used to win voters in an election. These are strategies that influence the decision-making of a targeted voter.
In the campaigns, there are statements used to characterize a politician and his manifesto well crafted, in order to gain popularity among the voters. A campaign team is chosen to carry out vigorous campaigns to all the areas of interest and more often they represent the politician as viable for the position.
These campaigns are put across the media, in rallies, meetings, face-to-face events, leaflets, and websites to reach the voters. These events require lots of money and the politician has to arrange for how he/she can raise funds and find sponsors in his campaign. They will be in constant travels to various parts of the nation and so the campaign team chosen should be able to represent him well and cause conviction on the voters.
Political consultants may be used as they are able to execute sophisticated mechanisms to carry out the campaign which sells the politician to a majority of voters. The campaigners leave their workplace and opt to devote themselves to campaign teams in support of any politician, giving advice and alternative strategy that can be used to gain support from voters. (Karen et al 1997)
Money, time, and other resources are used as those vying for seats continue to reach the potential voters. Normally, a politician knows so few people that if he has to reach the big number of the population, really, he/she should have a way of convincing them of his/her ability, potential, and power in initiating and implementing change in the life of people and their country.
At the end of the day, the voter has the decision to vote for or against a politician. Therefore, political campaigns have to use persuasive tactics in order to win majority voters.
Through campaigns, attitudes can be changed and opinions created in carefully executed campaigns where communication plays a great role in enhancing this. Image has continued to play a role in politics, especially where the physical attractiveness, health, and athletic look have been used to determine a politician. Persuasion in communication has encompassed face-to-face interactions to mass communication campaigns. (Kuklinski 2002) (Karen et al 1997)
Politicians use pro-social communication campaigns in which they pledge to initiate charitable courses to advance health status and behavioral change that is aimed at promoting health. Among the ideas put across in pro-social campaigns depend on voters choosing to wisely and responsibly make the politician change or reform politics so that they can benefit from the initiatives. Politicians can make expressive campaigns that address the plight of the poor, minority, and less privileged in society. Careful skill is needed to win his conviction to the voters. In these campaigns, they use case studies to convince the voters of the past failures that resulted due to past incompetent and uncommitted politicians. They are able to produce statistics and change the mind of people to believe that they have the power to implement change and show development. They are able to cite the sources of failure and put their pledge on effecting changes. (Henry & Richard 2006)
They can address their political interests by using a political giant and utilize the opportunity to develop tactics and strategies that enable him/her to reach state and international levels. Through observation, social networks can play a great role in changing voting behavior and opinion information especially where majorities of friends support one candidate; one may find himself changing his support for such a candidate. Others literally confirm if the ideas, manifestos, and policies of a particular candidate are desirable. This shows that within social circles, the common opinion is likely to dominate, through informal communication.
Persuasion happens in direct and indirect interactions and self-reported votes. Networking is usually a used strategy in which it can correlate to attracting voters to a politician. Social interaction really contributes to a large extent, the statistical significance of winning votes since campaign contacts change one’s preference.
The campaign is usually an experience where one communicates his/her ethics, values, and judgments of issues that affect the population. To gain recognition and publicity, the politician requires being very persuasive, eloquent, and demonstrating clarity of thought, speech, and organization as this can is a cause for conviction in voters.
Politicians are also able to hold counter-rallies to stop their competitors from having more votes. They sometimes distance themselves from their opponents’ ideas by the use of morale-affecting tactics. They also need to give confidence to their supporters. Through opinion polls results that indicate their probability of winning and this can cause conviction on his ability. Persuasion programs especially in the extensive media coverage, launches, and the big picture of their supporters can attract more votes for him.
The politicians organize a strategy for their message and present their argument in a timely and calculated manner. They need to mobilize and activate voters by using opportunity strategies to reach voters as well as overcome success obstacles. There are tactics that can be used and for example, Clinton used the television in targeted markets and speeches, proposals, and bill signings on welfare reforms.
It is therefore the duty of a politician to use his greatest strength against his opponents’ weaknesses. So he has to put across to the voters, a message with a choice based on clear, real, and believable differences. The youth can also be targeted by a politician. He can use strategies to show how he will care for their needs, address them and promise to implement change and for example give jobs once in office. In a country where there is a large population of youth, they are a target voting group, and the politician most times put more focus on them. He can do this by building party loyalty and illustrating the long-term benefits of their involvement. This is because they have the highest influence on voting patterns especially due to peer-to-peer relations.
To persuade voters, party meetings, election advertising in the media, websites, leaflet distribution, and use of scholars can be used to reach voters and persuade them to vote for a candidate.
Political psychology is a discipline that attempts to explain political behavior by use of the psychological principle. An exploration of the psychological personalities, thinking, emotions, and motivating factors one can understand the unique basis that influences behavior especially in the voting of leaders especially in the political arena.
In politics, voters are found to act in accordance to own personality, values, beliefs, or association to a certain group. People can get information and interpret it in every kind of procedure. People’s logic and perception of others are often different and this explains their behavior in an irrational manner.
People in the poor majority are found to associate with a leader from Democratic Party while the financially stable may vote for the Republican Party. In politics, people adapt psychological concepts relevant to politics in addressing problems and issues in their campaigns. For example, if there is negative political advertising in terms of coverage or the message put across they are ineffective in convincing the voters and they begin to lose confidence in a candidate. (Raymond, 2004)
The personality of a political candidate has a psychological factor that influences his political behaviors. Traits, thoughts, ideas, desires, and achievements differ in different people and as a result, in the world of politics, the political brain has these concerns in mind while making the decision to vote or be against a contestant. The traits of leaders and their leadership styles have influenced the choice of a voter. When a politician holds a belief that for example violence and crime are wrong, the leader needs to defend his principles and convince the voters that perhaps they do not have the intentions of ignoring what the military service has been doing in curbing crime and so on. He may identify himself to a religious group to identify with it and this may change the emotions in the voters’ psychology and attract them.
If a politician is linked to being funding for example public education, society develops a liking due to his attitudes. At the time of seeking votes, political psychology plays a big part in giving information, changing feelings, and persuading the voters. The attitudes help to have political notions as tolerance.
In politics, emotions also affect the being’s mind since values and attitudes are regarded as emotional components. The cognitive process also helps to tackle problems by interpreting them and acting accordingly and in an organized manner. In the social and political environment, the interaction of the politician with the voters can affect their conviction to or against voting for a candidate. The social identity of a politician can be persuasive in changing their life for the better. That is to say that the social identity of a politician can affect their behavior. (Kuklinski 2002)
In political campaigns, there are compliance and effective persuasion tactics that even touch on the psychological aspects of human beings and they are able to cause conviction in their ideology. Politicians organize public events where they can present various issues affecting the society to influence change of behavior and the belief that they are the best candidates to fill a position to execute the responsibilities. They even organize counter-rallies to emphasize their stand and usually criticize their opponents’ approach to issues. They use persuasive messages that can cause a change of information and the people are able to believe in their ideas. They are also able to illustrate the impracticability of some of their opponents’ ideas and justify their own measures and stand. (Henry & Richard 2006)
A psychoanalyst by the name of Sigmund Freud illustrated the mind as being like an iceberg that floats on water with a small part of it being visible above water with so much water below it. He, therefore, illustrated that the human mind is like the portion underwater and equates it to the level of its unconsciousness. (Sigmund, 2007)
Political campaigns are able to collect finances that will cater for all expenses to the last moment. At the time of vote counting, they are there to observe the counting to avoid any fraudulent activity. Campaigning teams have management tools that include websites and online opinion polling where they can cage their popularity in the nation. Local groups are also made to go into the grassroots level to carry out campaigns and address issues relating to that locality as well as the social responsibility that the politicians are going to address.
Political campaigns are able to carry out opposition research where a political divide can analyze the life of opposing candidates to show any criminal offense, mechanical background and status, and the public and financial record. Any findings can be used to criticize the viability of such a candidate in favor of another.
Campaign advertising is done to maximize coverage. The message is well-formatted, with the necessary information that bears no contradictions at all. The clarity of thought is very important since it can influence the pattern through which people can vote.
Election promises are given publicly even though some of these promises end up being broken once they are in office. The promises are an important element that gets people voting for a candidate. This is because of the psychological influence on the promise given where voters act in hope that the promise will be fulfilled. At some point, these promises are just a strategy to get their way into the political position rather than fulfilling the expectation of the voters. (Raymond, 2004)
Money is also used to buy votes and to some extent, the politician displays his financial ability with the extent of money used in the campaign. These tips are however misleading and can deny voters a true leader as they forget to look at their potential and put focus on the money tactic. It is however a strategy that has been applied by many campaigners. Again the psychological aspect of a human being makes the belief that the interest of the leader is at heart and that they are economically stable to cater to their needs and prosperity.
Campaign groups also carry hate and reputation-damaging activities aimed at hitting a particular opponent. These teams are able to influence people’s campaign strategies, policies, and manifestos. Voter suppression techniques can also be used against the opposition by using political power and private resources to reduce the voters’ confidence at a large scale opinion change.
There are political campaign staffs that organize and implement the strategy in winning an election. They carry out vigorous campaigns into regions and on target groups. Political campaigns usually target even religious groups. They also have an influence on other groups such as college and university students who are used to enhance the popularity of a party or a candidate. They can put up posters in public places. (Wayne et al 2006)
As a strategy, campaigns can take a new direction where they can use celebrities such as musicians and other influential people in boosting their popularity and fame. In politics, the strength of a leader may not determine his mightiness but the determinant is in his ability to persuade the voter to believe in his aspiration and potential of being a leader. All strategies, therefore, target them in terms of addressing their issues keenly and without discrimination. The message they put across carries a lot of weight in determining if they are eligible for the position. In this context, they demonstrate leadership styles, decision-making skills on social issues, and being able to implement what they formulate. As an aspirant, they are to fit into various circumstances and be timely in reacting to these issues. This to some extent can demonstrate their ability to tackle issues for public interest and of those who support them. (Henry & Richard 2006)
Politicians must prove their dedication to the life of the voters by convincing them of their moral, social, religious, and political stand on issues concerning the people. Their arguments must be put forth with lots of clarity, respect for human needs, and diversity in the population. (Wayne et al 2006) They require showing that they will be accountable in their duties and that they will show transparency in executing the same. The campaigners must represent the aspirants as a people’s leader who demonstrates humane characteristics in terms of service delivery, equitable distribution of resources and uplifting the living standard of the voters.
Reference
Henry, E.B., Richard J. Capturing Campaign Effects. University of Michigan Press, 2006.
Karen S., Johnson-C, Gary, C. (1997). Inside Political Campaigns. Theory and Practice. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Kuklinski, J.H. Thinking about Political Psychology. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
.Raymond, S.N. Introduction to Political Psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
Sigmund, F. The Original and Development of Psychoanalysis, Nuvision Publicaitons, 2007.
Wayne, P.T., Sean Q.K., I. Mark. Campaign and Political Marketing. Haworth Press. 2006.