Coercion

Coercion, Types of coercion and The Human Responses to Coercion.

Coercion

Coercion is the influenced change in a person’s action or behavior due to the person’s fear of an unpleasant consequence. It is very much the same as punishment and can be induced independently by the person to himself. Slavery is the term for permanent coercion wherein the person is subjected to external standards set upon his actions and behavior. Coercion is a low-level motivational state that can satisfy high-level needs.

Types of Coercion

Coercion may have different aspects and is a way of producing behavioral changes that can be both positive and negative depending on how the individual perceives and responds to it. Coercion can motivate in the following areas:

1. Psychological coercion. A number of circumstances can lead to mental stress which motivates the person to act and behave according to the accepted norms. Blackmail or rejection can cause the person to change his attitude and beliefs in order to have logical consonance.
2. Physical coercion. This is very similar to physical punishment. The person is motivated to act even unwillingly with the fear of being physically harmed or mutilated.
3. Thought coercion. This is the most usual situation with regards to intrinsic motivation. When the person senses a conflict or experiences failure, he will be compelled to improve in order to relieve the stressful thoughts demanding the need to feel competent and successful.
4. Cultural coercion. Culture aims to satisfy the need of belongingness and identity. The person acts, behaves or even thinks the same way as the majority does since he needs to feel that he belongs. Peer pressure and family values are good examples.

The Human Responses to Coercion

The person will try to resolve the conflict caused by coercive thoughts and actions through the following techniques:

1. Stonewall response. The person will negate or refuse coercion altogether to maintain homeostasis and eliminate the stress caused by the coercive thoughts. Exaggeration of the response can cause rebellious or eccentric behavior.
2. Identity separation response. The person can discover his identity by separating himself from the behavior imposed by coercion. As a result, he will not oblige, feeling that he will lose his sense of identity if coercion takes place.
3. Justification response. The person will rationalize the source of coercion as well as its effects, both positive and negative. He will then find the reasons why he should not comply.
4. Negotiation. The person creates relative goals to the consequences of not complying. The motivation to gain advantages will then be more powerful than the fear of consequences.

Coercion can be an effective motivational state in order to satisfy emotional and personal needs. The person’s responses will determine how he will grow and develop from the stress induced by coercion. In the process, he may become an independently strong individual or lose his identity.

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