The phenomenon of psychological influence and characteristics of the impact

Impact in general in psychology is understood as a purposeful transfer of movement, information or other agents from one participant in the interaction to another. The psychological impact, interpreted in the context of the philosophical category of interaction, seems to reflect the processes of the impact of various objects on each other in their mutual conditioning, mutual transition and generation by one object of another. In modern psychology, there are various definitions that reflect different approaches to psychological impact. So, G. A. Kovalev understands the influence as a process implemented in the course of the interaction of two systems, the result of which is a change in the state or structure of at least one of them. E. V. Sidorenko defines psychological influence as the impact on the mental state, feelings and thoughts of people with the help of exclusively psychological means. T. S. Kabachenko considers the impact to be psychological when it has an origin external to the addressee and, being reflected by it, changes the psychological regulators of human activity, both externally and internally oriented. The last definition, which uses the concept of activity in describing the essence of the impact, being the most accurate, can be considered as the main one. The prerequisites and conditions for the use of psychological influence in order to solve professional problems are available in many types of labor activity, which causes an increased interest in this problem. In this regard, there are numerous areas of work in the context of psychological impact:
1) study of the role of psychological mechanisms on which behavioral manifestations are based;
2) the study of factors of influence that can cause a certain psychological effect;
3) study of professional impact:

• in psycho-corrective activity;
• in psychotherapeutic activity;

4) the study of the characteristics of the impact in different areas of social practice:

• management;
• education;
• advertising;
• propaganda;
• education;

5) impact study in special circumstances:

• in case of criminal attacks;
• during military operations.

As you can see, despite the active development of various areas of influence psychology, integrity and unity are absent in it, and there is no generalized concept of psychological influence. That is why the theoretical significance and practical value of such studies of various levels and directions for professionals in many fields of activity is very high. So, recognizing the relevance and relevance of the problem of psychological influence, let us dwell in more detail on the consideration of the phenomenon of psychological influence as a phenomenon of social practice.
Consideration of any phenomenon involves, first of all, its classification, the basis for which, in the case of psychological impact, can be various aspects. The following signs of interaction can serve as grounds for the classification of psychological impact, in particular:
1) interaction strategies:

• manipulative - subconscious stimulation bypassing internal control;
• imperative - maintaining existing cognitive structures;
• developing - orientation to the change of personality in the process of this dialogue;

2) the result of the interaction and the type of reaction:

• submission - as a desire to earn the approval of the influencer;
• identification - as a desire to resemble the influencer;
• internalization - as the development of the values ​​of the influencer;

3) contact impact:

• contact - when there is direct contact between the parties of interaction;
• distant - when there is no direct contact;

4) exposure exposure:

• open - when the fact of the presence of influence is not masked, or attention is fixed on it;
• hidden - when the fact and the source of influence are hidden, hushed up;

5) immediacy of impact:

• direct - when the influencer acts on the individual directly and directly;
• indirect - when the impact is not focused on specific people in a certain period of time;

6) arbitrariness of influence:

• arbitrary - when the influencers are supposed to cause a certain psychological effect;
• involuntary - when its possible results are not planned in advance by the influencer;

7) duration of exposure:

• brevity;
• long term.

Thus, the important parameters by which the impact can be distinguished are its nature - subject-subject or subject-object, the nature of the impact in time and the time of interaction - single or long-term, and the level of information reflection - conscious or unconscious. At the same time, the process of psychological influence can be carried out both by an individual or a group, and by social institutions. It is clear that depending on the influencing agent, the nature of the impact will have certain specifics, depending on the means used.
Some authors, in particular T. S. Kabachenko, also single out such a phenomenon of psychological influence as the “impact potential of a labor post”, the components of which are:

• set goals and ideas about the results of labor;
• given object of labor;
• system of means of labor;
• system of labor functions;
• worker's rights system;
• working conditions system.

It is clear that professional activity at "labor posts", which implies the possibility of implementing a complex psychological impact, requires separate careful consideration and study. Therefore, we will return to the problem of influence within the framework of professional activity in the corresponding chapter, dwelling in detail on the features, methods and techniques of psychological influence in the context of business communication.
In order to continue the conversation and go directly to the essence, means and methods of psychological influence, first of all, it is necessary to determine the terminology, clarifying the conceptual apparatus of the psychology of influence or influence. Thus, it is necessary to find out what we mean by the terms: means, techniques, methods and technologies of influence or influence. So, choosing from two nominations, let's focus on the definition of "influence", which seems to us softer and at the same time broader than "impact". The impact, which carries a tinge of categoricalness, reduces the entire range of concepts related to the subject of discussion to categories associated mainly with imperative strategies of influence and subject-object relations. In addition, the use of the term "impact" makes us automatically consider exactly interactions, reducing the entire diversity of the communication process to the interactive side and losing sight of its communicative and perceptual sides. In addition, if we define communication, in the context of which influence is carried out, as a special form of activity of the subject, and not just as one of the types of activity, it would be quite natural to get away from the concept of influence during interaction. In addition, it is the conviction within the framework of the dialogic approach, which implements the developing strategy of influence, being the most progressive and most adequate to the intersubjective nature of the human psyche, that bears the main load in the field of influence. While the suggestion, which has a monological character and is in a manipulative or imperative paradigm, becomes the main concept when using the term "impact". And, finally, the term "influence" in psychology has a certain stable semantic load of "purposeful transfer of movement and information from one participant in the interaction to another", which removes some types of influence, for example, indirect, from the sphere of understanding. Thus, we believe it is more correct to use the term "psychological influence", at least in the context of this work. We will use the term "impact" in the future when we are talking, first of all, about the interactive side of communication, the regulatory-communicative function of communication and subject-object interaction.
So, we define psychological influence as an external influence of the subject of influence on the psycho-emotional and psychosomatic state of the object of influence by using only psychological means, aimed at the cognitive, affective and evaluative-volitional sphere of his personality, which is reflected by him and leads to a change in the regulators of his activity and activity parameters. .

An essential point is that the object of influence has the opportunity to respond to it by using also exclusively psychological means and a time interval for developing a plan and implementing response actions.

Purposefulness, according to our ideas, is not an indispensable condition and a necessary characteristic of psychological influence.

The result, or product, of the process of psychological influence is a change in the nature and degree of significance, direction, and severity of manifestations of the activity of the object of psychological influence.

At the same time, the object of influence begins to act and can be considered as the subject of a response, expressed in activity, a change in state, behavior, attitude, ideas, thoughts, feelings, experiences, actions, etc. Thus, the psychological influence emanating from the subject, even being initially subject-object, starting from the moment of receiving feedback from the object, it can also be considered as a subject-subject process.
Next, we should define the concepts of resistance to influence, as well as nominate the subject and object of influence within the framework of their interaction.
So, opposition to psychological influence is the resistance of the object of influence, expressed in counteracting its attempts by the subject of influence, to make changes in the regulators of its activity and parameters of activity. It is carried out by influencing the cognitive, affective or evaluative-volitional sphere of his personality.

The subject of influence, or its source, one of the communication partners who initiates the impact and undertakes to influence the object, is the initiator.

The initial object of influence, or its recipient, one of the communication partners, to whom the first attempt to influence made by its source is directed, is the addressee.

The subject of influence, its initiator, can be both an individual and a group of persons, as well as social institutions - from the state to the organization.

Both an individual and a group of persons can also act as an object of influence, its recipient or addressee.

In the process of communication, the direction and nature of psychological influence can be changed when, depending on the stage or stage of this process, the positions of the subject and object, the nature of the relationship between them, as well as the strategy, type, forms and methods of the applied influence change.

Thus, one of the criteria for the presence of psychological influence may be the psychological effect produced by it through the use of certain technologies. Such technologies, which are a set of means of influencing the psyche, are referred to as psychotechnics, or psychotechnologies.
So, the basic concept, which denotes the totality of means by which the productivity of psychological influence is achieved, is the concept of influence technology. By technology, we will understand an effective algorithm for solving problems of a psychological nature that contributes to the achievement of a social result.
Examples of common psychotechnologies could be the following:
1) co-optation of leaders - by attracting an informal leader to cooperate with the formal structure;
2) participation of authorities - as an imitation of the involvement of authoritative persons in decision-making in order to minimize their oppositional activities;
3) imitation of criticism - as a simulation of self-criticism by representatives of the management system to relieve psycho-emotional and social tension;
4) canalization of mood - in order to reduce the level of psycho-emotional tension in society by:

• refocusing attention on another subject;
• formation of the desired image of this subject;
• strengthening the excitation of the social group;
• provoking the actions of the group in relation to the subject;
• bringing the activity of the group to its logical conclusion. Thus, it can be argued that psychotechnologies, or technologies

psychological influence, are developed in response to a social demand or an existing urgent need of society. The implementation method is determined by the specifics of the need, the characteristics of the target group - the object of potential influence, as well as the temporary resource and the arsenal of means available to the subject of influence. The result of the application of psychotechnology, adequate to the situation, should be a certain social effect.
Any technology can be implemented by carrying out specific activities, phased actions, purposefully, systematically and consistently carried out over a certain time interval. As we have seen in the example of the use of mood canalization psychotechnology, each next stage of the implementation of the technology ensures the fulfillment of the next task, the achievement of an intermediate goal that works for the final result.
The intermediate goals of the psychological influence exerted on the object can be the following:

• the creation of certain psychosocial attitudes;
• formation of the necessary images;
• creating a specific view;
• forcing or weakening emotional tension;
• wake up or block activity;
• initiation of a certain psycho-emotional state;

attract or distract attention.

The tasks to be solved in turn in the process of exerting influence can be set in relation to the following characteristics of the object of influence:

• mental processes;
• motives and needs;
• psychosocial attitudes;
• psychoemotional and psychosomatic states;
• psychological phenomena, etc.

As for the methods of achieving tactical goals and solving intermediate tasks at each stage of the process of psychological influence, they are tied to a specific task and can be designated as methods of psychological influence.
The next characteristic, on which the solution of a specific task of the next stage of psychological influence depends, are the conditions for its implementation. So, the tactics of solving the problem can be different depending on the following conditions:

• ratio of real and desirable characteristics of the object;
• specific characteristics of the personality of the object of influence;
• type of relationship between the subjects of interaction;
• the state of the subject in relation to which the problem is being solved.

Thus, the implementation of a certain method of influence in a specific situation can be described as the implementation of psychological influence techniques.
Now, having decided on the concepts of technologies, methods and techniques of psychological influence, let's try to identify those factors that cause the psychological effect sought by the subject of influence. Factors through which this or that psychological influence can be exerted have been singled out by different authors for various reasons. As a rule, these are two, less often three groups of factors, or means of influence (influence), which always include verbal and non-verbal ones. The most detailed and meticulously worked out classification was carried out by T. S. Kabachenko. So, among the factors contributing to productive psychological influence under certain conditions through the use of methods using appropriate techniques, include the following groups of factors:
1) factors of external influence aimed at the following analyzers:

• visual;
• auditory;
• olfactory;
• temperature;
• tactile;

2) factors of verbal influence that give rise to certain features of perception and involve mechanisms:

• linguistic;
• paralinguistic;

3) factors of non-verbal influence, involving characteristics:

• mimic;
• takees;
• acoustic;
• kinetic;
• proxemic;
• optical;
• olfactory;

4) factors regulating the level of satisfaction of the needs and motives of the object of influence;
5) factors contributing to the involvement of the object of influence in specially organized activities.
So, speaking about the means of psychological influence, we can distinguish five main groups of factors of influence, referred to below as means: verbal, non-verbal, as well as means aimed at stimulating different modalities, regulating the motivational-need sphere, and engaging in joint activities. Thus, an algorithmized system of means of influence constitutes a technique, a set of methods of influence forms a method. An effective influence algorithm, that is, a combination, sequence and rhythm of the use of means, techniques and methods of psychological influence to solve a specific problem, is a psychotechnology.
Thus, the choice of an algorithm for obtaining the desired result, as well as a further assessment of the productivity of psychological influence and the satisfaction of the effect achieved, can be made on the basis of the adequacy of the means, methods, techniques and influence technologies used.

Psychological influence is an influence on people (on individuals and groups), carried out with the aim of changing the ideological and psychological structures of their consciousness and subconscious, transforming emotional states, stimulating certain types of behavior.

There are three stages of psychological impact:

Operational, when the activity of its subject is carried out;

Procedural, when there is an acceptance (approval) or rejection (disapproval) of this impact by its object;

The final one, when response reactions appear as a result of the restructuring of the psyche of the object of influence.

The restructuring of the psyche under the influence of psychological influence can be different both in breadth and in temporal stability. According to the first criterion, partial changes are distinguished, i.e. changes in any one psychological quality (for example, a person's opinion about a particular phenomenon), and more general changes in the psyche, i.e. changes in a number of psychological qualities of an individual (or group). According to the second criterion, changes can be short-term and long-term.

The use of psychological influence in a combat situation has its own characteristics:

Not only humane, but also inhuman methods and techniques of psychological influence are allowed;

Psychological influence is carried out in combination with the use of means of armed struggle;

There is a desire to achieve maximum psychogenic impact.

The psychological impact is on specific areas of the psyche of an individual, groups of people and public consciousness as a whole:

Need-motivational (knowledge, beliefs, value orientations, inclinations, desires);

Intellectual-cognitive (sensations, perceptions, ideas, imagination, memory and thinking);

Emotional-volitional sphere (emotions, feelings, moods, volitional processes);

Communicative-behavioral (the nature and characteristics of communication, interaction, relationships, interpersonal perception).

This means that the psychological impact only then gives the greatest real effect when the peculiarities of the functioning of individual, group and social consciousness inherent in these specific areas are taken into account.

The psychological impact has its own patterns:

If it is aimed primarily at the need-motivational sphere of people, then its results affect primarily the direction and strength of people's motives (drives and desires);

When the emotional sphere of the psyche is under the gun, this is reflected in internal experiences, as well as in interpersonal relationships;

The combination of influences on both these spheres makes it possible to influence the volitional activity of people and thus control their behavior;

Influence on the communicative-behavioral sphere (the specifics of relationships and communication) allows you to create socio-psychological comfort and discomfort, force people to cooperate or conflict with others;

As a result of the psychological impact on the intellectual and cognitive sphere of a person, his ideas, the nature of the perception of newly incoming information and, as a result, his "picture of the world" change in the right direction.

The human psyche (ie the object of psychological influence) is a system of need-motivational, intellectual-cognitive, emotional-volitional and communicative-behavioral components. It can function in a balanced way or with a bias in existing relationships. Both are determined by the effect of cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon characterized by the following characteristics:

A) there is a dissonance between the intellectual-cognitive and all other components of the psyche, i.e. inconsistency, inconsistency;

B) the existence of dissonance causes a person to strive to reduce it or at least prevent its further increase;

C) the manifestation of this desire looks like:

Distrustful attitude to new information, or

Changing behavior according to new information, or

Rethinking the old information in a new perspective.

In accordance with what has been said, in order to have a psychological impact, it is first necessary to provoke failures and distortions in the functioning of individual components of the psyche of the object of influence. The dynamic balance between them will be disturbed and he will begin to experience a state of cognitive dissonance. After that, you can encourage him to restore peace of mind by changing his former, familiar views, beliefs and attitudes, and then stereotypes of behavior.

This is most clearly seen in the example of the psychological urge to surrender and in work with prisoners of war.

Almost every soldier is aware that the surrender, to which the enemy is calling for, is a very negative act. But in the course of hostilities, he often sees that captivity (or, alternatively, desertion) is the only way to save his life. Then an alternative arises before him: to lose the respect of front-line comrades, friends and relatives, or to lose his life. An agonizing search for a solution begins (i.e., experiencing cognitive dissonance). A person needs to choose one of these two options, internally accept either the possibility of death or flight from it. Often this is a choice in favor of surrender.

In captivity, work is carried out to further transform the worldview of prisoners. Specialists in the field of psychological influence seek to replace their existing value orientations (for example, bourgeois-democratic) with others (for example, socialist ones, as was the case in the course of work with prisoners during the Great Patriotic War, in Korea and Vietnam). Acquaintance with new views, ideas, norms of behavior, requiring the rejection of established beliefs, again leads to the emergence of cognitive dissonance. In whose favor the decision will be made in this case, depends on a number of factors (the age of the prisoner, the degree of his intellectual development, the level of education, the quality of the work carried out with him, etc.).

The effectiveness of the psychological impact also depends on the characteristics of the mechanisms for transforming people's beliefs, stereotypes and attitudes.

The mechanism of transformation of beliefs. Beliefs are meaningful, stable motives for people's activities, which usually have an ideological basis and are manifested in their actions, deeds and behavior. For example, in any army, the so-called "eternal soldierly virtues" are usually cultivated - courage, steadfastness, trust and obedience to commanders, pride in one's branch of service and in one's unit, military camaraderie, self-confidence, etc., allegedly devoid of political orientation. This is bearing fruit.

Often, high results in combat training, readiness for decisive action in extreme situations (especially during exercises) among many servicemen are based mainly on the internal acceptance of "eternal valor", as well as on a sense of duty, pride in their weapons, personal vanity and striving show your potential.

However, the real threat of life in a combat situation, and other dangers of modern warfare, make the soldier care about his own survival as well. At the same time, in accordance with the laws of cognitive dissonance, the prevailing beliefs are subject to fluctuations. Therefore, purposeful psychological influence from the outside contributes to their weakening, neutralization or replacement with opposite ones.

The use of psychological warfare tools gives the best results when they are used in a favorable environment. One of the most effective ways to create such a situation is to logically lead enemy soldiers to the idea of ​​surrender. For example, reports of facts of mass surrender, descriptions of good living conditions in captivity, and the promise of the opportunity to return home after the end of the war, as shown by the practice of psychological warfare, contribute to the inclination of enemy personnel to surrender.

The mechanism of transformation of stereotypes. Stereotypes are schematized representations of the facts of reality that are common in certain social and ethnic groups, causing very simplified (as a rule, inadequate reality) assessments and judgments by representatives of these groups. They are formed as a result of repeated semantic and emotional focusing of people's consciousness on certain phenomena and events, their repeated perception and imprinting in memory.

Stereotypes most often reflect not the essential (deep), but the external, most noticeable, most striking features of a phenomenon or event. Any assessment of the latter that corresponds to a stereotype is usually accepted without evidence and is considered the most correct, while any other is questioned. It is important to note that stereotypes arise in individual, group and public consciousness as a result of the impact not only of the surrounding reality, but also as a result of the perception of the experience, opinions, and judgments of other people.

That is why stereotypes can become the object of psychological influence. Their transformation is both a prerequisite for the effectiveness of such an impact, and a condition, the observance of which makes it possible to eventually change people's behavior. Thus, the state forms a stereotype of the people's positive attitude towards the political leadership of their country. The purpose of the enemy's psychological warfare organs is to discredit this leadership and destroy the stereotype of the positive attitude of citizens towards it.

For example, the United States, during its intervention in Panama (December 1989 - January 1990), clearly showed how to do it. In order to discredit the President of Panama, General M. Noriega, in the eyes of the Panamanians and the world community, 13 charges were brought against him by the court of the state of Florida, including drug trafficking and racketeering. The American media constantly emphasized Noriega's personal responsibility for the annulment of the results of democratic elections and the brutal massacre of a group of officers of the Panama National Guard who were trying to stage a coup d'état. His dictatorial habits were widely commented on, in particular, declaring himself "president for life." Most of the world's newspapers were covered by a photo of M. Noriega's office, the walls of which were decorated with a portrait of Hitler in a fascist uniform with an inscription in German "One leader - one nation." The press constantly reported on Noriega's passion for pornographic magazines and videos, about his drug use.

People's attention was also drawn to the fact that there are various ritual objects in the dictator's residence, indicating that he is serious about witchcraft and the occult.

As a result, in the eyes of Americans, and not only them, Noriega began to look like a drug dealer who usurped presidential power, mercilessly cracking down on the opposition, poisoning the American people with drugs from the Colombian drug mafia, and, moreover, a mentally not quite normal person. All this propaganda charge served as a sufficient cover for the entry of American troops and their further actions to overthrow the dictator. US President George W. Bush made his decision to send troops to Panama in the context of a new stereotype of American attitudes towards Noriega that had already been formed, programmed for the need for armed action.

Soviet special propaganda, according to foreign sources, during the war in Afghanistan also managed to carry out a number of successful events aimed at changing the stereotypes of perception by the population and the Mujahideen of specific field commanders. The purpose of one of them was to undermine the authority of the field commander Khoja Rustam. Here's how it was done.

At first, rumors were spread that he was allegedly collaborating with the Ministry of State Security, as a result of which his detachment was failing after failure. But the leadership of the opposition still trusted Rustam and, in order to check, transferred him to another precinct. Then, in the new zone of his military operations, a leaflet was distributed with the following content:

"Brothers of the Mujahideen and fighters for the faith! There are those among us who allegedly wage a holy war for the faith, but in reality express their dislike and hypocrisy towards Islam. Khoja Rustam is one of this number. For 7 years he turned against each other Muslim brothers in the valley of the Nijrab gorge, which usually led to the death of many of them.Know that this despot who is not afraid of Allah, allegedly waging a holy war on behalf of the people, was recently removed from the leadership of the General Directorate of the Islamic Party.

And now the evil and accursed intriguer has now arrived in Kuhistan to sow death and kill the people, in order to discredit the title of Mujahiddin here too.

This leaflet has caused a certain result. The stereotype of perception of Khoja Rustam in a new place turned out to be completely different, as a result of which he had to surrender command.

The mechanism of transformation of installations. Installation is a state of internal readiness (attitude) of people for a manifestation of feelings specific to them, intellectual-cognitive and volitional activity, dynamics and nature of communication, subject-practical activity, etc., corresponding to their needs.

The emergence of an attitude usually precedes people's awareness of a certain need and the conditions under which this need can be satisfied. Purposeful psychological impact creates a situation in which the present need is satisfied by providing people with specific information presented in a certain way. Thanks to it, the attitude is formed, fixed, replaced or changed in the minds of people.

There are regularities in the formation and manifestation of attitudes, among which the following are most important for psychological warfare:

If the psychological impact is aimed at the formation of new beliefs, attitudes, value orientations, and at this time a person is simply starving, unsettled, has no roof over his head, is sick, etc., then such an impact will not lead to their change in the desired direction;

Regardless of the skill of presentation and the peculiarities of the content of the psychological impact, it will not be effective if it does not correspond to the internal needs of a person.

It is possible to achieve a long-term stable change in people's behavior as a result of psychological warfare only to the extent that it is possible to shake the system of attitudes they already have. Then, on this basis, you can form new installations.

The process of changing settings also obeys certain patterns:

1) A person needs to explain the general direction of the process of changing his attitudes;

2) The transformation of attitudes is successful when the psychological impact carried out for these purposes corresponds to the needs and motives of a person;

3) A change in attitudes is more likely if the content of the information perceived during the psychological impact corresponds to the established norms of group and individual behavior of people, and the source of information is trustworthy and competent enough.

4) The change in attitudes is more stable if the reality surrounding the person confirms the content of the information perceived during the psychological impact.

5) The transformation of attitudes is the more effective, the more actively various methods of psychological influence are used.

Psychological impact allows you to partially or completely change (weaken, strengthen) previously learned attitudes and form new ones.

Small changes in attitudes are possible, which is understood as a partial transformation of any of their components: intellectual-cognitive (informational), emotional-evaluative or communicative-behavioral. Here is an example of how this is achieved.

During the battle for Stalingrad, the German group included Romanian and Italian units, whose personnel showed a generally positive attitude towards the Germans. At the same time, isolated cases of clashes between Romanian, German and Italian soldiers were observed.

The organs of special propaganda of the Red Army held measures to increase the hostility of the soldiers of the Romanian and Italian troops to the Nazis. On November 21, 1942, the operational reconnaissance group of the Don Front learned from the testimony of prisoners that a clash had occurred between Romanian and German soldiers in the 4th Army Corps, as a result of which three Romanian soldiers were killed and a German lieutenant was seriously wounded. On the same day, the group captured an order signed by German Colonel W. Neudorf, which indicated poor discipline in the 47th Italian regiment. Already on November 22, both of these facts were cited in leaflets specially prepared for the Romanian and Italian soldiers. Soon it was possible to find out that the leaflet contributed to the strengthening of the hostility of the soldiers of the Romanian and Italian army to the Nazis. Thus, although the informational component of the attitude towards the Germans remained the same, its emotional-evaluative and communicative-behavioral components changed: there was a feeling of distrust towards the Germans, dissatisfaction with their relations with the allies, resulting in the willingness of Romanians and Italians to fight side by side. side with them fell.

A cardinal change in previously established attitudes with the help of psychological influence is achieved quite rarely. The fact is that the attitude is formed over a long period of time, is connected with the system of human values, and is stable. In order to transform the settings, you must:

To carry out continuous psychological impact for a long time;

Repeatedly use different arguments backed up by real facts;

Systematically strengthen the persuasiveness of the argument.

An example of effective influence in order to change previously learned attitudes is the work among more than 350 thousand soldiers and officers of the Japanese Kwantung Army, taken prisoner by Soviet troops at the end of World War II. In general, the contingent of Japanese prisoners of war, despite the differences in their former social status, age, terms of service, military ranks, was a single mass in their moods. But as a result of a large number of events carried out for a long time - the publication of the Nihon Shimbun (Japanese Newspaper) newspaper for prisoners of war, the isolation of the most reactionary part of the prisoners of war (mainly command staff), the promotion of representatives of democratic activists to leadership positions, the creation of courses for democratic asset - managed to achieve the ideological persuasion of many Japanese prisoners of war. An Associated Press correspondent reported from Tokyo in 1949:

"The Japanese prisoners of war who arrived from Siberia are firm communists and are a matter of concern to the Japanese government."

During the war in Korea (1950-1953), the Koreans also carried out effective work with prisoners of war. The political and military leadership of the United States was concerned that many of the 7,000 American soldiers who were taken prisoner succumbed to the influence of enemy propaganda. According to the foreign press, "every third American prisoner in Korea was guilty of collaborating with the enemy, and 23 people refused to return to their homeland at all."

Psychological influence in war is carried out primarily for the sake of initiating certain reactions and actions, specific behavior (action or inaction) of the object. Here is a typical example. During one of the military operations of the Israeli troops, called "Din veheshbon"

("Pay on the bill"), residents of southern Lebanese settlements were notified in advance of the upcoming bombing. They were also advised to urgently evacuate. All this was done in order to cause a massive outflow of the population to the interior of the country and thus block the infrastructure of the region, provoke civil unrest. And ultimately, to destabilize the situation in Lebanon, to incline the country's leadership to negotiations. The goal was eventually achieved.

Speaking about the problem of influence, it is necessary first of all to turn directly to the terms.

There are several definitions of the concepts of "psychological influence" and "psychological influence". Here is some of them:

Influence (in psychology) - the process and result of an individual changing the behavior of another person, his attitudes, intentions, ideas, assessments, etc. while interacting with him. Psychology: a dictionary / Under the general. Ed. A.V. Petrovsky, M.G. Yaroshevsky. - M., 1990. - p.53.

· Influence in the process of psychological impact - the result of the activity of the subject of influence, leading to a change in any features of the personality of the object, its consciousness, subconsciousness and behavior. Dictionary-reference book on social psychology / V. Krysko. - St. Petersburg, 2003. - p.42.

· Psychological influence is the process and result of effective (successful) psychological influence. Psychological influence / V.P. Sheinov. - Minsk: Harvest, 2007. - p.5.

· Psychological influence is the impact on the state, thoughts, feelings and actions of another person with the help of exclusively psychological means, giving him the right and time to respond to this impact. Training of influence and resistance to influence / E.V. Sidorenko. - St. Petersburg, 2004. - p.11

· The process of social influence involves the behavior of one person, which has as its consequence - or goal - a change in how another person behaves, what he feels or thinks in relation to some stimulus. Social influence / F. Zimbardo, M. Leippe. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. - p.16.

It is easy to see that the above definitions are complementary, this allows us to derive a certain general definition.

In accordance with the goals and objectives of this work, we derive the following definition. So, in this work, the term “psychological influence” will be understood as the process and result of one person changing thoughts, assessments, behavior, attitudes, feelings, state, etc. another person in the course of direct interaction, as well as through advertising, media, etc.

"Psychological impact" will be considered as a kind of influence that is always purposeful and conscious.

It is important to note that the restructuring of the psyche and behavior through psychological influence can be different both in breadth and temporal stability. According to the first criterion, partial (partial) changes are distinguished, i.e. changes in any one psychological quality (for example, a person's opinion about a particular phenomenon), and more general changes in the psyche, i.e. changes in a number of psychological qualities of an individual (or group). According to the second criterion, changes can be short-term and long-term.

In communicative terms, influence is a one-way process, therefore, it distinguishes the subject and object of influence.

A person whose actions cause changes in the consciousness and behavior of another is the subject of influence (or influence).

The object is the person on whom the influence is directed.

Traditionally, there are three areas (environments) in which psychological influence is carried out:

The sphere of interpersonal relations;

a specially created persuasion environment (example - public speaking);

· Environment typical for the media (television, radio, print media, etc.).

In this work, the main attention will be paid to the sphere of interpersonal relations, because influence in business communication is carried out mainly through direct interaction.

There are many types of psychological influence, the grounds for highlighting which may be, for example, the goals of influence, the methods and methods used, etc.

In the studies of domestic authors, such types of influence as imitation, infection, suggestion (V.M. Bekhterev) have been singled out and sufficiently studied; persuasion, suggestion, infection (B.D. Parygin, A.V. Kirichenko); suggestion, persuasion, conformity (V.N. Kulikov); infection, imitation, persuasion, suggestion (G.M. Andreeva, V.G. Zazykin); persuasion (A.Yu. Panasyuk); manipulation (E.L. Dotsenko, L.I. Ryumshina).

Foreign psychologists, in addition to those listed above, study the following types of influence: .... It includes persuasion (argument), self-promotion, suggestion, request, coercion, ignoring, attack (aggression), infection, inducement to imitate (similarity), formation of favor (winning sympathy, disposition), manipulation.

Psychological influences also include neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), rumors, and people management.

There are several main classifications of types of psychological influence used by most authors.

Depending on the awareness and level of organization, unintentional and intentional (purposeful) influence are distinguished.

Unintended psychological influence is carried out, as a rule, unconsciously, it does not have the initial goal of changing the behavior or state of another person. Infection and imitation are distinguished as methods in this type of influence.

Infection is such a socio-psychological phenomenon in which the emotional state is transmitted from one person to another at the psychophysiological level, and the change in state occurs unconsciously. It arises in an unorganized, often spontaneously formed group of people.

Imitation means copying someone else's behavior, following an example. With the help of this phenomenon, social learning is carried out.

The second type of psychological influence - targeted influence (or psychological impact) - implies the presence of a specific goal. The result is changes in the behavior of the object of influence, his attitudes, beliefs, etc. Here, methods of persuasion, suggestion, withholding information, coercion, provocation, etc. are used.

Influence can also be divided into hidden and explicit. With a clear influence, the object knows about the impact being made and its goals, with a hidden one, it often does not even suspect. The explicit type of influence includes: persuasion, self-promotion, suggestion, request, coercion, ignoring, attack, rumors; to the hidden: infection, assimilation, location, manipulation.

Based on what methods are used, what are the purpose and consequences, influence is distinguished between positive (creative) and negative (destructive).

In addition to the main classifications of psychological influence, there are also less common classifications.

As an example, we can highlight the type of psychological influence depending on the communicative and personal potential of the subject of influence. Psychology of influence: textbook. allowance / T.M. Kharlamov. - 2nd ed., revised. - M.: Flinta: MPSI, 2008. - p.11.

On this basis, it is customary to single out the main and compensatory types of communicative-personal influence.

The main types of influence are social intelligence, personal magnetism, frustration influence, trust-partner influence.

Social intelligence is a type of influence used mainly by active, independent, efficient, open, sociable individuals who have a positive impact on others.

Personal magnetism is characteristic of responsible, self-developing, reflective and empathic mature individuals. Refers to the highest level of manifestation of influence.

The frustration type of influence is used more often by career-oriented people fixated on their own problems. Such personalities are distinguished by tension, conflict, but they are also characterized by reflexivity, sociability, and high activity.

Confidential-partner influence is chosen by modest, compliant, altruistically oriented people.

The compensatory types of influence include manipulative adaptability, responsibility and competence, and “militant virtue”. As a rule, these types are chosen by overcautious people with low self-esteem.

Manipulative adaptability is a type of psychological influence that is characteristic of quite sociable, but distrustful and rigid individuals with a low level of self-esteem.

Responsibility and competence are used by responsible, reliable, hardworking people.

"Militant virtue" is characteristic of individuals with high moral attitudes, but low reflection.

We also note some types of psychological impact.

According to some foreign and domestic authors, the psychological impact can be:

1) information-psychological (carried out through speech, information; the goal is the formation of beliefs, attitudes, views);

2) psychogenic (can be carried out in two ways - by physical impact on the brain and by inadequate, shock impact on the human mind; the result is a violation of the mental activity of the object of influence; this type of impact also includes the impact of color on the mental state of a person);

3) psychoanalytic (also called psychocorrective; carried out by psychotherapeutic methods, for example, using hypnosis, often with the use of drugs);

4) neurolinguistic (changing a person's consciousness by introducing certain linguistic programs);

5) psychotronic (electromagnetic, infrasonic, ultrasonic, etc. impact);

6) psychotropic (exposure with the help of biological and chemical substances). Secrets of psychological warfare / V.G. Krysko. - Minsk, 1999. - p.6.

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation

Siberian branch-institute

Department of Psychology

Test

on the topic: "Psychology of influence"

Completed: student gr.111

Anischenkova A.Ya.

Checked: Art. teacher,

head department, Kushnereva Yu.Yu.

Novosibirsk, 2012

1. The concept of the psychology of influence (IP)

Influence psychology techniques

Protection against the psychology of influence

Conclusion

Bibliography

1. The concept of influence. Essence of Influence

Influence is the process and result of an individual changing the behavior of another person, his attitudes, intentions, ideas, assessments, etc. while interacting with him.

Influence in the process of psychological influence is the result of the activity of the subject of influence, leading to a change in any features of the personality of the object, its consciousness, subconsciousness and behavior.

Psychological impact - it is the process and result of successful psychological influence.

In essence, this is the "penetration" of one person or group of persons into the psyche of another. Purpose and result: change, restructuring of individual or group mental phenomena (views, attitudes, motives, attitudes, states, etc.).

Psychological impact - this is an influence on the state, thoughts, feelings and actions of another person using exclusively psychological means, giving him the right and time to respond to this impact.

Addressee/Initiator

There are two parties involved in the PV process: Initiator - the party that initially seeks to influence the other; Addressee - the party to which the influence is directed.

· The initiator and addressee can be represented by both individuals and groups (small and large).

· The process of influence can also acquire the character of interaction. There is a fact of their mutual changes as a result of mutual influence on each other.

· However, the initiator has significant advantages - he initiates the impact and initially the initiative is on his side. He has the opportunity to prepare for contact, which further enhances the asymmetry in the possibilities of influence in the process of interaction.

Types of PV mechanisms

.Imitation, infection, suggestion (V.M. Bekhterev);

2.Persuasion, suggestion, infection (B.D. Parygin, A.V. Kirichenko);

.Suggestion, persuasion, conformity (V.N. Kulikov);

.Infection, imitation, persuasion, suggestion (G.M. Andreeva, V.G. Zazykin);

.Persuasion (A.Yu. Panasyuk);

.Manipulation (E.L. Dotsenko, L.I. Ryumshina).

Let's consider each of them in detail:

Belief- conscious reasoned influence on another person or group of people, in order to change the judgment, attitude, intention or decision.

self-promotion- announcing your goals and presenting evidence of your competence and qualifications, in order to be appreciated and thereby gain advantages in a situation of choice by others, appointment to a position, etc.

Suggestion -conscious unreasoned impact on a person or a group of people, aimed at changing their state, attitude towards something and predisposition to certain actions.

Infection -transferring one's state or attitude to another person or group of people who somehow adopt this state or attitude. This state can be transmitted and assimilated both involuntarily and arbitrarily.

Awakening the impulse to imitate -the ability to arouse the desire to be like oneself. This ability, like the desire to imitate, can both involuntarily manifest itself and be arbitrarily used.

Favor formation -Attracting involuntary attention to oneself by showing one's own originality and attractiveness, expressing favorable judgments about the addressee, imitating him or rendering him a service.

Request -making an appeal to satisfy the needs or desires of the initiator of the impact.

Coercion -the threat of using control capabilities in order to achieve the desired behavior.

Controlling Capabilities- this is the power to deprive the addressee of any benefits or to change the conditions of his life and work. In the most brutal forms of coercion, threats of physical violence may be used.

Destructive criticism -making disparaging or insulting judgments about a person's personality and / or rude aggressive condemnation, defamation or ridicule of his deeds and actions. The destructiveness of such criticism lies in the fact that it does not allow a person to "save face", diverts his strength to fight the negative emotions that have arisen, and takes away his faith in himself.

Manipulation -the hidden motivation of the addressee to experience certain states, make decisions and / or perform actions necessary for the initiator to achieve his own goals.

NLP- is "a model of human internal experience and communication that allows us to describe human activity and produce profound and sustainable changes in this activity."

NLP asks the following questions:

· What is the impact of verbal and non-verbal communication?

· How can this influence be used purposefully?

· How can communication help a person change?

NLP is a technology focused on influence through communication.

There are a lot of areas of application of neurolinguistic programming, therefore, examples of NLP are diverse.

But we will try to briefly consider the main ones. In everyday communication, the words that we use are very important, because they voice a person’s attitude towards himself, others and the world in general.

As an example of NLP, we can give a person a hidden command with just one phrase. No need to say in a frankly commanding tone: "Wash the dishes." NLP principles work best when using the phrases "Could you wash the dishes?" or “Can I ask you to wash the dishes?” Of course, sometimes you can get a negative answer to such a question, but in most cases such a phrase puts a person towards you and it becomes simply inconvenient for him to refuse. Another example of NLP would be trap words. These words of NLP practitioners include "know", "notice" or "realize". For example, the phrase “Do you notice that after doing fitness you feel more invigorated?” may suggest a simple yes/no answer, but it is these words that make most people think about the meaning of the question and turn to their feelings. Not only that, you will be given a detailed answer. In the subconscious of the opponent, the thought will certainly remain that he really feels cheerful after fitness. Thus, the theory of NLP allows you to influence the feelings and judgments of a person with the help of quite simple phrases that many people use unconsciously.

Consider some examples of psychological influence:

Example (suggestion):

“I'm sure you need to do this. You simply have to do it. You cannot do otherwise. It's impossible to do it any other way! Do you understand that this is the only sure way?”

Example (typical infection):

If in a group of people who know each other and are in contact, one person yawns, then the rest will want to yawn.

Example (coercion):

Do not let a person go on vacation until he does the work. Don't give pay if you don't do something.

Example (destructive criticism):

“Today you had a terrible introductory workout, there’s not even anything to talk about here”

Example (request):

"I know you have a day off tomorrow, but I really need your help"

Example (manipulation):

The better you study in the first year, the easier it will be for you in the last

The manipulation here comes down to the fact that the implementation of the first does not guarantee the second at all.

Example (manipulation):

When you are required to sign an important document and you try to focus on it, you are told: “Which pen do you usually like to sign documents with, ballpoint or ink?”. "Sharikova". Not only are you offered a choice without a choice - some people also have a semi-conscious feeling of gratitude for such an interest in them.

Complete "freedom" of choice. In this case, the choice is provided, but in the form of a listing, and the right one is highlighted, accentuated - by intonation, location, facial expressions, etc. The reception is based on a real fact known in psychology - a person, as a rule, remembers the first and last phrase.

Influence Model:

Involvement in contact - presentation of information to the addressee

Background factors - the use of the state of consciousness and the functional state of the addressee, his automatisms, habitual scenarios of behavior. It is important to create a favorable background (trust in the initiator, status, attractiveness)

Impact on the target-sources of motivation of the addressee (needs, interests, inclinations, desires, emotions, beliefs)

Incitement to activity is what pushes the addressee to activity in the direction chosen by the initiator (decision, action)

To understand how the influence model works, consider an example:

As you know, the shopping boom for toy companies falls on the New Year holidays. Therefore, the problem for these companies is that in the next few months, there is a pronounced decline in the toy trade. People have already spent the amount intended for buying gifts, and staunchly resist their children's pleas for new toys. Thus, toy manufacturers are faced with a dilemma: it is necessary to achieve a high level of sales during the New Year's season and at the same time ensure sufficient demand for toys during the following months. The difficulty, of course, is not to make children demand toys after the holiday. A series of eye-catching commercials placed amid Saturday cartoons have children begging, whimpering and courting their parents no matter what time of year the shows appear. The problem is to convince parents who have already spent enough during the holiday to buy a few more gifts for their already inundated children with toys. What can toy companies do to achieve such incredible behavior? Some increase the scale of the advertising campaign, others reduce prices during a recession. However, such standard measures aimed at increasing the level of sales do not give the desired effect. Parents are simply not in the mood to buy toys after Christmas, and the impact of advertising or price cuts is not enough to overcome their resistance.

Some toy manufacturers, however, have come up with an ingenious solution that does not require an increase in advertising costs. (One day in January, I went to the biggest toy store in the city. After I bought too many gifts for my son there a month ago, I vowed not to go to such stores for a very long time. However, I was again in this devilish place, moreover, in the process of buying another expensive toy for my son, an electric racing set.In front of the window, I happened to meet a former neighbor who was buying the same toy for his son.Strangely, in fact, the last time we saw each other was a year ago in the same store, when we both bought their sons expensive gifts after New Year's - at that time they were robots that walked, talked and emptied wallets. We laughed at such a coincidence. Later that day I told about this case to my friend who once worked in the firm, producing toys.

No coincidence, he said knowingly.

What do you mean? I asked.

Well, he replied, let me ask you a couple of questions. First of all, did you promise your son to buy a racing set for the New Year?

First blow, my friend announced. - Now the second question. When you went to buy a toy, did you find that all such sets were sold out?

Yes, that's right! The sellers said that they ordered more, but did not know when they would receive it. Therefore, I was forced to buy my son other toys instead of a racing set. But how do you know all this?

Strike two, he said. “Just let me ask you one more question. Did the same thing happen a year ago with a toy robot?

Wait a minute... you're right. That is exactly what happened. It's incredible. How do you know?

No mysticism; it's just that I know how some of the big toy companies are getting higher sales levels in January and February. They begin to actively advertise certain toys on television before the New Year. Children, naturally, want what they see and solicit promises from their parents to give them these toys for the holidays. This is where the original plan of the companies comes into play: they supply stores with not enough toys that parents promised to their children. Most parents find that the toys they need are sold out and are forced to replace them with other gifts of equal value. Of course, toy manufacturers ensure that stores have an uninterrupted supply of many different substitutes. Then, after the holidays, the companies again begin to compulsively advertise those "special" toys. This makes the children desire the promised toys especially strongly. They start running after their parents, whimpering: “You promised, you promised,” and adults have to reluctantly go to the store so as not to break their word.

Impact on targets: the natural desire of children to have the thing they like.

Encouragement to activity: the influence of children on parents.

psychological consciousness neurolinguistic programming

2. The concept of SP types is closely related to the concept of SP techniques.

The main PV techniques include:

o obfuscation- misrepresentation by dosing, distortion or concealment of information;

o Intimidation- the use of a verbalized threat and non-verbal threat signals as a possible application of any sanctions against the addressee that threaten his life safety;

o Emote- stimulation of an unfavorable emotional state of the addressee, his negative emotional experiences that inhibit the cognitive orientation of the addressee and his mental responses;

o covert coercion- coercion disguised at the verbal and procedural levels with the help of various tricks (speech ambiguities, false analogies, thematic switches, information marking, "communicative sabotage", etc.);

o "false attraction"- involvement in any procedural or behavioral actions necessary to achieve the main goal of the manipulator. It is carried out by verbal verbalization of promises and all sorts of promises, which are not really backed up by any specific obligations on his part.

VP techniques are related to a number of techniques:

1. Distraction - "smoke screen": secondary, but sensational, emotionally colored information diverts attention from the essential, but undesirable for the initiator.

2. Defragmentation - "white noise"(stream of consciousness technique): the presentation of information in a single stream, so it is rather difficult to catch any trend. For example, the technique of reducing the perception of facts by submitting so much news that it becomes impossible to sort them by creating:

an abundance of heterogeneous comments;

conflicting opinions without facts and analysis;

through equipping the facts with complex theoretical calculations, speeches of narrow specialists.

3. Transformation - "gaze conversion"(effect "foot in the door"). It consists in the fact that points of view, wholly supported by public opinion or an object of influence, are not attacked by propaganda, even if they do not suit the initiators - the work is carried out step by step, gradually. Already existing points of view are taken as a basis and gradually converted to views corresponding to the position of the manipulator.

4. Comparison - "historical analogies"("nothing new under the sun" technique): constructing metaphors that program the addressee of influence. Consists of a combination of two methods of influence:

· using unreasonable praise as a means of influence, flattery of the audience;

· finding the opportunity to find in the history of any necessary.

5. "Objective approach" - design(reception of "self-fulfilling prophecy"): selection of facts and skillful commenting on them - by excluding some little-known facts or adding them, a non-existent trend can be detected.

6. Creation - "demiurge"(reception of "rigging the facts"). It consists in creating facts by combining in one message dissimilar facts: real plausible, real implausible and fictional plausible facts.

7. Semantic manipulation - "verbal balancing act"(reception "whatever you call a ship, so it will float"). Words that influence the perception of information are carefully selected for the message. The way we call a person affects our idea of ​​him, for example: troops - gangs, liberators - occupiers, scouts - spies, partisans - militants. Skillful use of semantics alone can significantly influence the decision-making process of an individual and a social group.

8. Appeal - "addressing to society"(the effect of “social proof”; the technique “the people are against: a message to the emotional sphere, bypassing the rational one. The method of appealing to public needs is often used in the media and politics.

9. Devaluation - "pouring mud"(reception "gate in the tar"). It consists in the formation of attitudes towards the topic chosen by the initiator. This method is ranked among the most crude propaganda techniques.

10. Anonymous informing - "leaking secrets": "leaking" "secret" information obtained from "anonymous sources. It is organized most often in order to conduct a sounding of public opinion on any issue.

11. Use of rumors - "magpie on the tail"(reception "as we know ..."). As a rule, it is based on false information and is a consequence of a lack of information, performing a dual function:

explanation of the situation;

relieve the emotional stress experienced by the individual.

Three conditions, the combination of which is the main reason for the emergence and spread of rumors:

lack of reliable information on the topic;

expressed interest of the audience in this topic;

credibility of the source, since even accurate information from a source that is not trusted by the audience maintains an information deficit, while false information from a prestigious source eliminates the deficit and blocks the spread of rumors.

12. Misinformation - "data falsification"(reception "who would have thought, but ..."). The essence of the use of disinformation, as a rule, at the time of making some important decision.

The main point: the point of view of the addressee for whom the message must be received as truthful information - otherwise the maneuver fails. Therefore, the addressee must be a priori positively disposed towards the source of false information. As a rule, the refutation of disinformation goes unnoticed in most cases and no longer affects the socio-psychological attitude formed by the lie. The whole technology of disinformation consists of the following:

knowledge of the specifics of the addressee and the sources he trusts;

sending a message through recognized sources;

lack of time for the intermediary in the transfer, so that it could not be checked;

a chain of intermediaries long enough to make it impossible to identify the source of disinformation.

. Protection against the psychology of influence

Types of confrontation PV:

. Counterargumentation.Conscious reasoned response to an attempt to persuade, refuting or challenging the arguments of the initiator of the impact.

2. Constructive criticism.Fact-supported discussion of the goals, means or actions of the initiator of the impact and justification of their inconsistency with the goals, conditions and requirements of the addressee.

3. Energy mobilization.The resistance of the addressee to attempts to instill or convey to him a certain state, attitude, intention or course of action

4. Creation.The creation of a new, neglecting the influence of a pattern, example or fashion, or overcoming it.

5. Evasion.The desire to avoid any form of interaction with the initiator of the impact, including random personal meetings and clashes.

6. Psychological self-defense.The use of speech formulas and intonation means that allow you to keep your presence of mind and gain time to think about next steps in a situation of destructive criticism, manipulation or coercion.

7. Ignoring.Actions indicating that the addressee deliberately does not notice or does not take into account the words, actions or feelings expressed by the addressee.

8. Confrontation.Open and consistent opposition by the addressee of his position and his requirements to the initiator of the impact.

9. Refusal.Expression by the addressee of his disagreement to fulfill the request of the initiator of the impact.

Conclusion:

The main reason for manipulation is in the eternal conflict of a person with himself, since in everyday life he is forced to rely both on himself and on the external environment.

A person never trusts himself completely. Consciously or subconsciously, he always believes that his salvation lies in others. However, he does not fully trust others. Therefore, he embarks on a slippery path of manipulation so that "others" are always on his leash, so that he can control them and, under this condition, trust them more.

Erich Fromm puts forward a second reason for manipulation. He believes that normal relationships between people are love. Love necessarily involves knowing a person as he is and respecting his true nature.

The great world religions urge us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and here the vicious circle of our life is closed. Modern man understands nothing of these commandments. He has no idea what it means to love. Most people, with all their desire, cannot love their neighbor, because they do not love themselves.

We adhere to the false postulate that the better we are, the more perfect we are, the more beloved we are. This is almost exactly the opposite of the truth. In fact, the higher our readiness to admit human weaknesses (but human ones), the more we are loved. Love is a victory that is not easy to achieve.

And, in essence, the lazy manipulator is left with only one miserable alternative to love - desperate, complete power over another person; the power that makes the other person do what HE wants, think what HE wants, feel what HE wants. This power allows the manipulator to make a thing out of another person, HIS thing.

A third reason for manipulation is suggested by James Bugenthal and the existentialists. "Risk and uncertainty," they say, "surround us on all sides." Anything can happen to us at any moment. A person feels absolutely helpless when faced with an existential problem.

Bitterly realizing the unpredictability of his life, a person falls into inertia, completely turns himself into an object, which greatly increases his helplessness. It may seem to an ignorant person that from that moment on, the passive manipulator became a victim of the active one. This is not true. This is nothing more than a cowardly trick of the passive manipulator.

The active manipulator operates in completely different ways. He sacrifices others and frankly takes advantage of their impotence. At the same time, he experiences considerable satisfaction in dominating them.

The fourth reason for manipulation can be found in the work of Jay Haley, Eric Berne and William Glasser.

Haley, during his long work with schizophrenics, noticed that they are most afraid of close interpersonal contacts. Byrne believes that people start playing games in order to better manage their emotions and avoid intimacy. Glasser suggests that one of the basic human fears is the fear of embarrassment.

Thus, we conclude: a manipulator is a person who treats people ritually, trying his best to avoid intimacy in relationships and a predicament.

And, finally, the fifth reason for manipulation is proposed by Albert Ellis. He writes that each of us goes through a certain life school and absorbs some axioms, with which he then compares his actions. One of the axioms is this: we need to get the approval of everyone and everyone.

A passive manipulator, Ellis believes, is a person who fundamentally does not want to be truthful and honest with others, but by hook or by crook trying to please everyone, because he builds his life on this stupid axiom.

Manipulation is rather a system of games, it is a lifestyle. It is one thing a single game, the purpose of which is to avoid a predicament; and another thing is the scenario of life, which regulates the entire system of interaction with the world.

Manipulation is a pseudo-philosophy of life aimed at exploiting and controlling both oneself and others.

Bibliography:

1.Ekman P. "Psychology of lies", St. Petersburg, 1999

2.Sheinov V. "Manipulation of consciousness", Minsk, 2010

.Dotsenko E.L. "Psychology of manipulation", Moscow, 1997

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The topic of influence is relevant and interesting to me because each of us is both an object and a subject of psychological influence, whether we realize it or not. Society is arranged in such a way that it is simply impossible not to participate in the mechanisms of psychological influence (if you think that you are not participating, this is an illusion), and it is very important for me to understand how to control myself in order not to exert unnecessary influence on people, and also how to protect myself from influences that I don't want. We all influence each other - every day, every minute - is that good or bad? In our speech there are well-established expressions “bad influence”, “positive influence”, but there is a theory, and I am partly inclined to it, that any influence on a person is detrimental, because it changes his state, decisions, thoughts and actions. Whose, then, are these thoughts and decisions - the one who was influenced or the one who influenced? In general, today I want to talk about the psychology of influence in a social context.

- this is an intentional or unintentional impact on the mental state of other people, their feelings, thoughts and actions, for which only psychological means are used: verbal, non-verbal, paralinguistic. For example, the threat of inflicting corporal punishment is a psychological means, but the direct infliction of them is not, this is already a physical impact. Psychological influence is characterized by "two-way traffic" - the object of influence always has the opportunity to respond to it with psychological means, i.e. protect yourself from influence or exert it yourself.

Goals of psychological influence

In order to better understand the mechanisms of influence on other people, I propose to deal with the purposes for which we use it.

1. If we ask the initiator of influence himself why he influences other people, most likely we will get the answer "for their own good." You can believe in it, you can convince yourself very well of it, but in fact, by exerting a psychological effect on other people, we are persecuting our own goals We want to make life easier for ourselves.
2. Striving to establish itself in self-importance. Searching for the true is a long and tedious task, and by exerting a psychological influence on people and noting that they succumb to it, we receive confirmation that our existence matters.
3. Pursuit save your own efforts encourages us to convince people that we are right. This manifests itself as resistance to the new, and, indeed, often to convince someone is easier than giving yourself the trouble to reconsider your own point of view, hear someone else's opinion and learn it.

These were the targets of deliberate influence, but there is also influence unintentional. Some people tend to exert a psychological influence on others simply by the mere fact of their existence or presence in a room. For example, when a person's behavior causes others to want to copy it, this is an unintended influence. The ability to influence others can manifest itself spontaneously, without any intention and effort on the part of the influencer.

Constructive influence

In the materials on influence, one can find criteria for psychologically constructive influence and psychologically competent influence, which are complementary. Since we are influencing other people, why not do it in a constructive way, so that we do not inadvertently cause harm and, at the same time, so that the influence is effective.

So psychologically constructive influence meets the criteria:

• It does not destroy the identity of both parties involved in it and their relationship.
• It is psychologically correct (competently).
• It satisfies the needs of both parties.

When psychologically correct influence:

• The psychological characteristics of the situation and the partner are taken into account.
• Appropriate methods of psychological influence are applied.

You can read about the methods of psychological influence and methods of protection against it, I did not transfer the tables here - there is too much material.

Influence of society and environment

Our environment inevitably influences us, whether we like it or not. For myself, the best way to protect against unwanted influence, I chose to strengthen my own personality, my inner core, to which I listen first of all. By developing our own strength and, we become less susceptible to the influence of standardized views, which are not exactly suitable for the majority, but are accepted by them due to the psychological influence and pressure from society, culture, and traditions.

Reading the famous Russian coach Alexander Gerasimenko, I found a golden, no less, quote:

How much does our environment influence our results in life?
Have you tried dancing fast to slow music?

I repeated and will not stop repeating: in your environment there should be people who have what you want to have, whether it be a happy marriage, creative or something else. After all, there is another side of influence- when we want it to be provided to us by those people who have achieved similar to ours. Shape your environment consciously, and guard against the attempts to influence you that people often make in the deep belief that they are doing it "for your good." Knowing exactly what you want is the best defense against psychological influence.