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Flattery is one of the oldest and most commonly used impression–management tactics in everyday life. Though it often brings benefits to the flatterer, less is known about how it affects the target. In the present research, we explore when and why being flattered can be costly for leaders—common targets of flattery—depending on how they respond to it. We suggest that leaders who are observed rewarding flatterers risk appearing naïve to others. Across seven studies and six supplementary studies (N = 4,612), we find evidence that leaders who grant favors to flatterers are often perceived to have naively "fallen for flattery," which shapes observers' impressions of the leaders and the organizations they represent. A first set of studies (Studies 1–4) detail the variety of factors that lead observers to conclude their leader has fallen for flattery and the resulting impacts to the leaders' reputation and their organization (e.g., competence, warmth, commitment to the leader, organizational fairness). The second set of studies look at the contextual factors that impact what costs leaders pay for being perceived to have fallen for flattery, including the type of flattery (Study 5), who is harmed by the favor (Study 6), and the leader's apparent awareness of the motives underlying flattery (Study 7). Whereas previous research highlights positive consequences of flattery for the flatterer, we find that flattery comes with costs for leaders and their organizations. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for leaders who are frequently flattered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that personality cults are a strategy to further political legitimation. They function to secure a leader's position in the absence of democratic legitimation methods by using excessive flattery towards the leader. Habitual public flattery towards democratic leaders has not received scholarly attention, even though it can provide insight into the danger authoritarian discursive rituals can have on democratic processes. By applying a ritual perspective to a comparative case study analysis, this paper illustrates how political flattery is not just an instrumental means for self-promotion in the political order, but also a manipulative and antidemocratic exploitation of epideictic rhetoric. Furthermore, the implicit requirement for ritualized flattery hinders accountability and deliberative decision-making, and the process of integrating differences of opinion or interest towards a collective and impartial political practice. Leaders who surround themselves with sycophants encourage opinion- and action-conformity to whatever pleases that specific leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well attested that teasing is a vehicle for criticising others which is prototypically accomplished through diminishing, ridiculing or denigrating the target. In this paper, we examine a form of teasing that occurs through elevating others, or what we term "jocular flattery". Our study focuses on instances of jocular flattery in a context that has largely been neglected, namely, multi-party, instant messaging interaction in (Mandarin) Chinese, thereby also contributing to the growing body of work on teasing across different linguistic and sociocultural contexts. We examine how jocular flattery is interactionally accomplished in multi-party chat groups, focusing, in particular, on what occasions jocular flattery, and how the target and audience respond to it. We suggest that jocular flattery is a vehicle for delivering mild reproaches of the target for "overdone", "unfulfilled" or "out-of-place" actions, as well as a vehicle for taunting the target for the amusement of the group. However, we also propose that due to the cultural value traditionally placed on denigrating self and elevating other, jocular flattery is also a vehicle for accomplishing interactional rapport in the Chinese sociocultural context. • Jocular flattery is a form of teasing through elevating others. • It has not been studied in its own right. • It may be occasioned by overdone or unfulfilled or "out-of-place" actions. • It involves both transgressions and a flatterable. • It contributes to accomplishing interactional rapport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flattery is a social phenomenon that treads a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable social behavior and brings forward the strategic element of language use. Although flattery has been studied in other areas of the social sciences (namely marketing and social psychology), pragmatic literature has not addressed the phenomenon, despite its potential to inform the interpretive process participants engage in when evaluating politeness strategies in interactions. This study aims to understand what flattery is by examining its perception and uses in a specific speech community – native Hebrew speakers in Israel. A meta-pragmatic methodology was used to collect two complementary corpora: solicited reports of flattery events for an interpersonal level analysis, and public flattery events from a large online database for a societal level analysis. Findings indicate how participants judge an action to be flattery, what (verbal) acts count as flattery, and the functions of flattery in interactions. Ultimately, a definition is offered against the backdrop of flattery being perceived as the dark side of sociability. • A meta-pragmatic methodology for analyzing an interpretive construct like flattery. • The functions of flattery are transactional, self-promotional and relational. • Flattery is not mere insincere praise, nor a conventionalized speech act. • Despite its perception as manipulative, it can be a solidarity enhancement tool. • Defined as marked communicative action, instrumently intended to be face-pleasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that flattery is a form of impression management and a persuasive tool in interpersonal communication, two experiments investigated the effect of a (fictitious) political candidate praising the audience during a meeting. The flattery was addressed to the social category to which participants belong (direct flattery condition) or to another social category (observed flattery condition). The flattering message (vs. control condition) employed in the context of a public speech induced a more positive candidate evaluation on both the members of the flattered audience and the observers. The effect was not mediated by degree of message scrutiny, nor by suspicion of source ulterior motives, and it was not moderated by the level of identification with the audience. This suggests that the compliment to the audience leads the members of the flattered category to reciprocate liking and the observers to transfer the source’s attitude recursively (TAR effect). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular culture helps trace the contours of conventional wisdom. In Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and How You Live in It, Thomas de Zengotita (2005) lays the foundation for understanding the way niceness leads to deceit. While initially uneasy with this arrangement, he works to describe and ultimately embrace niceness and its association with deceit. Despite the deceit, de Zengotita identifies niceness as a core virtue and central value of modernity—a default communicative practice within our digital age (pp. 72, 78). This essay explores the historical emergence of nice as a term and an idea; reviews present considerations and manifestations of niceness; and offers a preliminary investigation into the dynamics and dimensions of its intrinsic deceits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of political communication, the effects of personal verbal attacks on political opponents have long been studied. However, less well understood are the effects of flattery on such opponents. I present an experiment showing that praising a political opponent elicits an audience’s positive emotions, which in turn positively influences source trustworthiness, and ultimately increases the likelihood of voting for that source. In contrast, attacking an opponent elicits aversion, which in turn negatively influences source trustworthiness, thus reducing the likelihood of voting for the source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we will review some of the theoretical aspects of a specific type of evaluative act, the 'compliment' in Peninsular Spanish. We will bring into focus some terminological issues such as the difference between 'cumplidos' ('compliment') and 'halagos' ('flattery'): even though both terms are currently in use, not only in Peninsular Spanish --field of our study-- but also in the Hispanic world in general, they are used almost interchangeably. Furthermore, we will analyse the roles compliments play, either as spontaneous acts whose purpose is just showing solidarity and affection, or as those that go beyond spontaneous and disinterested evaluations of the other person, or even as those that could be considered a type of normative politeness required by certain situations. In addition, we will review compliments as acts of speech that are 'marked' (both positively and negatively) or 'unmarked' from the point of view of politeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the aristotelean perspective, the differences between a friend and a flatterer are established, describing the essential elements which constitute a true friendship relationship, where elements of ethics as an essential virtue and self-knowledge come together. In this sense, it is established, following the Stagirite, that one have a friendship relationship without these conditions: 1) doing good, or what seems to be good, to others; 2) wishing that your friend exists and loves for the love of their own friend; 3) spending time with and choosing the same things as your friend; 4) sharing your friend's happiness and sorrows. Conversely, there can be no friendship if there are no conditions of equality, similar virtue and reciprocity between friends; where one wishes good for the other as much as for oneself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1788 Charles Duncan confirmed the existence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and news of this knowledge was published in 1790. It included the chart of the strait and the extensive description based on Native oral testimony. This was the first time that Europeans knew the particulars of this specific part of the world. Commercial ventures rather than official expeditions had revealed these secrets. This article explores Duncan’s contribution as well as his reliance upon Indigenous knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A challenging question can prompt a variety of responses from politicians in their attempt to save face. Criticising the interviewer is one such tactic identified in previous research. The focus here was on this form of personalisation: responses directed personally at the interviewer, often used as a substitute for a straight answer (i.e., playing the man, not the ball). Sampling online interview videos, our analysis revealed a broad range of personalisations: many critical, but also non-critical, including flattery, banter, and advice to calm down. These tactics are discussed as effective responses, which can disarm, wrong-foot, neutralise, or beguile interviewers, often shifting control towards the politician. Furthermore, personalised rhetoric appears more widespread than previously suggested—featuring in the communicative style of many mainstream British politicians. A new typology of personalisation is proposed, designed to fit within the existing overall equivocation typology for the benefit of future empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the theories developed by Hollander (idiosyncrasy credits), Inglis (typology of stardom), and Snyder (self-monitoring theory), we contrast the functions played by three types of innovation—incremental improvements, hybrid innovation, and radical innovation—and their potential impact on festival management. Elvis Presley is at the heart of the study, illustrating the unique attributes of radical innovation, a concept rarely seen in festival management. The nature of the innovation paradox in festival and event management is explored through a review of the Collingwood (Canada) Elvis Festival. This study contributes to the limited understanding of the varying approaches to innovation and their roles in festival development and management. It offers event managers a valuable alternative to the traditional incremental and radical innovation binary. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The contemporary relevance of Mary Astell's remarks on flattery is attested. While in their recent analysis of flattery Yuval Eylon and David Heyd have claimed that flattery essentially is directed from a person of lower hierarchical standing to a person of higher hierarchical standing, Astell's analysis of flattery in gender relations indicates an interesting sense in which the reverse can be true: As she makes clear, the deception involved in male flattery is not always a misrepresentation of the personal qualities of the female flatteree; it may also be an accurate representation of personal qualities that the male flatterer values although they are detrimental for the female flatteree. Such 'definitional' flattery plays a crucial role in Astell's analysis of how female gender roles can be understood as the outcome of male manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining the career-related outcomes of ingratiation has produced fairly inconsistent findings. To move the literature forward, we draw on cognitive consistency theory and social influence theory to examine how the moderating roles of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and political skill may affect ingratiation as a strategy to enhance an employee’s promotability. In Study 1 involving 92 independent matched subordinate–supervisor dyads from Thailand, we found support for the moderating effect of OBSE such that there was a positive relationship between supervisor-reported ingratiation and self-reported promotability among individuals with high as opposed to low OBSE. These results were replicated in Study 2 using 150 independent matched subordinate–peer–supervisor triads. Results revealed that the relationship between peer-reported ingratiation and supervisor-reported promotability became positive for those employees with high as opposed to low political skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that people select securely attached individuals as their first choice when asked to choose among secure or insecure partner prototypes. Despite this pattern, not everyone chooses a secure partner in real life. The goal of the reported studies was to examine factors that lead people to select insecure mates. Specifically, the roles of flattery, appearance, and status were assessed. In the first study, we found that flattery increased attraction to insecure partners. Study 2 showed that men preferred physical beauty over security. In Study 3, anxious women were attracted to high-status insecure men. These findings help explain why people may sometimes end up with insecure partners despite their professed preference for secure companions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the practice ofpai ma piin a Chinese workplace in order to examine the recent transformation of subject formation and the political economy in China.Pai ma pirefers to any benevolent practice a subordinate directs toward his or her superiors to seek favor, protection, or other benefits. More than flattery or brownnosing,pai ma piin a socialist workplace serves as an empty signifier; workers use it to combat the void created by their uncertainty about their position in relation to the disproportionate power of the all-encompassing, autocratic system, a power crystallized in the need for workers to maintain a clean record in their classifieddang'an(personal dossier) to survive. However, the gradual breakdown of the socialist work unit system caused by neoliberal economic restructuring appears to diminish the practice ofpai ma pi. The article, nevertheless, illustrates thatpai ma piboth nurtures and challenges the neoliberal economy. As a strategic form of praise,pai ma pi, by aggrandizing higher-ups, intensifies the social hierarchy, and bureaucratic authority; meanwhile, it advances self-interest, which resonates with some of the neoliberal pillars in China, such as “freedom” and “self-enterprising.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates how observers react when they see someone else being given a compliment that is flattering but that appears sincere. Prior work suggests that to the extent the compliment is perceived to be genuine, observers will not judge the source negatively. Merging insights from social comparison research and dual attitudes theory, this article presents a novel conceptualization of observer reactions to flattery. Specifically, while observers' deliberative attitudes toward apparently sincere flattery may be positive, a spontaneous process of comparing oneself with the target will produce an implicit negative reaction rooted in the unpleasant sensation of envy. This conceptualization yields a host of related implications, successfully predicting observers' reactions toward insincere as well as sincere flattery and toward the flattery target as well its source, and also explaining how their envy-based negative reaction may ironically induce observers to behave in a manner consistent with the flatterer's interests. Convergent findings across four experiments provide a multifaceted understanding of observer reactions to flattery, while also informing the literature on social comparison and envy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present research demonstrates that positive stereotypes – though often treated as harmless, flattering and innocuous – may represent an especially insidious means of promoting antiquated beliefs about social groups. Specifically, across four studies (and one replication), the authors demonstrate that exposure to positive stereotypes towards African Americans (i.e., they are superior athletes) are at once both especially unlikely to arouse skepticism and emotional vigilance while also especially likely to produce antiquated and harmful beliefs towards members of the target group (compared to both baseline conditions and exposure to negative stereotypes), including beliefs in the biological (or “natural”) underpinnings of group differences and, ironically, the application of negative stereotypes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In a series of four experiments, the authors examine the implications of one consumer's possession being mimicked by another consumer. The results demonstrate that when distinctiveness concerns are heightened, greater dissociation responses (i.e., possession disposal intentions, recustomization behaviors, and exchange behaviors) arise in response to being mimicked by a similar as opposed to dissimilar other. These effects are driven by threats to distinctiveness. Finally, these effects are mitigated when the imitated possession is nonsymbolic in nature and when a low degree of effort is exerted to initially obtain the possession. Implications for marketers and consumers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores Hobbes’s defense of monarchy in light of the problem of flattery. In doing so, it addresses two central issues in Hobbes scholarship: his relationship to republicanism, and his attitude toward rhetoric. Faced with criticisms of monarchy rooted in the monarch’s susceptibility to flattery, Hobbes defends monarchy by focusing on the benefits of its unitary character. Rather than look to the virtue of monarchs as a bulwark against flattery, Hobbes argues that the singularity of the monarch diminishes the space and scope for flattery. Moreover, the unitary structure of monarchy provides an institutional context more favorable to taking counsel than forms of sovereignty incorporating many individuals. Hobbes’s defense of monarchy counters contemporary republicans, incorporating his suspicion of rhetoric without relying on claims of monarchical virtue. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two studies were conducted to test the efficacy of compliments as a compliance tactic and to explore whether liking could account for their effectiveness. Both studies provided evidence that compliments increased compliance relative to a control condition. Although receiving a compliment did tend to increase liking of the requestor, this increased liking was not responsible for enhanced levels of compliance. This research provides some of the first direct evidence of the effectiveness of compliments as a means of securing compliance and provides data challenging the mechanism most commonly assumed to be responsible for its effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research evaluated two explanations for the computers are social actors (CASA) paradigm: anthropomorphism and mindlessness. Using flattery effects as an example of social responses, two experiments examined how humanlikeness of the interface, individuals' rationality, and cognitive busyness moderate the extent to which people apply social attributes to computers. In Experiment 1, anthropomorphic cartoon characters elicited more positive overall evaluations of the computer, but they significantly reduced low rationals' self-confidence, suggesting social facilitation effects. Moreover, low rationals were less likely to accept the computer's suggestions when flattered, whereas high rationals showed no corresponding tendency. In Experiment 2, although participants attributed greater social attractiveness to the flattering than generic-comment computer, they became more suspicious about the validity of its claims and more likely to dismiss its answer. Such negative effects, however, disappeared when they simultaneously engaged in a secondary task. Theoretical implications for CASA are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the difference between flattery and frankness in Horace's and Philodemus' literary works. According to Philodemus, flattery can be described as an aspect of friendship. Horace claimed that flattery can also be in a form of pleasure, peace of mind and the importance of friendship. It also compares Philodemus' "On Flattery" with Horace's views on "Satires" on how to conduct oneself with superiors.

Abstract: This experiment extended the computers are social actors (CASA) paradigm by investigating how rational thinking style moderates flattery effects in human–computer interaction. Participants played a trivia game with a computer, which they knew generated random answers that were accompanied by either strictly factual or flattering feedback on their performance. Although both high and low rationals attributed greater social attractiveness to the flattering computer than the one providing generic feedback, only low rationals exhibited different levels of conformity to flattering than generic-comment computers, favoring the latter. Results on recall memory and perceived validity of the computer feedback suggest that flattery elicited greater attention and heightened suspicion among those less prone to engage in analytical thinking, temporarily fostering mindfulness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a commentary on the philosophical meaning of flattery. The author renders his views on the moral and psychological depths implied by flattery and the liberal ethics which surrounds the term. According to the author, flattery is wrong if it causes harm or leads to a violation of rights.

Abstract: This experiment extended the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm by examining how output modality (text plus cartoon character vs. synthetic speech), computer gender (male vs. female), and user gender (male vs. female) moderate the ways in which people respond to computers that flatter. Specifically, participants played a trivia game with a computer, which they knew might provide incorrect answers. Participants in the generic-comment condition received strictly factual feedback, whereas those in the flattery condition were given additional remarks praising their performance. Consistent with Fogg and Nass [1997. Silicon sycophants: the effects of computers that flatter. International Journal of Human–Computer Studies 46, 551–561] study, flattery led to more positive overall impressions and performance evaluations of the computer, but such effects were found only in the text plus character condition and among women. In addition, flattery increased participants’ suspicion about the validity of the computer's feedback and lowered conformity to the computer's suggestions. Participants conformed more to the male than female computers when computer gender was manifested in gendered cartoon characters in the text condition, with no corresponding effects in the speech condition. Results suggest that synthetic speech output might suppress social responses to computers, such as flattery effects and gender stereotyping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It's examined in a critic way the genesis of the sociability in the theory of "self love" of Bernard Mandeville, author of "The fable of the bees or private vices make the public prosperity". The central thesis of Mandeville it's that the pride is the most useful of the passions to preserve the modern societies and nor the reason as the rationalists believe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the emergence of flattery behavior in young children and factors that might affect whether and how it is displayed. Preschool children between the ages of 3 and 6 years were asked to rate drawings produced by either a present or absent adult stranger (Experiments 1 and 2), child stranger (Experiments 2 and 3), classmate, or the children's own teacher (Experiment 3). Young preschoolers gave consistent ratings to the same drawing by the person regardless of whether the person was absent or present. In contrast, many older preschoolers gave more flattering ratings to the drawing when the person was present than in the person's absence. Also, older preschoolers displayed flattery regardless of whether the recipient was an adult or a child. However, they displayed flattery to a greater extent towards familiar individuals than unfamiliar ones, demonstrating an emerging sensitivity to social contexts in which flattery is used. These findings suggest that preschoolers have already learned not to articulate bluntly their true feelings and thoughts about others. Rather, they are able to manipulate their communications according to social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores perceptions of interpersonal influence in the form of flattery that occurs in a consumer retail setting. Across 4 experiments, results demonstrate empirical evidence of a sinister attribution error (Kramer, 1994), as consumer reactions to flattery were more negative than warranted by the situation. Results across 3 experiments demonstrated that there are 2 types of information processing occurring when consumers make trust judgments in response to flattery. Depending on when flattery occurs, consumers engage in either automatic or deliberative processing of information provided by the sales context. The final experiment further suggests that the automatic processing occurred through categorization based on social cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decades of research on job candidate ingratiation tactics, few studies have examined if hiring manager personality traits might influence the effectiveness of candidate tactics. Undergraduates (n = 254) played the role of a hiring manager in a low-fidelity simulation and completed a measure of non-clinical narcissism. Candidate flattery and qualifications were experimentally manipulated. Contrary to predictions, results showed that candidate flattery demonstrated strong negative effects on perceptions of candidate fit and the likelihood of being invited for an interview during preliminary recruitment stages. Although hiring manager narcissism was found to attenuate the negative effects of candidate flattery, these findings broadly suggest that jobseekers have more to lose than gain by flattering hiring managers. • Hiring manager personality influence effectiveness of ingratiation tactics. • Flattery showed negative effects on perception of fit and chances of advancing. • Narcissism may increase hiring manager's susceptibility to candidate flattery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preschool children engage in flattery behaviors, including expressing opinions toward other people or objects that—although favorable—are not truly held. Research shows that in the following years, the number and complexity of motives underlying such insincere behavior increase. The current study focused on children's overt behavior, examining two aspects of the development of false praise-telling: individual stability and group-level discontinuity. Using an art-rating task, a total of 164 children aged 5 to 7 years were tested at three points in time (T1/2/3): M T1 age = 5.66 years, SD = 0.1; M T2 age = 6.65 years, SD = 0.16; M T3 age = 7.61 years, SD = 0.14. The results show that, having become capable of giving false praise in politeness settings at 5.5 years of age, children continue to flatter others in this way at later ages, indicating that false praise-telling is an individually stable characteristic. In addition, a statistically significant increase in the proportion of false praise-telling to non-lying behavior in children over the 2-year study period was observed. This indicates that the discontinuity, namely the growth in children's flattery behavior, occurs from 5 to 7 years of age. The findings are discussed with respect to the diverse factors that might underlie and affect children's tendency to praise others falsely in politeness settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics regarding imitation or mimesis as related to visual and material culture including illustrations created by J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell.

An essay is presented on writing about colleagues. It offers various motivations for doing the writing such as flattery, seduction, and self-aggrandizement. The author proposes simple guidelines when he is writing and went into analysis thinking. Furthermore, he would like to collaborate with new colleagues and have connections with other authors.

This presents discusses the experiences of Cindy Mullenhoff, a registered nurse, regarding the profession of nursing during the World Wars I and II through her collections of posters. Mullenhoff is now owner and Chief Executive Officer of Avail Home Nursing, and her 273-piece collection of nursing memorabilia graces the hallways of her corporate offices in Yakima, Washington. According to her the Red Cross images have portrayed the nurses in a holy and romantic way but the military posters, portray them as intelligent and responsible women. In addition to the posters, Mullenhoff's collection also includes magazine covers, war movie posters, and advertisements featuring nurses selling cigarettes and orange juice. These collections are really very flattering to nurses.