Psychological Manipulation and Autonomy

Pawan Kumar (), Sumesh Singh Dadwal (), Sanjay Modi (), Arsalan Mujahid Ghouri () and Hamid Jahankhani ()
Additional contact information
Pawan Kumar: Lovely Professional University
Sumesh Singh Dadwal: London Southbank University
Sanjay Modi: Lovely Professional University
Arsalan Mujahid Ghouri: London Southbank University
Hamid Jahankhani: Northumbria University

Chapter Chapter 3 in The Dark Side of Marketing, 2025, pp 55-82 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In today’s digital era, companies are putting effort into understanding and moulding consumer preferences using behavioural insights and data. As we all know, the customer is the king. There is no business without a customer. To gain attention from consumer marketers started depending on psychological language such like social proof, loss aversion, and powerful emotions such as joy, fear, and nostalgia to influence our choices, while these psychological languages can help business by providing quick success but they also spark ethical concern as they can compromise our capacity to independent basics. This chapter helps us to understand how customers are unknowingly influenced through concepts like Kahneman's Prospect Theory and Cialdini's Principles of Influence. It explores tactics such as hyper-personalised ads, deceptive notifications, and emotional branding. Companies like Spotify and Starbucks skilfully tap into our psychological triggers. As technology advances, dark patterns and AI-driven marketing only make it harder for customers to maintain their autonomy. Regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation are important for keeping consumer rights safe, but enforcement is always insufficient, allowing companies to bypass their rules. Stronger cooperation is necessary to hold businesses accountable. Instead of trying to trick or play with customers’ emotions, the real solution is to give people honest and clear information. Using psychological tactics might bring rapid profits, but if companies want loyal customers, they want to build trust and be genuine. Companies need to find balance. It is fine for companies to use marketing techniques to understand how people think, but it should not take away their freedom to make their choices. As the digital world keeps growing and changing, business needs to be logical and ethical, finding the key to create a marketplace that works well for both companies and customers.

Keywords: Consumer autonomy; Psychological triggers; Emotional branding; Ethical marketing; AI-Driven marketing; Dark patterns; Emotional branding; Consumer rights (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-94946-3_3

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