Psychology of influence in communication.
Methods of influence include persuasion and coercion (at the level of consciousness), suggestion, infection and imitation (at the unconscious level of the psyche). The last three methods are socio-psychological.
In psychological and pedagogical literature, the concept of “belief” is used in three ways: firstly, as knowledge that is part of a worldview; secondly, as the main method of psychological influence on the consciousness of the individual; thirdly, as a process of influence.
In relation to psychological influence,
persuasion can perform several functions: informational, critical and constructive.
Depending on the personality of the object, their significance is different.
The information function depends on the degree of awareness of the recipient on the subject (problem, issue) of the impact.
The critical function is to evaluate the views, opinions, stereotypes and value orientations of the object. The role of this function is especially important in disputes, discussions, etc., i.e. in the process of convincing the recipient.
The constructive function is manifested in the formation of new views, approaches and attitudes in the object.
Persuasion, compared to persuasion, is a more complex, time-consuming and psychologically painful process for the recipient, since he experiences a breakdown of existing views and ideas, the destruction of old ones and the formation of new attitudes. In this regard, the communicator has to spend significantly more psychological and other resources on the process of influence. Convincing people requires great caution, tolerance, goodwill and tact, because it is quite difficult for a person to part with his beliefs even when he has realized their inconsistency and fallacy.
Coercion as a method of influence has two modifications: physical and moral-psychological coercion.
The first is related to the use of physical or military force and will not be considered by us.
The second modification manifests itself, for example, in managerial or educational practice. The method of coercion, from a psychological point of view, essentially coincides with the method of persuasion.
In both cases, the communicator's task is to ensure that the recipient accepts his proposal. In both persuasion and coercion, the subject justifies his point of view with the help of evidence. The main feature of the coercion method, compared to persuasion, is that the basic premises with which this thesis is substantiated potentially contain negative sanctions for the object. The latter correlates possible negative consequences with his system of value orientations. And only in the case when the grounds with the help of which the recipient is proven to accept the proposals are subjectively presented to him as having the opportunity to destroy his existing hierarchy of values, the object accepts the decision that is offered to him.
Suggestion as a purposeful, unreasoned influence based on an uncritical perception of information.
This method has long attracted the attention of scientists, and therefore a large number of studies have been carried out on it. Suggestion is actively used in pedagogical and medical practice, in military affairs, in the media, etc. The effectiveness of suggestion depends on the characteristics of the subject and object and especially on the relationships that develop between them. The presence of a positive attitude in the object towards the subject helps to optimize the impact. The effectiveness of the suggestive influence can be achieved by increasing the prestige of the subject (for example, it is not the representative of the party who speaks, but its leader), repeating the influence in various modifications and reinforcing the content with logically thought out and convincing (from the point of view of the recipient) evidence. This is explained by the fact that the target’s existing wariness towards suggested information will be destroyed by compelling arguments. If the recipient's resistance is high, then the evidence should be more convincing and affect his feelings.
Infection consists of the unconscious and involuntary susceptibility of people to certain mental states.
Contagion has integrative and expressive functions. The first is used to enhance the monolithic nature of the group (for example, in Nazi Germany, members of the Hitler Youth were forced to collectively listen to recordings of the Fuhrer’s speeches and sing Nazi songs), the second is associated with the relief of mental tension. The expressive function of infection is clearly manifested at entertainment events. The influence of the infection method can also be observed in the case of a successful joke by the speaker. In this case, smiles, laughter, and a cheerful mood are vividly transmitted among the people present, creating a positive mood in them. Infection has different effectiveness depending on the personal and business qualities of the target (such as restraint, a high level of self-control, etc.). Infection has always been successfully used by leaders of various religious movements and denominations. A certain kind of emotional state easily spreads among the masses of people who come to a religious meeting. This makes them more suggestible and controllable.
Imitation consists of the object’s conscious or unconscious following of the behavior or example of the subject of influence.
Imitation is actively used, for example, in pedagogical and managerial activities. Following the models of decent behavior of teachers and managers allows us to develop high personal and business qualities in students or subordinates. The effectiveness of imitation depends on age, gender, personal and business qualities of the subject and object, the relationship between them and many other characteristics.
NLP Basics
Neurolinguistic programming as a technology of influence strives to establish a connection between an individual and his own subconscious. Possessing rich hidden mental resources, every person should be able to use them. Access to invisible resources is carried out by extracting them from the subconscious and delivering them to the conscious part of the psyche. There is also a reverse mechanism: stereotypes of perception of the surrounding world (worldviews, information) are laid in the sphere of the unconscious, contributing to changes in human behavior that are positive for the psyche.
The higher nervous activity of a person, including the psyche, works on the basis of the process of assimilation of information, which, based on the NLP approach, is divided into a number of subsystems:
- perception of data (localized through representative systems);
- data processing (localized in consciousness);
- data storage (localized in the subconscious).
Adherents and followers of the NLP approach also emphasize certain principles that contribute to the effectiveness of a person as an individual:
- Consistency (rapport): must exist both with oneself and with the outside world. It is more constructive not to try to change something/someone, but to recognize the fact of the existence of this or that phenomenon “as it is.”
- Clarity of ideas (result): concerns the effectiveness of something (situation, process, achievements) - it must have clarity, be understood unambiguously and be objective (represented in consciousness).
- Openness and attentiveness (sensitivity): refers to the process of achieving a result - only concentration and attention to your feelings, which should be open, will show whether there is movement towards the goal.
- Plasticity in approaches (flexibility): associated with the ability to successfully change one’s actions until the desired is achieved.
What negative consequences can result from self-hypnosis?
Do you use self-hypnosis? If not, it's a waste! With its help, you can lose weight, rejuvenate your body and get rid of diseases. Self-hypnosis is a process of self-confidence, mental control of oneself, the body and one’s own feelings. What is the name of self-hypnosis syndrome?
A true story about a friend, Anna: she was constantly afraid of getting sick and was often bothered by headaches for no reason. I have a friend Anna. Her main fear is the fear of getting sick. This obsession accompanied her constantly. She was afraid not that she would get sick, but that she was already sick. Anna suffered from headaches and malaise. She was afraid that this was a sign of a tumor. The idea of getting sick grew into a phobia.
Symptoms that confirmed this:
- she constantly had thoughts about illness;
- she perceived headache as the first sign of illness;
- Anna visited doctors and took tests for no objective reason;
- with mild manifestations of the disease, she was sent to the hospital.
Anya couldn't help herself. She didn't know how to get rid of this obsessive thought. I felt sorry for her. The main thing I advised her was to be patient. It’s not easy to get rid of fear; it will take a lot of time and effort.
She could not control her imagination; the picture of the disease flashed before her eyes. I suggested that Anna go to a psychotherapist. He advised the girl on a method of self-hypnosis.
She resorted to the following methods:
- affirmation - Anna repeated out loud phrases like “I’m healthy”;
- visualization - the girl imagined herself healthy, cheerful and energetic;
- meditation;
- self-hypnosis - Anya programmed herself to have no pain in her head.
The girl programmed her subconscious to quickly get rid of the excruciating pain. And it worked. She overcame her fear, tuned her subconscious to positive thoughts - the headaches went away, Anna was no longer afraid of getting sick.
The power of self-hypnosis is effective, a person simply does not pay attention. When he is nervous, worried, he utters destructive phrases against himself. This is self-programming – negative.
You need to get rid of it forever. If you insist that you are a failure, you are unlucky, this will accompany you throughout your life.
Not a single person has negative thoughts embedded in their subconscious from birth. Where do they come from? Sources of negative suggestion to oneself are:
- Parents. They, without wanting it, cripple the child from the moral side. Parents set their child's peers as examples, not to his benefit. If a child does something wrong, mom and dad reproach him and call him bad names. Parents' disappointment in their own affairs focuses on children, who do not understand that the negativity is not directed at them. For example, after a dad saw his daughter eating a second bowl of soup, he jokingly called her fat. This thought is deposited in the girl’s subconscious.
- Mistakes of the past. Negative experiences in the past lay the foundation for a negative attitude towards such activities in future life. A person automatically thinks that this time it won’t work out again. For example, your husband (wife) cheated on you. You have experienced mental trauma, and now you subconsciously look at other men or women with skepticism. If your significant other is faithful to you, you still expect a catch.
Self-programming is dangerous. Sensitive people easily succumb to such feelings, and this destroys them. Every day, information enters the human subconscious - from TV, radio or newspapers.
Basically, this is news about a disaster, robbery and other negative events. This is imprinted in the subconscious.
Negative thoughts lead a person to depression and illness. Do not forget that uncontrolled thoughts that come from the subconscious instinctively organize the self-suggestion of illness. To prevent this from happening, give yourself positive attitudes, displacing negative ones.
Self-hypnosis syndrome is the first sign of fear of the disease. A person is looking for suspected illnesses.
How a person feels depends on his thoughts. If you maintain a sense of health and strength, it will manifest itself in life. If you are constantly depressed and afraid of getting sick, this will happen to you. This mental phenomenon is called the “disease of self-hypnosis.”
What is the name of the disease of self-hypnosis? Iatrogenic illness is a mental disorder that occurs as a result of a careless statement by a doctor. A careless phrase provokes the opinion that a person is seriously ill. Not through the fault of the doctor, but because the person himself makes such diagnoses.
The result of self-hypnosis is a real disease. When you dwell on experiences, negative changes occur in the body - self-hypnosis syndrome appears.
The role of self-hypnosis in illness is enormous. Imagine a situation - a couple of people agreed to play a prank on a friend. A man comes to him and says: “You look bad - pale skin, circles under your eyes. You are sick?". And so several times - everyone came up and said similar words.
The doctor (from the same group of friends) said that he was seriously ill and needed treatment. The guy fell ill, every day he became worse and worse. The comrades admitted the cause of the disease. This is the role of self-hypnosis.
Is it possible to provoke a miscarriage through self-hypnosis? A woman who has lost a child once worries when she becomes pregnant again. She is tormented by thoughts that she will lose her child again, everything will be bad. Don't get hung up on bad thoughts! These are just your thoughts and fears. Miscarriage will not happen through self-hypnosis. If you don't think about it.
Does death occur from self-hypnosis? With the help of suggestion, a person can be destroyed by creating a death program in his mind. According to researchers, biological death is preceded by psychological death. Most people live with the fear of dying - some will die a natural death, others - a violent death.
Thoughts of death from self-hypnosis “sit” in the subconscious. A person stops moving, sees no point in existing further - moral death occurs.
“Secrets” of the abbreviation N-, L-, P-
From a methodological point of view, “ neuro ” N- represents the conditioning of all processes (related to behavior, a variety of individual actions) by a set of neurological mechanisms occurring in the brain and throughout the human body.
“ Linguistic ” L- emphasizes the importance of verbal functions: through language we manage to organize, streamline our actions and thoughts, and also interact with people around us.
«Programming“P- indicates the existence of certain programs and methods of action that help a person streamline (organize) his psyche (himself) in order to achieve the required result.
Purpose NLP is a consideration of the question of how exactly you need to build and organize your experience, what influences it and how it can be managed. Mastering updated experience for a person looks like the process of receiving a new education - retraining the brain.
Representational systems
The main techniques used by NLP to influence a person are based on knowledge about the characteristics of the sensory channels of information perception by an individual.
Three main categories (modalities) of representative systems reflect the leading channel of external information, to which a person first of all pays attention:
- to visual (visuals) – visual sensations are central in perception;
- to auditory (audials) – auditory sensations are central in the course of perception;
- to kinesthetic (kinesthetics) - tactile sensations are central during perception.
Any person has all the described modalities of perception, but one is usually used to the maximum - this is the main modality (representative system).
The main (preferred) channel of information perception is formed in an individual during his development.
Typically, this formation is influenced by a whole range of factors:
- from natural, natural (features and properties of objects in the external world),
- to socio-cultural (social, intellectual, cultural environment in which the formation of the individual as a personality occurs).
