---
title: "Social Influence and Persuasion: UPSC GS4 | Model Diplomat"
description: "Social influence and persuasion describe how attitudes and behaviors change, key concepts for UPSC GS4 ethics and vital for Model UN participants."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/social-influence-and-persuasion"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Social influence is the process by which a person's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviour are altered by others, while persuasion is the deliberate communicative effort to change them.
- How does the UPSC GS4 syllabus treat social influence and persuasion?
- What distinguishes persuasion from manipulation and coercion?
- What are the two routes of persuasion in the Elaboration Likelihood Model?
- How are these concepts applied in modern public administration?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Social influence is the process by which a person's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviour are altered by others, while persuasion is the deliberate communicative effort to change them.

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India's Swachh Bharat Mission, launched by the Government of India on 2 October 2014, used social proof, celebrity authority, and community pressure to make open defecation socially unacceptable across rural districts.

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