# 27. Rhetorical manipulation ## 27.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ### 27.5.2. Emotional Appeal #### 27.5.2.6. Appeal to Emotion The argumentum ad misericordium, or "appeal to emotion", is one of the most prevalent manipulative political techniques. It is the general use of emotion to persuade people to support, or conversely, reject an argument based on emotion rather than on evidence, reason, or self-interest. It attempts to make an argument truer or more valid by imbuing it with emotional force. ***Parent:** [[Emotional Appeal]]*