Reframing
“The person who controls the frame controls the outcome.”
Core Idea
Reframing is the most-mentioned concept in Scott Adams’ corpus. It’s the art of changing how a situation is perceived by shifting the context, comparison, or category in which it’s understood.
A fact doesn’t change. But the meaning of that fact depends entirely on how it’s framed. Reframing is the persuasion technique of changing that meaning by changing the frame.
How It Works
Every situation can be understood through multiple frames:
| Frame | Example |
|---|---|
| Cost vs. Investment | ”That’s expensive” → “That’s an investment in your future” |
| Problem vs. Opportunity | ”We lost the contract” → “We’re free to pursue better clients” |
| Failure vs. Learning | ”The project failed” → “We learned what doesn’t work” |
| Us vs. Them | ”Critics say…” → “People who haven’t tried it say…” |
The underlying facts remain constant. Only the interpretation changes. But interpretation drives action.
Adams on Trump’s Reframing
Adams frequently analyzed Trump’s use of reframing in political contexts:
- “Crooked Hillary”: Reframed the election from policy debate to character question
- “Fake News”: Reframed media criticism from journalism to partisan attack
- “Witch Hunt”: Reframed investigation from legal process to political persecution
Each reframe shifted the context in which people evaluated information.
Relationship to Two Movies
Two Movies explains why people perceive the same events differently. Reframing is a technique for deliberately shifting which movie someone watches.
When Adams tries to “deprogram” people from the Charlottesville narrative, he’s attempting a reframe - shifting from “Trump praised racists” to “Media misreported context.”
Defensive Reframing
Adams also discusses recognizing when you’re being reframed:
- Notice the frame being imposed
- Ask: “Is this the only way to see it?”
- Consider alternative frames
- Choose the frame that serves your goals
Awareness of framing is the first defense against manipulation.
See Also
- Persuasion Filter - Why reframing works
- Pacing and Leading - Using reframing in sequence
- Anchoring - Setting the initial frame
Source Stats: 3,031 mentions across 720+ episodes (most-mentioned framework)