Inoculate Against the Rule of Reciprocation

O.K., so now you know how to influence your opponent using the Rule of Reciprocation.
But what if your opponent has read this blog, too?
How do you inoculate yourself from getting caught up in the Rule?
Be ready. Notice it for what it is. Think it through.
Sometime after I’d read Cialdini’s book, I stopped at a stall in a farmer’s market that sold homemade candies. The vendor offered me a piece of homemade English toffee. It was delicious! I couldn’t remember the last time I had had buttery caramel melt in my mouth like that. I spent the next several minutes internally negotiating with myself. It went something like this.
Self 1 (The Devil): “He gave you that toffee for free. You should buy something at this stall.”
Self 2 (The Rationalizer): “I’m on a (perpetual) diet. I don’t need anything at this stall.”
The Devil: “That toffee was delicious! That was so nice of him. You should buy something.”
The Rationalizer: “I’m on the college austerity program.” (One daughter in college, one 18 months away from college.)
The Devil: “You’re not listening. This guy did you an unbidden favor. You should buy something from him.”
The Rationalizer: “Ah ha. Favor. This is not a favor. This is a sales technique. I can walk away with my integrity intact.”
So I thanked the vendor, profusely (I was brought up well), and I walked away.
See how powerful this Rule is? I had studied it and I still had to fight with myself.
So if you are ready ahead of time for this negotiation ploy, if you see it for what it is, a ploy, not a true favor, if you think it through, you can ignore it -- hopefully, more expeditiously than I.
And of course now, as I write this, I wish I’d bought some toffee.