Types of listening in psychology, techniques, styles of active and passive

01/23/2019 Zoryan Freidovich Psychology

There are different ways to listen to what other people say. Some prefer to perceive information in the form of dialogue or discussion. That is, they actively participate in the conversation, periodically interrupt their interlocutors, give their assessment of what they heard, or voice “counter” ideas, even if they are not asked to do so. This manner of perceiving information is often considered a sign of lack of education, a manifestation of disrespect for the interlocutor and inattention to the topic of the conversation. Meanwhile, from a psychological point of view, such a manner of communication indicates just the opposite.

In psychology, there are two types of communication manners: active perception, or reflexive, and non-reflective listening, that is, passive.

The more actively the interlocutor reacts, the more interested he is in the topic of conversation and filled with emotional sympathy. In other words, reflective listening is a sign of participation and interest. Non-reflective listening, accordingly, indicates a person’s reluctance to enter into a discussion or his indifference to the topic of the conversation.

However, this is a very generalized view. In some life situations, the absence of reflexes when communicating is a necessity, for example, in a psychotherapist’s office. When communicating with a patient, a doctor practices non-reflective perception of information. Another example of the need for this type of listening is behavior in a family or friendly conflict, when one of the parties is simply waiting for the more temperamental person to “blow off steam.” There are also special techniques that teach non-reflective listening. Accordingly, this way of perceiving information does not always indicate the alienation of the interlocutor or his lack of interest in the conversation.

What is it? Generalized definition

Every person who has at least superficially studied psychological disciplines has inevitably encountered the following task during tests or exams: “Indicate what the essence of unreflective listening is.” At first glance, there should not be any difficulties in its implementation. You should simply write or voice a definition of this type of listening.

However, everything is not as simple as it seems. There are three excellent detailed definitions of this concept. Therefore, when asked “Indicate what the essence of non-reflective listening is,” clarification or additions to this wording are required. If they are not there, then, as a rule, a superficial, generalized definition of this concept is voiced. It also gives an idea of ​​the essence of this type of listening.

Non-reflective listening is a specific manner of perceiving information and communicating in which one person speaks and the other is silent.

Active Listening Questions

The types of listening, as well as their effectiveness, depend on whether the subject is distracted. In order to correctly understand the interlocutor and focus on the essence of what is being said, it is necessary to ask leading questions.

In psychology, such techniques are often used to gain a large audience or manipulate opinions. Questions should be as open-ended as possible, which will allow you to obtain as much information as possible.

Examples are statements:

• "how exactly?";
• "Why?";
• "How many?";
• "For what?";
• “What should I do for this?”

Depending on the context, the interrogative construction can be modified by using new words. Their large number in a conversation is directly proportional to the amount of information received.

Because closed questions require a short answer “yes” or “no,” you should not overuse them. Psychologically, they develop an interrogative atmosphere. Such words are best used at the very end of the dialogue in order to clarify the internal state of the opponent.

Alternative questions are made up of two components - open and closed varieties. In this case, the opponent must subconsciously choose between them, which may also indicate his disposition to talk.

How else is this concept interpreted?

This type of perception of information, when considered as a natural way for a person to listen to an interlocutor, is defined as a type of dialogue, which, of course, has its own characteristics.

Non-reflective perception of information in this case is defined as a passive-active type of listening, in which a person is not distracted, delves into the essence of what is being presented, but remains silent, although he shows signs of auditory attention to the interlocutor.

In other words, the listener is interested in the topic of the conversation and supports the speaker with facial expressions, gestures, short interjections or rare leading, clarifying questions. It is this natural type of non-reflective manner of perceiving information that formed the basis of professional listening techniques used by psychotherapists.

The second definition interprets the concept of unreflective listening literally. The name comes from the Latin word reflexio, which is translated into Russian as “reflection”. Thus, unreflective perception of information is nothing more than listening without delving into the meaning of speech or analyzing what is said by the interlocutor. This type of listening is also used in professional communication techniques. It is indispensable when you have to listen to empty, meaningless chatter.

The third definition is as follows: non-reflective perception is silent listening to the information presented by a person, accompanied by the creation of conditions for the interlocutor to speak frankly, to the point. This type of listening involves encouraging the speaker, demonstrating attention, usually expressed in short remarks or interjections, in gestures and facial expressions. It is this type of unreflective perception of information that is used during heart-to-heart conversations, on first dates, or when providing friendly support.

What are the features of this type of perception?

What is special about unreflective listening? It would seem that the answer to such a question lies on the surface; it is obvious from the definition of this concept. That is, a feature of this method of perceiving information is silently listening to the speech of the interlocutor. Without a doubt, this is indeed the case, and silence during a conversation is the main, indicative feature of non-reflective perception of another person’s speech.

However, this distinctive feature is not the only or unique feature inherent in this method of listening. For example, when at a lecture, students are silent, and the teacher speaks. At first glance, there is a picture of unreflective perception of information. But this is not at all the case, since students are silent not of their own free will or in accordance with their nature and not out of caution, but because these are the rules of being in a lecture.

That is, silently listening to the speaker does not in itself determine non-reflective perception and is not its only feature. This is only one of the distinctive features of the method of receiving information we are considering.

So what is special about unreflective listening? The fact is that this way of perceiving speech is a component of dialogue, a manner of maintaining a conversation. This manner may be characteristic of a person by nature, that is, it may be an integral part of his psychotype. But it can also be acquired artificially, during training in its use. Also, a non-reflective manner of perceiving the information presented by the interlocutor may be a forced necessity.

In any case, the non-reflective type of perception of another person’s speech is the result of a voluntary choice or a combination of circumstances, emotional and psychological characteristics of the individual, but in no way a consequence of the rules. At first glance, there may seem to be a contradiction in this statement. After all, psychotherapists use precisely this manner of communication when seeing patients. Doesn't the choice of a non-reflective mode of perception then become the result of following rules? It turns out not. Psychotherapy allows for any manner of conducting a session. In other words, a specialist may well use active, effective and reflective listening. Non-reflective listening is a voluntary choice for the vast majority of specialists, since therapy methods based on it are the most effective, especially in psychoanalysis.

Types of listening, features and examples

Types of listening in psychology are 5 main varieties, which differ from each other based on the quality of analysis, perception and timely response to the information heard.

The use of a certain type helps to improve the quality of information perception, which is why it is often used during business meetings.

Male and female active listening

Based on gender characteristics, there is both male and female listening. In the first case, the information is perceived most carefully, including comprehensive observation and analysis of the data obtained, active discussion of the subject of discussion, reflection and the presence of clarifying questions.

Male listening is often used during business meetings, conferences or negotiations. Feminine listening differs from male listening in increased emotionality and openness.

In this case, empathy is used, which allows you to become closer to the interlocutor, causing the necessary trust, as well as sympathy for the problems described. Such communication is dominated by an emphasis on feelings and the emotional component, rather than the amount of information expressed.

Directed or critical listening

With this type of listening, the participant in the conversation first makes a critical analysis of what he heard, starting in advance from the intention of verifying the information received. In other words, an analysis of the veracity of what was said occurs, after which the individual understands whether he agrees with another opinion or not.

Critical analysis is characterized by the quality and value judgments about the correctness of what the interlocutor said, that is, statements that can be supported by facts.

When listening critically, the following processes usually occur:

• clarification. Are there significant facts that support the wording heard, are they truly relevant;
• assessment. A relationship is drawn between logical conclusions and the evidence base;
• definition. Is there other information that could reduce the quality of the conclusion?

Such listening is used when an important decision needs to be made, unfamiliar experience is discussed, or certain points of view are expressed in discussions, meetings or work meetings.

Critical listening is ineffective in situations where new data is discussed or the learning process takes place (lectures, reports, lessons). The psychological attitude of rejecting the information received does not allow one to listen to it, which is why valuable data may go unnoticed.

Empathic Listening

Types of listening in psychology associated with empathy represent an individual's ability to respond emotionally to the experiences of other people. With this type, the participant in the conversation places the main emphasis on “reading” the feelings of the interlocutor, giving little importance to the words spoken.

Types of listening in psychology related to empathy:

• Empathic response . Characterized by the presence of observation of another person and the subsequent experience of various emotional reactions that are similar to expected or actual expressions.
• Sympathetic response . Represents a feeling of participation, care, or compassion that is directed toward another individual in the context of a situation or problem. It differs in that the opponent is not inclined to direct empathy. Correct sympathetic understanding is characterized by the development of emotional signs such as anxiety, pity or grief.
• Taking a different point of view . Refers to putting oneself in another person's shoes, better perceiving their point of view, problem or any other thoughts.

Empathic listening is generally not characterized by the presence of advice or value judgment of the interlocutor. At the same time, the person does not seek to moralize or criticize the information received.

When developing communication skills, this type of listening can be effective in the context of obtaining positive emotions from the interlocutor - joy, self-confidence, hope for a better outcome, pleasure, etc.

It may also be ineffective when, during a conversation, the subject feels negative emotions - fear, grief, sadness or disappointment.

Conscious observation of a person will allow you to focus on such important manifestations as verbal and nonverbal communication, through which you can learn more about the emotional component of the problem.

Non-reflective listening

Types of listening in psychology associated with the ability to minimally interfere with the information being expressed, with a high focus on the problem, are called non-reflective.

The ability to silently and carefully perceive information, without interfering with the context with one’s own remarks or remarks, greatly facilitates the speaker’s process of self-reflection and expression.

Types of listening in psychology, example - non-reflective listening.

Non-reflective listening when communicating with a person who has speech impediments gives him the opportunity to focus on the subject of the conversation and speak better. This type of listening is also effective with interlocutors who experience negative emotions, feel the intensity of passions, or are too preoccupied with a problem.

When delving into the process unreflectively, you should not use negative reactions, and also ask additional questions and ask the person to calm down and say that everything will get better someday.

This can cause frustration or indignation, because in an affective state, the interlocutor is not capable of adequately perceiving information.

Reflective Listening

Reflective or active perception of information is a type of listening in which the reflection of the information received in the conversation comes first. This type presupposes an analysis of the data received during the conversation, as well as a quick response to it using leading questions.

This type of listening, according to many psychologists, is the most effective and constructive, because when it is used, the so-called organization of interaction develops.

This affects the two-way understanding of opponents - both speak more meaningfully, information is checked and clarified.

The most well-known techniques that distinguish reflective listening from others are frequent clarifications about the correct understanding of the information being expressed, which occurs through leading questions: “Do I understand what correctly?”, “Otherwise, did you want to say...”, “Maybe you meant in sight?

Using the techniques described above allows you to provide two interlocutors with adequate communication, which eliminates various pressures or barriers between them. This also allows the subject to form the idea that the individual in front of him is equal to him.

The use of reflective listening skills will significantly help someone who has a “victim” position, which will allow them to knock an authoritative interlocutor out of a leadership position, thereby elevating the conversation to average and equal communication.

What are the rules of technique for such listening?

Each method of communication has its own rules and techniques that can be learned.

The technique of non-reflective listening implies adherence to the following rules:

• no attempts to interfere with a person’s speech;
• non-judgmental acceptance of the information presented by the interlocutor;
• focusing on what is being said, and not on one’s own attitude towards it.

By following these “three pillars” you can easily master a non-reflective way of communication.

When is this listening method appropriate? Examples of life situations

There is a fairly widespread opinion that the scope of use of non-reflective listening is psychology, all kinds of special training, and in ordinary life there is no place for this method of perceiving information. This belief is wrong. There are quite a lot of situations in which this type of listening is appropriate in everyday life.

For example, if people are friends, communicate closely and one of them develops severe stress or depression, then, as a rule, this person needs a listener, and not an adviser or critic. In other words, a person only wants to complain about the “evil boss”, “stupid wife”, talk about how bad everything is in his life, and not listen to someone’s “valuable thoughts” or “good advice”. That is, if a friend wants to pour out his soul, there is no need to try to explain to him how to get out of the current situation or show doubts about what was said, point out the advantages of the speaker’s situation. You just have to listen.

No less common is the situation when women complain to their friends about their husbands or children. In this case, the speaker’s desire is to complain itself, and not to listen to the assessments and opinions of her friends. Moreover, in such a conversation, exclusively non-reflective, passive listening and rare consoling phrases are appropriate, and only if any question is asked. If, for example, you agree with a woman who scolds her children or other family members, you may encounter her indignation, resentment, and simply lose your friend. And attempts to convince her otherwise and describe the positive qualities of those whom the woman criticizes will lead to a new round of complaints, making the conversation almost endless.

It is a mistake to believe that a professional non-reflective manner of perceiving information is the lot of only psychotherapists. Examples of unreflective listening to a person in the line of duty can be found almost everywhere. Let's say the postman brings a pension to an elderly person's house. While the necessary documents are being filled out, the pensioner says something, complains, reports on the economic situation in the country, or talks about something else. Of course, the postman is completely indifferent to this stream of chaotic information, but he is not able to force the old man to remain silent. The only option left is unreflective listening. This method of communication also works effectively in shops, bars, and hairdressers. In other words, an example of professional practical application of this option for perceiving information can be observed wherever forced communication with people takes place.

Under what circumstances is this method of listening necessary?

The essence of unreflective listening is the absence of active participation in the conversation. Accordingly, this method of communication is appropriate in circumstances in which reflective listening is not required.

As a rule, you just need to listen to the other person if he:

• wants to explain his attitude to something or indicate a political position, talk about religion;
• seeks to discuss acute, topical issues or family problems, conflicts at work;
• trying to complain or share joy.

In addition, non-reflective listening is also necessary at work, regardless of the person’s field of activity. For example, this type of communication is the best when it comes to conversations with managers and bosses. Listening skills are also required during negotiations. When it is important to correctly understand the goals and intentions of business partners or to predict the methods that competitors will use, the ability to perceive information non-reflexively is very useful.

The concept of listening in communication psychology

To successfully interact with society, it is necessary to develop not only the speech apparatus, but also the ability to correctly listen to a person. Listening and speaking are fundamental skills that enable you to develop verbal communication.

The essence of the technique is to have the most positive and responsive attitude towards the interlocutor, which increases the chance of universal understanding. Interest is the most important technique for developing active listening, knowledge of which will allow you to gain trust from a person and reveal more information about him.

In turn, listening is a procedure of concentrated understanding and perception of auditory and visual stimuli, as well as the unconscious attribution of symbolism to the information heard.

Active listening is characterized by the skills:

• Understanding. A detailed decoding of information coming from outside, which occurs by assigning the most appropriate meaning, in other words, comprehension in those categories that are understandable to a person.
• Concentration. The process of high concentration and interpersonal perception of multiple symbolic definitions coming from the senses. Characterized by the subsequent selection of the most important images due to a specific phenomenon.
• Critical listening or analysis . Is the process of determining how true the information said is.
• Response. Characterized by an appropriate response to what is heard, including verbal and nonverbal communication. Gives you the opportunity to evaluate information about your own personality - behavior, character, level of empathy, etc.

Active listening depends on parameters such as personality type, intellectual development, age, culture or gender of the person. Also, numerous professions are associated with the ability to listen, including: salespeople, psychologists, teachers, consultants and others.

In the role of business communication, listening skills are especially important, therefore, during training, special techniques are often used that develop the ability to correctly and effectively perceive information.

Using such techniques, the ability to quickly support an interlocutor develops, which increases the importance of the individual.

When communicating with children, listening allows you to better understand their fears and prejudices, which, if approached incorrectly, can be harmful. Seeing that the parent is capable of understanding, there is a high chance that the child will learn to solve his own problems.

Research in psychology indicates that listening skills are developed differently among people. Thus, it has been experimentally proven that on average, 47-50% of the time is spent on listening, 16-30% on speaking, and 15-18% on analyzing information.

Interestingly, most people rate listening skills at 80-85%, but numerous studies indicate high effectiveness of understanding data only in 20-25% of cases. That is, ¾ of the information is lost.

Is it possible to combine different types of listening?

So, we have already figured out a little about what non-reflective listening consists of. In practice, it all comes down to the silent perception of the interlocutor’s words, which means that it may well become a kind of “introductory stage” for any conversation.

Non-reflective communication is rarely used as the only type of listening to the interlocutor. Typically, this happens when active forms of listening are inappropriate. For example, if one of the interlocutors wants to speak out or is too depressed or, conversely, excited, an active manner of communication is unnecessary, you just need to listen. Also, you should not move from a non-reflective manner of perceiving information to an active one when there is a likelihood of a conflict developing, for example, in the event of an impending family scandal.

In other cases, unreflective listening may well act as a prelude to active participation in the conversation. Moreover, a combination of reflexive and passive manners of perceiving information is usually used when conducting discussions, scientific disputes, or when discussing any issues that are relevant to people communicating with each other.

Interference with active listening

During a dialogue, a person may encounter certain difficulties that will interfere with the correct perception and accurate visualization of the information received. Such interference arises from one’s own experiences or thoughts.

Various distortions during a conversation can interfere with the perception of the interlocutor, reducing concentration on the subject of the dialogue. The most popular difficulties include a drowsy or dreamy state. Also, with high criticality, the opponent may not perceive information from another person.

There are some errors that indirectly affect listening:

• Inventing arguments or answers, which increases the chances of losing the main point of the dialogue.
• Instructions, moralization, critical arguments pushing the opponent to stop talking.
• Ridiculous phrases that copy a person.
• Interrupting or finishing a phrase for an opponent without allowing a full thought to be formed.
• Reducing the conversation to an insignificant polemic.
• Focusing on oneself, which is characterized by translating what is said into one’s own experience.
• Frequent distraction from the purpose of the conversation by personal experiences or irritants.

External irritants include the inability to correctly convey information - slurred or incoherent speech, lack of correct tempo and volume. Also, the quality of perception can be affected by strangers and loud noise - a playing telephone, transport, repair work.

What is the technique of execution?

The essence of the technique of a non-reflective manner of listening to an interlocutor is the ability to remain silent, not interrupt and not voice a personal attitude to what is being said.

The technique of this method of perceiving information can be presented in the form of a list of alternating types of reactions:

• willingness to listen;
• empathy expressed by facial expressions, posture, gestures;
• encouragement, demonstration of attention, manifested in short phrases, interjections and other options for participation (for example, you can pour tea for your interlocutor).

The conversation ends with the person who initiated and actively participated in it.

Tips for a bad listener

In the case when it is necessary to get rid of the interlocutor, a number of techniques are drawn up, based on the method of active listening, with the help of which you can cause an open reluctance in the opponent to continue the dialogue.

To do this you should:

• sharply and rudely criticize your opponent, pointing out his inaccuracies and mistakes;
• interrupt and go on personal topics;
• use dismissive postures and facial expressions;
• constantly answer a question with a question;
• remain silent or show no emotional response;
• being distracted by telephone conversations or showing interest in other activities.

Despite the effectiveness of the technique, it should not be used often, since all people require sympathy. It is always better to kindly express your own reluctance to conduct further conversation.

What is meant by technical techniques?

The technique of non-reflective listening is a component of the technique of this style of communication. These include:

• facial expressions;
• body postures;
• gesturing;
• short remarks and interjections;
• actions expressing interest and participation;
• leading questions that fill pauses and provoke the narrator to continue speaking.

Since the listening person is silent most of the time of the conversation, the interlocutor is guided by his body posture, gaze, facial expression, etc. Therefore, it is extremely important not only to learn not to interrupt the narrator and not to make judgments about what is heard, but also to control the postures, gestures and facial expressions adopted.