It’s unlikely that anyone wants to take actions and make decisions subject to the influence of other people. The loss of autonomy and independence is frightening and seems unacceptable to us. And we defend our freedom with all our might, building barriers around ourselves, doing things contrary to outside influence, and sometimes to common sense. But at the same time, we are not at all averse to finding out effective methods which can be used to influence other people.
Influence in psychology is understood as influencing a person’s psyche in order to change his beliefs, attitudes, mood and behavior. When it comes to the psychology of influence, many imagine some kind of secret knowledge and techniques that allow you to control another person without his consent or knowledge.
But this is just one of many myths that ordinary people spread about psychology. There are no secret knowledge and prohibited techniques. All mechanisms of psychological influence are familiar to every person since childhood, and each of us is both an object and a subject of influence. We live in a society and are connected with its other members by hundreds of threads. V.I. Lenin was right when he somewhat paraphrased K. Marx’s statement: “It is impossible to live in society and be free from society.”
Influence as a socio-psychological necessity
The mutual influence of people on each other is an integral part of social life, that complex system of interactions and interdependencies that we call society. For example, all parents would like their children to grow up to be worthy people, at least as they themselves understand it. Therefore, in the process they influence children using a variety of ways and methods:
- persuasion and coercion;
- reward and punishment;
- personal examples and outright pressure.
Don't children influence their parents in any way? Of course they do. Even very little babies sometimes demonstrate real talent. Simple: “Mommy, you are my best. I love you so much,” will make any mother’s heart melt. But children say this completely sincerely, and parents, influencing their children, sincerely wish them well.
We influence our friends, sometimes changing them quite a lot, our subordinates and superiors, and just random acquaintances with whom we happen to talk. It’s not for nothing that there is such a saying: “Whoever you mess with, that’s how you’ll gain.”
A person is part of society and is always influenced by it. Even if he finds himself on a desert island or hiding in the remote taiga, he will not get rid of this influence. Because it will continue to live and perceive the world, guided by attitudes and beliefs formed under the influence of other people.
Moreover, if, by the will of evil fate, he finds himself outside of human influence, a child will never grow up to be a full-fledged person. This is proven by the examples of the so-called Mowgli children raised in animal communities. Even an adult, socially surrounded, gradually loses his human appearance.
Spheres of influence
The influence affects three areas of the human psyche:
- installations,
- cognition,
- behavior.
An attitude is a perspective of perception of an event, phenomenon, or person. As a rule, an attitude includes emotional and evaluative parts. Thus, by talking about how interesting it is to study at school, parents form a positive attitude toward school life in the future first-grader. Or, for example, while watching a movie, we may form the attitude that the actor playing the villain is a bad person.
Cognitions are knowledge, beliefs, ideas about the world and oneself. They are also largely the result of the psychological influence of other people, or rather, the information they transmit. If we respect the source of information (a person, the media, a social institution) and trust it, then the knowledge it disseminates becomes part of our ideas about the world around us, and we will not even treat it critically, taking it on faith.
It is more difficult to change human behavior, since the influence affects mental processes, and not directly. But it is possible to shape this change, to create a system of incentives that encourages a person to take certain actions. In any case, it is the “tuning” of behavior that is the main goal of influence.
Why are we so afraid of being influenced?
If mutual influence is a natural part of human relationships, then why are we so afraid of becoming the object of influence?
The reason lies in the peculiarities of self-identification, that is, as a separate and independent subject from other people. Awareness of one’s own “I” and separation of oneself from society occurs in a child at the age of 3 years and is one of the main reasons. It manifests itself in demonstrative independence and disobedience to adults. Thus, a three-year-old child, having heard from his mother a ban on walking in puddles, may deliberately start splashing in them, or even sit down in the mud. The child deliberately resists influence, trying to prove his independence.
The crisis of 3 years is successfully overcome, but losing the sense of one’s own “I”, dissolving into a faceless mass, remains for life. That’s why we react so negatively to attempts to impose someone else’s opinion on us and influence our decisions and actions. And by the way, for the same reason we do not notice our own influence on other people. After all, nothing threatens our self-identity here; rather, on the contrary, we assert our own independence by influencing those around us.
Types of influence. Influence and manipulation
A person is constantly in a single field of social interaction, where he acts both as an object and as a subject of influence. We are influenced not only by individual people, social groups and public opinion, but also by natural phenomena, things, events that happen to us and to other people. Rain that starts before a walk can ruin our mood and force us to change plans, and an armed incident that occurs hundreds of kilometers away from us can change our worldview.
But here we are considering influences in the sphere of interpersonal relationships. In social psychology there are several types of them.
Conscious and unconscious influence
They speak of conscious and purposeful influence when the subject of influence knows exactly what he wants to achieve and how he intends to change the behavior of the object. Conscious influence can be directed both at a person’s views and at his emotional sphere, but the ultimate goal is still certain actions.
The reasons why one person consciously influences another may be different. If the main one is obtaining personal gain, then such influence is called manipulation. But influence can also serve other purposes. For example, pedagogical influence is aimed at shaping the child. In fact, it does not always benefit the object of influence, but this is precisely what is considered the main task of education.
In the social environment, in the process of interaction between people, many acts of unconscious influence constantly occur. A person not only infects other people with his behavior, but also, without realizing it, adopts their habits, manners, and beliefs. First of all, we unconsciously imitate those whom we sympathize and respect: our friends, parents, teachers, colleagues, movie characters. The more interesting a person is, the more those around him fall under his influence, whether he wants it or not.
Overt and hidden influence
Open influence is a type of influence when the object, or as it is also called, the addressee, understands that he is being influenced by inducing, pushing or forcing him to take some action. This unpleasant feeling, but in this case a person has a choice - to submit to the influence or to evade it, to resist. It can be very difficult to evade if people with power are influencing you. But nevertheless, the addressee can at least try to defend his independence and the right to make his own decisions.
But hidden influence is, on the one hand, a less ethical type of influence, and on the other hand, the most effective. Not knowing that he is being influenced, the object does not even resist and cannot oppose anything to the subject. Conscious, purposeful and hidden influence is manipulation, the most dangerous type of influence.
Destructive and creative influence
We are accustomed to thinking that any influence is always bad, since it involves pressure on the individual. Therefore, having realized the impact exerted on us, we begin to actively resist, often doing things “out of spite,” out of spite, committing rash acts, mistakes, and often outright stupidity.
But not every influence is destructive, not every one leads to the infringement of individual rights and freedoms. Often the person influencing is interested precisely in preserving the identity of his addressee, preventing mistakes that he may make, and helping him choose the right path. Parents raising a child, teachers forming a correct picture of the world in a student, relatives and friends who want to save a loved one from - all these are examples of creative influence.
Techniques of psychological influence
Various strategies for influencing people are a product of the long-term development of society. Most of them were not developed purposefully as tools of manipulation, and people also often use them intuitively.
- Mental infection is the most ancient method of influence, based largely on reflex reactions. This influence is not realized by either the subject or the object of influence. Mental infection occurs at the emotional level. The most striking example is panic, which grips people like a forest fire.
- Coercion is a type of influence that uses an explicit or hidden threat. The threat is not necessarily related to physical violence; it may be related to material well-being, restriction of freedom, deprivation of the opportunity to do what you love, etc.
- Request. Unlike coercion, there is no threat in this technique. The instrument of influence here is a call to a specific action that is desired by the subject of influence. Flattery, persuasion, ingratiation, etc. can be used as additional levers.
- Persuasion is a conscious and purposeful influence, the main tool of which is rational arguments.
- Suggestion differs from persuasion in the absence of arguments and appeals to reason. Suggestion is based on an irrational, uncritical perception of information that comes from an authoritative source. The factor of faith plays a big role in suggestion.
- Awakening the need for imitation. The very imitation of someone is often unconscious, but a subject of influence, for example, a teacher or parent, can purposefully create in children and students attractive image who you want to imitate.
- Destructive criticism. This method is aimed at making the target feel dissatisfied with himself and force the person to change his behavior.
These are the main influence techniques that are most often used in interpersonal relationships. They are often used in combination, supported by the authority of the subject of influence, links to other even more authoritative sources, for example, the media, books, the Internet, etc.
What determines the success of influence?
If influence is such a widespread process, then why are some people able to influence others, while others are not capable of this? The fact is that everyone has the ability to influence other members of society, but the degree of its expression varies. There are several categories of people whose influence is particularly powerful:
- Those who have the makings of a leader and have the gift of persuasion and suggestion.
- Strong personalities with pronounced charisma, that is, exceptional in terms of charisma, which is complemented by personal charm.
- Good psychologists, and not necessarily professional ones. There are people who are very sensitive to all the nuances of the mood and mental state of their partners. They know which strings can be pulled and, if desired, can find the most effective channels of influence on a person.
- Those who have important information that is meaningful to people or who know how to present themselves as such informed individuals.
The effectiveness of influence depends not only on the subject, but also on the object of influence. The less self-confident a person is, the lower his self-esteem, the easier he can become dependent on a manipulator. Therefore, in order to learn to resist the influence of others, you need to start with self-development.
Currently, knowledge of the psychological patterns that determine people’s attitudes and actions is becoming increasingly important and comprehensive; competent use of methods of psychological influence, carried out in various forms using various means and methods. Each of these types of influences has its own specifics and capabilities. Parfenova Z.A. Methods of psychological influence: Tutorial. - Novosibirsk: SibAGS, 2004. - p.47..
Logical-semantic analysis-synthesis of sets psychological methods impact on humans made it possible to identify four main, basic methods and present them in the form of a system of methods.
In the figure, a psychological attack is the opposite of programming, manipulation is the opposite of pressure. Related combinations are possible: attack + pressure, pressure + programming, programming + manipulation, manipulation + attack. Paradoxical inclusions are possible: attack with programming elements, programming with attack elements; pressure with elements of manipulation, manipulation with elements of pressure.
Psychological attack is a method of varied, changeable; fast, active; verbose, polysemantic; moving, pantomimic influence on the human psyche in order to turn off logical thinking: creating or irresistible impression, or introducing into a state of confusion, followed by inducing the person to the desired reaction. psychological impact manipulation
Psychological programming is a method of monotony, constant; precise, persistent; unambiguous, unique; motionless, inert influence on the human psyche in order to create algorithms for his intellect and form behavioral stereotypes.
Psychological manipulation is a method of duality, composition; deft, decisive; two-valued, ambiguous; an equilibrium, balanced impact on the human psyche in order to put him in the uncomfortable position of having to choose his behavior between two alternatives (between good and bad, good and better, bad and worse, good and neutral, bad and neutral).
Psychological pressure is a method of being representative, impressive; strong, intense; pointing, affirmative; a sustainable, stable influence on the human psyche with the aim of forcing him to act and placing him at the bottom level of the social hierarchy.
Each type of psychological influence has its own goals and patterns. Psychologists distinguish the following types of psychological influences: persuasion; suggestion (suggestion); infection; imitation; manipulation; request; ignoring; example, etc.
Let's look at some of them.
Persuasion is a logically reasoned influence on the rational sphere of people's consciousness. The purpose of persuasion is to create, strengthen or change the views, opinions, assessments, and attitudes of the target of influence so that the latter accepts the point of view of the persuader and follows it in his activities and behavior.
An important feature of persuasion is that the degree of persuasive influence largely depends on the degree of interest in this of the person at whom this influence is directed. That is, it is possible to convince a person of anything only if he strives to understand and comprehend the information addressed to him, weigh and evaluate the consistency of the arguments with the conclusions, and the conclusions with his life experience, and if their correspondence is sufficient or obvious, agree with them.
Using the method of persuasion, psychologists proceed from the fact that persuasion is primarily focused on the intellectual-cognitive sphere of the human psyche. Its essence is to, with the help of logical arguments, first achieve internal agreement in a person, and then, on this basis, form and consolidate new attitudes that correspond to the goal.
Suggestion (suggestion) is a conscious, unreasoned influence on a person or group of people, with the goal of changing their state, attitude towards something and predisposition to certain actions Parfenova Z.A. Methods of psychological influence: Textbook. - Novosibirsk: SibAGS, 2004. - p. 41. Argumentation here is often replaced by a statement of what is being suggested.
The most important feature of suggestion, in contrast to persuasion, is its focus not on the logic and reason of a person, not on his ability to think and reason, but on the readiness to receive orders, instructions for action. That is why suggestion does not require a system of logical interconnected evidence and a deep understanding of the meaning of the reported information Dontsov A.I. Psychology of the collective. - M.: INFRA-M, 2002. - p. 146. .
Contagion is a social and psychological mechanism of influence, manifested in the unconscious susceptibility of people (especially as part of a group) to emotional influence in conditions of direct contact.
Infection occurs through the transmission of a psychological mood, through the intensity of feelings and passions. The contagious effect of the external influence of one person on another is determined not only by the strength of its emotional charge, but also by the very fact of direct contact between those communicating.
Imitation is a way of assimilating the traditions of society, a mechanism for consciously or unconsciously reproducing the experience of the actions and deeds of another person (the subject of psychological influence), in particular his movements, manners, actions, behavior, etc.
An example is a purposeful and systematic influence on the consciousness and behavior of people with a system of positive role models designed to serve as the basis for the formation of the ideal of communicative behavior, a stimulus and means of social self-development.
The effectiveness of an example is determined by its social value. The example captures social experience, the results of the activities and behavior of other people. Each example has a certain content and social significance. An example develops into self-impact as a result of a person’s assimilation of a morally and aesthetically attractive ideal or model.
An example has both a stable long-term impact and a momentary one, which coordinates a person’s behavior in a specific life situation. People's attitude to example reveals the degree of development of their desire for a conscious ideal or indicates a fascination with dubious models in thoughtless imitation.
Based on the type of impact on human consciousness, examples can be divided into two large groups:
Examples of direct influence (personal example of the subject of influence, positive example of people with whom you have constant contact).
Examples of indirect influence (examples from the life and work of outstanding people, from history, from literature and art).
Manipulation is an inducement hidden from the recipient to experience certain states, change his attitude towards something, make decisions and perform actions necessary for the initiator to achieve his own goals. At the same time, it is important for the manipulator that the addressee considers these thoughts, feelings, decisions and actions to be his own, and not “induced” from the outside, and recognizes himself as responsible for them Parfenova Z.A. Methods of psychological influence: Textbook. - Novosibirsk: SibAGS, 2004. - p.44..
Encouragement is externally active stimulation, encouraging a person to engage in positive, proactive, creative activity. It is carried out through public recognition of people’s successes, rewards, and satisfaction of their spiritual and material needs.
Encouragement arouses positive emotions, generates optimistic moods and a healthy socio-psychological climate, develops the internal creative forces of people, their positive life position.
The effectiveness of encouraging people largely depends on the subject of psychological influence. He evaluates the results of their activities and behavior, approves or condemns certain actions. Expressing satisfaction with the work of people or the entire group, praising them, encouraging them to follow the example of the best - all these are various methods of encouragement that are often used. All of them require the subject of psychological influence to have the ability to master the methodology of encouragement and to actively apply it in their activities. Applied social psychology. / Ed. Markova V.D. - M.: Progress, 2004. - p.245. .
Means of encouragement, as a person matures morally, develop from predominantly material incentives to predominantly moral ones. The response to encouragement gives those who carry out psychological influence information regarding the state of people’s self-love and ambition, their attitude to the task, to rewards, as well as about the true motives of activity and the orientation of the individual.
The main conditions for the effectiveness of incentives can be identified:
Validity and fairness of incentives.
Reward primarily for the leading type of activity.
Timely promotion.
Variety of incentives.
Gradual increase in the importance of encouragement.
Publicity of encouragement.
A request is an appeal to the addressee to satisfy the needs or desires of the initiator of the influence (clear and polite wording, showing respect for the addressee’s right to refuse a request if its implementation is inconvenient for him or contradicts his own goals).
Coercion is a requirement to carry out the orders of the initiator, supported by open or implied threats (announcement of strictly defined deadlines or methods of performing work without any explanation).
Destructive criticism - subjectively, coercion is experienced: by the initiator - as his own pressure, by the addressee - as pressure on him from the initiator or circumstances (expressing disparaging or offensive judgments about a person’s personality or crude aggressive condemnation, 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 energy to fight the negative emotions that have arisen, takes away his faith in himself (imposition of non-negotiable prohibitions and restrictions, intimidation with possible consequences).
Ignoring is a deliberate inattention, absent-mindedness in relation to a partner, his statements and actions. Most often it is perceived as a sign of neglect and disrespect, however, in some cases, ignoring acts as a tactful form of forgiveness for tactlessness or awkwardness made by a partner (demonstratively letting the partner’s words go “deaf ears” , nonverbal behavior indicating that the partner's presence is not noticed, silence and a blank look in response to a question).
Manipulation is an inducement hidden from the recipient to experience certain states, change his attitude towards something, make decisions and perform actions necessary for the initiator to achieve his own goals. At the same time, it is important for the manipulator that the addressee considers these thoughts, feelings, decisions and actions to be his own, and not “induced” from the outside, and recognizes himself as responsible for them (violation of personal space, expressed in too close approach or even touching, sudden acceleration or, on the contrary, slowing down the pace of conversation, misleading, slander and slander disguised as insignificant and random statements).
The effectiveness of influence is largely determined by how skillfully the initiator uses the appropriate means - both verbal and non-verbal.
We have looked at the main types of psychological influence, but this does not mean that there are no other types. In fact, there are many of them and there are even more with development. modern society and science.
A person is constantly in society, which is why he has to communicate and interact with other people every day. And this is one of the main factors in the life of each of us. After all, a person’s success and his social position are largely determined by the ability to negotiate with other people, find an approach to them and influence them. At the same time, we are often all subject to the influence of others, which most often contradicts our interests.
Methods of psychological influence on a person are considered in a separate direction of psychology. They consist of in various ways influence that we use almost every day as we build professional, social and family relations. What methods of psychological influence on a person exist, and what goal can be achieved when using them?
Concept of influence
This term is most often used in sociology and psychology. The psychological impact on a person is nothing more than the influence on his thoughts and feelings. It is a process that changes the behavior, attitude, intentions, desires and ideas of someone around. Such a psychological impact on a person bypasses his consciousness, reason and logic. It is carried out using suggestion, appealing to experiences and feelings, to habits and the unconscious, to hidden fears and living impressions.
Influence goals
Among the features of the psychological impact on a person, one can highlight its unconscious and spontaneous nature, as well as the lack of social control. It is used with specific goals, which can be both positive and negative.
The topic of psychological influence on other people is of particular interest to businessmen, marketers, advertisers and entrepreneurs. Using existing mechanisms of such influence, they can profitably sell their goods. Correct Application tools of psychological influence allows representatives of these professions to make good profits.
There are other purposes of psychological influence on a person. These include:
- satisfaction of personal needs at the expense of others or through them;
- confirmation of the fact of one’s own existence and its significance;
- overcoming the spatio-temporal boundaries of one’s own “I”.
But in any case, the purpose of psychological influence on a person is the desire to force him, consciously or at the subconscious level, to obey certain requirements, laws, guidelines or norms. For example, using such techniques, the director, influencing his subordinates, seeks to unite the team or give people food for thought so that they act for the benefit of the company. Parents psychologically influence their children in order to form a full-fledged personality, from which they will become a well-mannered and law-abiding citizen of their country and a good person.
Advertising is created in order to force the buyer to purchase a particular product. And this is its main goal of psychological impact on a person. It can also be created to ensure that people vote for a certain candidate, watch a film whose budget required spending a lot of money that urgently needs to be returned, etc.
The goals of psychological suggestion are not always positive. An example of this is suicide bombers. Before completing the task, they are subjected to suggestion, hypnosis and processing, convincing them to kill other people while dying themselves. All this is contrary to human nature.
Types of influence
As a rule, people direct their socio-psychological activity towards individuals or entire groups.
At the same time, scientists and researchers identify the following types of psychological effects on humans:
- Information-psychological. Sometimes it is called ideological and propaganda. It represents the impact of information or words. The main goal of such influence is the formation of certain social (ideological) ideas, beliefs and views. Its use evokes in people both positive and negative emotions, active mass reactions, while simultaneously forming stable ideas and images.
- Psychogenic. This effect is produced on the human brain, as a result of which deviations from the norm begin to be observed in the neuropsychic activity of the individual. The reason for this may be, for example, the shock effects of some events or environmental conditions. Thus, pictures of numerous victims or mass destruction have such a negative impact on a person’s consciousness that he loses orientation, loses the ability to act rationally, falls into a stupor, panic, etc. Psychogenic effects can also be exerted by color. Thus, experiments made it possible to establish that yellow, orange, red and purple increase heart rate, increase arterial pressure and deepen breathing, while violet, blue, cyan and green produce the opposite effect.
- Psychoanalytic. This type of influence is characterized by the influence on the human subconscious by various therapeutic agents. The most striking example of this is the state of deep sleep or hypnosis. There are also methods in which psychological influence on a person’s consciousness excludes the possibility of resistance not only by an individual, but also by a group of people who are awake.
- Neurolinguistic. This type of psychological influence on a person allows you to change his motivation. This happens when special linguistic programs are introduced into the individual’s consciousness. The peculiarities of psychological influences on people in this case lie in influencing the neurophysiological activity of the brain. At the same time, a change in volitional and emotional states occurs. The main means of psychological influence on a person in this case are specially selected verbal (verbal) and non-verbal programs, when mastering the content of which, the ideas, beliefs and views of an individual or groups of people can be changed in the desired direction.
- Psychotronic. Such an influence on other people is carried out by transmitting information through unconscious (non-sensitive) perception. For example, there are developments that result in generators of low- and high-frequency brain coding, as well as dowsing installations that stimulate certain psychological reactions. The latter are carried out using biological and chemical means.
- Psychotropic. The means of this influence are medications, as well as biological and chemical substances. Thus, some strong-smelling elements can have an impact on the psyche. Their use makes it possible to change a person’s behavior and provoke him to perform certain actions.
In sociology and psychology, a distinction is also made between directed and undirected influence. The first of them includes such methods of influencing a person as suggestion and persuasion. Non-directional influence is possible through imitation and infection.
Belief
This method of psychological influence is one of the most harmless, but at the same time the most effective. This method is based on providing facts that become obvious when a logical chain is built during reflection.
But it should be borne in mind that when using various psychological methods of influencing a person, it is necessary to take into account the level of his intellectual development. To prove something to an individual who is one step lower in mental development, is ridiculous to say the least. The arguments presented will be incomprehensible to him, and therefore he simply will not accept them. You should also not convince someone who is smarter than you of something, because it will look simply funny.
Only after a person’s consciousness has mastered a new piece of information will his brain begin to look for explanations. At this point, everything will depend on the speaker’s art of persuasion. It’s good if he manages to get his interlocutor to trust him. In this case, you will only need to alternate new data in the conversation.
The most important requirement of any method of psychological influence on a person is that the speaker must not deceive his opponent. If only there is falseness in his voice, then the level of trust will immediately begin to fall. In any case, the person who is trying to convince his interlocutor must create the impression of an authoritative person.
Persuasion Strategies
How to have a socio-psychological impact on people? To do this, you can use one of several strategies:
- Aggressive. It is built on the contradiction of existing facts. This will allow you to prove to your interlocutor that the speaker is an extraordinary person. A person immediately has a desire to listen to arguments to the end in order to unravel the logical chain created during the conversation. This strategy is usually used by professionals of persuasion and speech.
- Passive. Such a strategy can only work if a person knows his interlocutor well. In order to convince him of something, he begins to carefully give examples from his life, comparing them with cases well known to the general public. This is how he leads his opponent to the idea that he is trying to convey to him. Such informational and psychological influence on a person is possible only in the absence of discrepancies and inconsistencies in judgments. Such oversights will not allow you to get the desired result.
Suggestion
This is also one of the ways to psychologically influence a person. When used, the influence on the opponent is due to the created emotional background. This forces a person to act as the interlocutor tells him.
Suggestion is a persuasion that uses verbal tools, such as visual contact, words, etc. These means force a person to act as he is told.
Suggestion can become an effective tool only if a person lives up to his words. If he starts trying to “teach how to live”, talk about the laws of achieving success and the rules of behavior in society, but at the same time his manners and appearance will not command respect, then it is unlikely that the opponent will have a desire to imitate him. The words of an exhausted individual in dirty clothes, who reeks of fumes, will look ridiculous, funny and pathetic. That is why anyone who wants to help their interlocutor with advice should first understand the current situation, understand the problem that has arisen and put themselves in the place of their opponent. Only this will allow you to begin to express the right thoughts and support those who need it.
What is the success of suggestion?
This method of psychological influence has some nuances. So, a person must convey his thoughts in a confident voice, without any shadow of doubt. Sometimes the success of an idea or its failure directly depends on the tone of the spoken phrase.
Another factor that determines the result of influence on a person is his suggestibility. And this indicator is purely individual. For example, high level suggestibility is observed in children under 12-14 years of age, as well as in indecisive and unconfident people.
This method will be especially effective in the case when the meaning of the spoken words is combined with external information that is understandable and familiar to the interlocutor.
If you want to prove to a person that by agreeing with the existing arguments, he will remain satisfied, you should give an example of some negative result that will certainly await him if he refuses the suggested thoughts.
Imitation
Often we use one or another method of influencing a person and we don’t even suspect it ourselves, because this happens at the subconscious level. Thus, a person who has achieved any heights in intellectual terms or career certainly becomes a subject of admiration and respect. At the same time, less experienced people begin to take an example from those who managed to realize their aspirations. It is worth keeping in mind that the object of imitation should always be at the top. In order to use this method of psychological influence on people, it must be delightful, memorable, vibrant and attractive in all situations. In other words, he needs to satisfy the desire of the people around him to follow his ideal.
Imitation is often based on an emotional outburst or unconscious envy. Thus, all children strive to follow the example of their parents, and as they grow up, of their peers or idols. Sometimes a person carries the craving for imitation throughout his entire life. Sometimes it is this psychological impact that pushes people to take positive or negative actions. For example, a teenager picks up a cigarette, because many of his classmates do so. Or a young man begins to engage in one sport or another in an effort to be like his idol.
Such methods of exerting psychological influence are used by people involuntarily. It is unlikely that celebrities set themselves the goal of persuading their fans to gain weight or lose weight. But, nevertheless, they exert such an influence, and sometimes it is quite strong.
Infection
This method of psychological influence on people is the oldest and most studied. It is based on the transfer of emotional state from one person to another.
Surely many in their lives have encountered such a situation when a wonderful mood was spoiled by a suddenly appearing person who, with tears in his eyes, began to tell his pitiful story. The wonderful state of mind disappeared somewhere. The mood dropped and became similar to that of the interlocutor. Particularly impressionable people in such a situation did not even need to hear sad words. The mood began to fall on an emotional level when receiving signals from those nearby.
Another striking example that is characteristic of the infection method is panic. This psychological effect has a particularly pronounced effect in the crowd. In the presence of a large crowd of people who are in equal critical conditions, when panic occurs in one of them, almost everyone present begins to succumb to this feeling.
However, infection can occur not only with any negative emotions. Fun, laughter and positive mood are transmitted very well from person to person.
There are several psychological tricks with which you can influence people.
1. Ask for a favor.
This technique is known more like the Benjamin Franklin effect. One day, Franklin needed to win the favor of a man who didn’t like him very much. Then Franklin politely asked this man to lend him a rare book and, having received what he wanted, thanked him even more politely. Previously, this person avoided even talking to him, but after this incident they became friends.
This story repeats itself over and over again. Its essence is that someone who once does you a favor will do it again, and much more willingly than someone who owes you something. The main thing is to openly show your vulnerability, show respect and thank you for your help.
2. Call the person by name.
The famous American psychologist Dale Carnegie believes that calling a person by name is incredibly important. Given name for any person this is the most pleasant combination of sounds. It is an essential part of life, so its utterance seems to confirm for a person the fact of his own existence. And this, in turn, makes you feel positive emotions towards the one who pronounces the name.
The use of title, social status, or the form of address itself also influences in the same way. If you behave in a certain way, then you will be treated that way. For example, if you call a person your friend, he will soon feel friendly feelings towards you. And if you want to work for someone, call him boss.
3. Flatter.
At first glance, the tactic is obvious, but there are some caveats.
If you flatter people with high self-esteem, the flattery usually sounds sincere. These people will like you because you will validate their own thoughts about themselves.
Flattery towards people with low self-esteem can, on the contrary, lead to negative feelings. Such people will immediately sense your insincerity, because... Your words will contradict their opinion of themselves.
4. Reflect.
People tend to subconsciously divide those around them into “us” and “stranger”. Seeing something familiar in the interlocutor, a person automatically accepts him as “one of his own” and begins to treat him better.
5. Nod while speaking.
Every person needs positive emotions and approval. Seeing the response, the interlocutor begins to feel more comfortable and open.
Nod during a conversation, and later this will help convince your opponents that you are right.
6. Give reasons.
Telling someone that they are wrong is not the best The best way win over a person. The effect will most likely be the opposite. There are more effective way express disagreement without making an enemy - argumentation.
Firstly, you can offer your interlocutor a two-sided point of view: “Let's look at this from both sides...”
Secondly, you can reframe the problem - transfer the essence to a simpler and more understandable situation: “Take, for example... it will be the same.”
And thirdly, the problem can be broken down according to the following scheme:
1. Agreement: “I agree that...”
2. Doubt: “True, I’m not entirely sure that...”
3. What is wrong: “Well, what about the fact that it’s not so...”
Having heard a reasonable argument, a person will treat your words with great respect and, perhaps, even agree with you.
7. Express objections through “I”.
1. I’m unhappy with the things we have scattered around the house.
And I have to clean them every time.
2. I want this situation to change and become more fair.
3. I wish you would told me how to do it.
By replacing “You are to blame” with “I feel” in a conversation, you will avoid mutual reproaches, force the person to look at the situation from your point of view and come to a mutual agreement with him.
8. Actively listen to your interlocutor.
It includes 4 forms:
1. Clarifying: "What did you mean?"
2. Paraphrasing words interlocutor: " How I understood you..."
3. Verbal reflection of the interlocutor’s feelings: “It seems to me that you feel...”
4. Summary: “Your main ideas, as I understand it, are...”
By asking clarifying questions, pBy repeating the interlocutor’s thoughts in your own words, summing up his speech, you thereby show that you are listening to him carefully and understand what he is saying. As a result, the person feels that you are not indifferent to him, relaxes and begins to listen more to your opinion.
It often happens that we need to win over a person, influence his attitude to the situation, environment, or difficulties that have arisen. How to do it? Today we will talk about 10 quite simple, but incredible effective ways influence on a person. They are not new, and some use these methods subconsciously, others have learned and noticed that certain behavior allows them to influence people, and for those who are just about to master this technique, our article today.
All methods have been used repeatedly by me, have been tested by thousands of other people, and have been proven by scientists. Therefore, there is no doubt about their effectiveness and efficiency. It is enough just to know how and in what situation to apply this or that psychological trick. If you doubt yourself and think that you won’t succeed... I recommend reading the article:
The techniques of influence and manipulation that will be discussed today will be useful if you want to win over an investor, a lender, or establish or strengthen relationships with partners, suppliers or buyers. In general, anyone who wants to run a business more competently and successfully simply must understand the intricacies of psychology and be able to influence people.
Ask for a favor
Ask people for favors, and thereby you can win them over. This effect is called the Benjamin Franklin effect. One day, the future president of the United States needed to gain the favor of one person who didn’t even want to greet him. Then Franklin resorted to a trick. He very politely, with all the culture and mannerism, asked him for a favor - to lend him a very rare book for a few days. Then he also politely thanked him and left. Previously, the man had not even greeted Franklin, but after this incident their relationship began to improve, and over time they became friends. 
This psychological trick worked a thousand years ago, Franklin actively used it, and it is still relevant today. The whole secret is that if a person has already done you a favor once, he will be more willing to do it again, and with each new favor your relationship will only strengthen and your trust will grow. Human psychology is such that he thinks that if you ask for something, then you will respond to his request and help in a difficult situation.
Demand more
This technique has an interesting name - forehead on the door. You must ask a person for more than you expect to receive from him. You can ask to do something incomprehensible, ridiculous, a little stupid. There is a high probability that such a request will be refused, but this is exactly what you need. After a few days, feel free to ask for exactly what you wanted from the very beginning. The feeling of awkwardness and discomfort that will arise due to the fact that you were refused the first time will force the person to accept the request and help.
A very interesting psychological trick, and it works in 95% of cases. Of course, there are very stubborn people with whom it is difficult to find an approach, but it still exists, you just need to be more inventive.
Call the person by name
In many of his books, the famous psychologist and writer Dale Carnegie notes that if you want a more loyal attitude towards yourself, then be sure to call the person by name. This psychological technique is incredibly helpful in influencing a person.
For every person, his name is like a kind of spell, a wonderful combination of sounds, and a part of his whole life. Therefore, when someone pronounces it, he becomes one step closer, receives favor, trust and a loyal attitude towards himself. 
Use in speech has a similar effect social statuses a person or his titles. If you want to make friends with someone, then call him a friend, speak calmly and measuredly. Over time, this person will also see you as a friend and begin to trust you. If you want to work for someone, then call him boss, thereby showing your recognition and willingness to follow his instructions. Words have incredible power, and correctly chosen and timely words can change any situation and any attitude towards you.
Flatter
It would seem that flattery is the most obvious psychological trick that can influence a person. But it's not that simple. If you are going to flatter, then do it sincerely, because they will immediately see the falsity, and such flattery will do more harm than good.
Scientists have proven that flattery works best with those who have high self-esteem and are confident in achieving their goals. If you flatter such people, you will only confirm their opinion of yourself and feed their growing ego.
And if you are going to flatter someone who has low self-esteem, then don't expect a good result. Sometimes such actions can cause a negative attitude, and vice versa, spoil the opinion of you. Therefore, be careful if you are going to tell someone how good he is. 
Reflect
This method is better known as mimicry. Many of you use it on a subconscious level, without even suspecting that in this way they gain the trust of your interlocutor. You copy behavior, gestures, manner of speaking and explaining yourself. But if you use this technique consciously, it will be many times more effective. 
Like attracts like, and people really like to communicate with those who are similar to them and share their opinions and vision of the world. Therefore, if you use mimicry, you will very quickly gain the favor and trust of your interlocutor. Very interesting fact, even some time after the conversation, the person whose actions were reflected is more loyal to all other interlocutors who had nothing to do with the conversation.
Take advantage of weaknesses
Under the influence of alcohol or fatigue, the protective barriers of our brain weaken. It is in such a situation that a person is most susceptible to influence. If you need to ask for something or get approval for certain actions, then a tired person, in most cases, will give the go-ahead, as long as you don’t touch him or ask a lot of questions. The answer, most likely, will be something like: “Yes, we’ll definitely do it tomorrow. Remind me in the morning.” But in the morning you will achieve what you want, because you already received preliminary consent yesterday.
Offer something that is hard to refuse
This technique is the opposite of the one we discussed in the second paragraph. If there you start with a big request, get a refusal and move on to the main one, then here it’s the other way around. You need to ask for a small favor, one that will be hard to refuse. Then move on to more requests. Over time, the person will begin to trust you, and you will be able to ask for what you wanted to get in the first place.
Scientists conducted one experiment. In supermarkets they asked people to sign a petition to protect forests and protect environment. Quite a simple request, right? Most completed it without any problems. Then they asked to buy some trinket, and emphasized that all the money raised would go specifically to protecting forests. Of course, many complied with this request.
Recently I myself fell for such manipulation, but knowing about this method, I was able to resist. A nice girl stopped me on the street and asked me to answer a few questions:
1. How do you feel about poetry?
2. Do you think the state supports young writers enough?
3. Are you a fairly generous person?
4. Buy a book for 200 rubles, and all the proceeds will go to the development of the club of young and promising people.
Look how clearly and beautifully everything is done. Easy questions that can be answered in 1 word or short phrase, all logically connected and correctly structured. Of course, I refused to buy the book, because I understand that this is manipulation and a way to sell me something that is completely unnecessary. But many people, having answered that they are generous people, cannot then refuse and not buy a book that they will not read.
Know how to listen
If you want to win over your interlocutor, you need to be able to not only speak beautifully and clearly, but also listen carefully. When you hear an idea in a conversation with which you fundamentally disagree, you should not immediately express your thought. This way you will provoke a small conflict, and a piece of doubt will ignite inside. If you still decide to express your opinion, then first try to express agreement with part of what was said, and only then continue.
Repeat after your interlocutor
A very, very subtle and effective way. It is in my favor, and its skillful use promises you success in any negotiations. If your goal is to achieve understanding, trust and favor with your interlocutor, then show that you understand him, paraphrase what was said and agree with the voiced thought.
Psychologists call this method reflective listening. It is thanks to him that the psychologist builds a trusting relationship with the patient, easily learns about his problems and concerns, and can better understand and help the person faster.
Using this technique, you can influence anyone, but it is advisable that the person already has a good or neutral attitude towards you. By paraphrasing and repeating his thoughts, you will make it clear that you listened carefully and remembered everything the interlocutor said. It’s nice to be treated like this; trust instantly grows. 
Nod
What is the simplest movement that makes it clear that you agree with what was said? That's right, nod of head. By listening to a person and nodding your head from time to time, you give the interlocutor’s subconscious a certain signal, which says that you agree with everything that was said, listen carefully and analyze.
