This study focuses on how street-level bureaucrats strategize to address the contentious and uncertain nature of law enforcement. Existing research predominantly analyzes this from perspectives of power, behavior, and context, seldom uncovering the psychological mechanisms underlying the transition from resistance to compliance among those being regulated. Approaching from a psychological standpoint and grounded in Hovland’s persuasion theory, this study introduces a “Melodramatic Persuasion Model” for street-level bureaucrats. It does so through participatory observations of the persuasion tactics—encompassing scenarios, behaviors, and discourse—employed by urban management officials on Y Subdistrict in X City towards vendors obstructing the way. The findings reveal that street-level bureaucrats persuade those they regulate by adopting roles, alternating dialogues, and changing scenes; the shift from resistance to compliance is driven sequentially by information learning, congruency mechanisms, emotional transfer, and counterarguing mechanisms. This psychological transformation mechanism is particularly evident in the behaviors of socially disadvantaged groups within open street environments. It highlights the "patience capital" that street-level bureaucrats accumulate through experience, especially in situations characterized by "short-term confrontations" and "mutual awareness." Additionally, it challenges the assumption of homogeneity within street-level bureaucracies, revealing differences based on role (service or regulation), gender (male or female), rank (high or low), and context (new or familiar). The study's findings reflect the adaptive process of discretionary motivation in the enforcement strategies and combinations used by street-level bureaucrats. Furthermore, it provides a "people-centered" psychological reference model to enhance the effectiveness of grassroots law enforcement.
