Prime identity before the ask — "what kind of person are you?"

Invite the person to describe who they are in terms that align with the behavior you’re requesting.

Why it works

People behave consistently with how they see themselves. Asking someone to describe themselves as "curious," "a helper," or "someone who tries new things" activates that self-concept, which then biases subsequent behavior in its direction — a self-perception pre-suasion. The identity is not imposed; the question simply makes a latent self-perception salient.

How to do it

1. Ask an open, genuine question about how the person sees themselves in the relevant domain: "Would you say you’re someone who’s open to trying new approaches?"
2. Let them answer in their own words — a self-generated description is more behaviorally binding than one you provide.
3. Connect the ask to the identity they just expressed: "Given that, you might find this worth trying."

Evidence

Self-perception theory (Bem) and identity-based behavior change research support the mechanism: affirming an identity increases behavior consistent with it. Applied in voting studies (noun-frame) with replicated effects. (observational)

The effect depends on the identity being one the person already holds at least partially; an implausible identity claim backfires.

Sources

• Bryan et al. (2011), noun vs verb framing in voter turnout, PNAS

Common mistake

Assigning an identity rather than asking: "You’re a curious person, right?" reads as leading; the self-generated version is what activates the self-consistency drive.