Social and psychological mechanisms of communication and their characteristics. article

Mechanisms of influence in the process of communication

Definition 1
Communication mechanisms are socio-psychological processes that arise from the mutual influence of interlocutors on each other and have a certain impact on communicative activity, the nature and effectiveness of communicative behavior.

This definition is partially similar to the generally accepted interpretation of the term mechanism, used for both natural and social phenomena. It is applicable for such definitions as mental infection, imitation, suggestion, persuasion, fashion, etc.

The specificity of communication mechanisms, which distinguishes them from other psychological mechanisms, is that they embody the strength and potential of intra-collective relationships of subjects with each other.

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Communication mechanisms, as a rule, are unconscious and spontaneous.

One of the main features of the communication process is the ability to influence the participants in communication.

Psychological influence is an impact on the mental, emotional state, thoughts and actions of a subject using psychological verbal or non-verbal means, which involves providing the opportunity and time to respond.

Concept of influence

Psychological influence is a concept that is often used in psychology and sociology. It means a process that results in a change in the behavior, attitudes, intentions, desires and ideas of an outsider.

Mechanisms of psychological influence help in realizing the potential of intragroup or mass interaction. The concept implies the use of methods of disintegration or group differentiation.

Features of psychological influence:

• is spontaneous, unconscious in nature;
• not subject to social control;
• used for specific purposes (positive or negative);
• is an intermediate state of man.

The topic of psychological influence is especially interesting for entrepreneurs, advertisers, marketers and businessmen. With the help of influence mechanisms, they can sell their goods. The results of activities of representatives of these professions depend on the ability to use tools of psychological influence.

The concept of psychologically constructive influence implies that the influence should not have a negative impact on the individual. Mandatory requirements are psychological literacy and correctness.

Impact on humans is often used by people in everyday life. Usually with selfish intentions or for the purpose of obtaining benefits. Knowing the characteristics of your interlocutor, achieving the desired result is not difficult.

Types of influence mechanisms in the process of communication

There are the following mechanisms of influence on the subject in the process of communication:

• Infection.

  Contagion is the transfer of one's state or attitude to another subject or group of subjects, who, in turn, accept this state. The basis for the emergence of this mechanism is the emotional impact during communication between subjects. When infected, a large group of people inexplicably begin to experience a certain psychological state. There are such forms of infection as mass psychosis, sports excitement, religious ecstasy;

• Suggestion.

  Suggestion is a conscious or unconscious influence on a subject (or a group of subjects), which involves a change in his psychological state, attitude towards something, and disposition to various actions. It is expressed, as a rule, by verbal action, and is designed not for the logical thinking of the subject, but for emotional experiences and readiness to receive instructions for certain actions. The subject's lack of self-confidence and the predominance of a certain mental state serve as a prerequisite for instilling any information in a person. The factors of suggestion are the authority of the subject who conveys the information, the presence of trust in him and the lack of resistance in the object to whom something is being suggested;

• Belief.

  Persuasion is understood as a conscious influence on a subject or group of subjects, which is aimed at changing judgments, attitudes, intentions or decisions through argumentation. When persuading, its essence must be clearly understood by the subject who is influencing and be conveyed to the subjects being influenced. Before you begin to persuade, the subject must obtain the consent of the interlocutor to listen to him. The process of persuasion is a set of logical reasoning and evidence, emotions, which is aimed at a critical person;

• Imitation.

  Imitation is the ability of a subject to reproduce various patterns of behavior that have a certain emotional overtones, and the desire to be like someone. Imitation can manifest itself both involuntarily and voluntarily. The most striking example of imitation is fashion. It represents a specific and constantly changing form of social behavior, which arises quickly and violently under the influence of prevailing moods, tastes and hobbies in society.

• Request.

  A request is an appeal to a subject in order to persuade him to satisfy the need or desire of the person asking. In this case, the subject has the freedom of choice to fulfill this request or refuse. Any request implies a possible refusal. Refusal is an expression of the subject’s disagreement to fulfill the interlocutor’s request;

  Read also:  Types of communication in psychology: classification, main difficulties
• Compulsion.

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1.11. Mechanisms of psychological influence: suggestion, infection, persuasion

The effect of influence on a person depends on what mechanisms were used - persuasion, suggestion or infection. The most ancient mechanism of action is infection. It represents the transfer of a certain emotional, mental state from one person to another, based on an appeal to the emotional-unconscious sphere of a person (infection with panic, irritation, laughter, etc.). The effect depends on the degree of intensity of the emotional state of the influencing person (we will conventionally call him a “speaker”) and the number of listeners. The higher the emotional mood of the “speaker,” the more powerful the effect. The number of people must be large enough so that a feeling of unity arises under the influence of the emotional trance of the “speaker”. Suggestion is also based on an appeal to the unconscious, to a person’s emotions, but by verbal means, and the “speaker” should not be in an emotional trance, but in a rational state, confident and authoritative. Suggestion is based mainly on the authority of the source of information: if the suggestor does not have authority, then it is doomed to failure. Suggestion is verbal in nature, that is, one can only suggest with words. But this message is abbreviated and has enhanced expression. The role of intonation is very important here (90% of the effectiveness depends on intonation, which expresses persuasiveness, authority, and significance of words). Suggestibility is the degree of susceptibility to suggestion, the ability to uncritically perceive incoming information. It varies from person to person: above the streets with a weak nervous system and with sharp fluctuations in attention. People whose attitudes are poorly balanced are more suggestible (for example, children). Also, those in whom the first signaling system predominates are more susceptible to suggestion. There are three main forms of suggestion: 1) hypnotic suggestion (in a state of hypnosis); 2) suggestion in a state of relaxation - muscular and mental relaxation; 3) suggestion in an active state, when a person is awake. Suggestion techniques are aimed at reducing a person’s criticality when receiving information and using emotional transference. Thus, the transfer technique assumes that when transmitting a message, the new is associated with well-known facts, phenomena, people to whom a person has an emotionally positive attitude, so that this emotional state is transferred to new information (transfer of a negative attitude is also possible, in this case the incoming information is rejected ). Techniques of evidence (quoting a famous person, scientist, thinker) and “appeal to everyone” (“most people believe that ...”) reduce criticality and increase a person’s compliance with the information received. An important socio-psychological phenomenon is imitation, the reproduction of activities, actions, the quality of another person whom one wants to be like. Conditions for imitation: 1) the presence of a positive emotional attitude, admiration or respect for this person - the object of imitation; 2) less experience of a person compared to the object of imitation; 3) clarity, expressiveness, attractiveness of the sample; 4) availability of the sample, at least partially; 5) the conscious orientation of a person’s desires and will towards an object of imitation (one wants to be the same). Imitation is the most important factor in the development of a child’s personality, but it is also inherent in adults. Young people imitate, first of all, what is socially new, and preference is often given not only to socially significant, but also to externally dynamic, vibrant (cinema, fashion) models, although the latter may be socially insignificant or even negative in nature

1.12. Persuasive influences

Conviction appeals to logic, the human mind, and presupposes a fairly high level of development of logical thinking. It is sometimes impossible to logically influence people who are undeveloped. The content and form of persuasion must correspond to the level of development of the individual and his thinking. The requirements for the source and content of persuasive influence are as follows: I) persuasive speech must be constructed taking into account the individual characteristics of the listeners; 2) it must be consistent, logical, as evidence-based as possible, and must contain both general provisions and specific examples; 3) it is necessary to analyze the facts known to the listeners; 4) the person who convinces must himself be deeply convinced of what he is proving. The slightest inaccuracy or logical inconsistency will reduce the effect of persuasion. Its process begins with the perception and assessment of the source of information: 1) the listener compares the information received with what he has, and as a result, an idea is created of how the speaker presents it, where he gets it from; if it seems to a person that the speaker is telling a lie, hiding facts, or making mistakes, then trust in him drops sharply; 2) a general idea of ​​the authority of the persuader is created, but if the speaker makes logical errors, no official status or authority will help him; 3) the attitudes of the speaker and the listener are compared: if the distance between them is large, then persuasion may be ineffective. In this case, the best persuasion strategy is the following: first, the persuader communicates elements of similarity with the views of those being persuaded, this way a better understanding is established and a prerequisite for persuasion is created. Another strategy can be used when they first report a significant difference in attitudes, but then the persuader must confidently and convincingly refute alien views (this is not easy to do - remember the levels of selection, selection of information). Thus, persuasion is a method of influence based on logical techniques, which are mixed with social and psychological pressures of various kinds (the influence of the authority of the source of information, group influence). It is more effective when the group is convinced, rather than the individual. Based on logical methods of evidence, with the help of which the truth of a thought is justified through the mediation of other thoughts. Any proof consists of three parts: thesis, arguments and demonstrations. A thesis is a thought whose truth needs to be proven; it must be clear, precise, unambiguously defined and supported by facts. An argument is a thought whose truth has already been proven, and therefore it is given to justify the truth or falsity of the thesis. Demonstration is logical reasoning, a set of logical rules used in proof. According to the method of conducting evidence, there are direct and indirect, inductive and deductive. Common mistakes in their use are as follows: D) substitution of the thesis during the proof: 2) the use of arguments that do not prove the thesis at all or are only partially true and under certain conditions, but are considered as true under any circumstances; or the use of deliberately false arguments; 3) refuting other people’s arguments is considered as proof of the falsity of someone else’s thesis and the correctness of one’s own statement (antithesis), although this is logically incorrect: the fallacy of the argument does not mean the fallacy of the thesis. However, since many people’s logic is far from flawless, such “pseudo-evidence” and “pseudo-beliefs” can work. In some cases, a boomerang effect is possible, when persuasion leads to results that are opposite to the intentions of the persuader. This happens: ■ when the initial attitudes of the persuader and the persuaded are separated by a large distance and from the very beginning the “speaker” shows this, but does not have the proper authority. compelling arguments. The audience blocks themselves with “filters”, does not listen, rejects information and strengthens its position even more under the pressure of ideological overload, the abundance of information, arguments, evidence for an insignificant reason. An emotional barrier is created that rejects all convincing arguments, although outwardly a person can pretend to agree; ■ if the impact is carried out on the focal installation. The degree of effectiveness of the influence of information on a person’s attitudes also depends on the parameter of primary/secondary information: the first data about any new event or fact is perceived easier, more trustingly, they are not influenced by previous prejudices, but information about some long-known event or person which was the last to arrive may negate the previously existing relationship to this event or person. The repetition of information can cause cumulativeness - the gradual accumulation of propaganda influence with the systematic repetition of information in various variations, but such repetitions should not be excessive, otherwise information satiety, fatigue and rejection of “annoying” information occurs.

1.13. Psychological impact; formation and change of attitudes, opinions

The purpose of speech influence is to change attitudes or form them (a certain view of things), to make a shift in the listener’s value system. Socio-psychological attitudes are a state of psychological readiness that develops on the basis of experience and influences a person’s reactions regarding those objects and situations with which he is associated and which are socially significant. There are four installation functions. 1. Fixture function. It is associated with the need to ensure the most favorable position of a person in the social environment, and therefore a person acquires positive attitudes towards useful, positive, favorable stimuli and situations, and negative ones towards the source of unpleasant, negative stimuli. 2. Self-protective. It is associated with the need to maintain the internal stability of the individual, as a result of which a person acquires a negative attitude towards those persons and actions that can serve as a source of danger to the integrity of the individual. If a significant person gives you a negative assessment, it can lead to a decrease in self-esteem, so we tend to develop a negative attitude towards that person. Moreover, its source is not the qualities of a person themselves, but his attitude towards us. 3. Value-expressive. It is associated with the needs for personal stability and lies in the fact that positive attitudes, as a rule, are developed towards representatives of a personality type similar to ours (despite the fact that we evaluate it positively). If a person considers himself strong and independent, he will react positively to the same people and rather “coolly” or even negatively to the opposite type. 4. The function of organizing the worldview. Attitudes are developed in relation to certain knowledge about the world; Every person has certain ideas about him, some of a scientific nature, some of an everyday nature. All this knowledge forms a system. Accordingly, a system of attitudes is a set of emotionally charged elements of knowledge about the world and people. But a person may encounter facts and information that contradict established attitudes. And the function of such is to distrust or reject “dangerous facts” - a negative emotional attitude, distrust, and skepticism are developed towards such “dangerous” information. For this reason, new scientific theories and innovations initially meet with resistance, misunderstanding, and mistrust. In the process of human communication and social interaction, attitudes are transformed, since in communication there is always an element of a conscious or unconscious desire to influence another person, to change his attitudes. However, due to the fact that they form a system, they cannot change quickly. In this system there are installations that are located in the center and have a large number of connections - central focal installations. And there are those located on the periphery, with a small number of interconnections, so they lend themselves to easier and faster change. The focal ones are the attitudes towards knowledge that are associated with the worldview of the individual, with his moral creed. The main thing is the attitude towards one’s own Self, around which the entire system of attitudes is built. In the process of socialization, we always correlate all phenomena that are significant to us with the thought of ourselves, so the self-esteem setting of the Self is at the intersection of all systemic connections. To change the focal setting, it is necessary to tear it out, and this is sometimes impossible without destroying the integrity of the individual. Therefore, transformation of the central attitude occurs extremely rarely and painfully. An intense change from positive to negative self-esteem leads to a violation of personal unity. The concept of oneself is most often positive; a powerful negative attitude towards oneself is observed mainly in extremely neurotic people. When any attitude changes, the following situations are possible: 1) neighboring attitudes become different in direction, that is, in emotional sign (from plus to minus), and in intensity, although this concerns mainly peripheral attitudes; 2) the degree of importance and significance of the installation may change; 3) the principle of communication between neighboring installations may change, their restructuring. The system of attitudes is based on both cognitive and emotional connections. What undergoes changes first: emotional attitude or logical, cognitive connections and knowledge? Both options are possible: a change in emotional attitudes entails changes in cognitive meaning, and vice versa. But still, research has shown that a more reliable and faster method of changing attitudes is to change the emotional meaning, attitude towards a particular problem (especially if it occurs under hypnosis). The logical method of influence does not always work and not for all attitudes, since a person tends to avoid information that can prove that his behavior is wrong: for example, in an experiment with smokers, they were asked to read and rate the reliability of a scientific article about the dangers of smoking. The more a person smokes, the less confidently he evaluates the article, the less is the possibility of changing his attitude towards smoking through logical influence. The amount of information received also plays a role. Numerous experiments have established a relationship between the probability of changing an attitude and the amount of information about it: a small amount of data does not lead to change, but as it grows, this probability increases. True, this happens up to a certain limit, after which it drops sharply, that is, a very large amount of information, on the contrary, can cause rejection, mistrust, and misunderstanding. The likelihood of change depends on the balance of the person’s attitude and opinions. In this case, they are characterized by psychological compatibility, and therefore are more difficult to influence than unbalanced systems, which themselves are prone to rupture. A person, as a rule, tends to avoid information that can cause cognitive dissonance - a discrepancy between attitudes or between attitudes and a person’s actual behavior. In the case of a balanced system of attitudes, the speech influence of another person or group occurs according to the principle of assimilative contrast action. This means that if a person has strong, balanced attitudes that differ from the opinion of the “speaker,” then after the latter’s speech, these beliefs become even more different from his position (if he was unable to provide super-convincing arguments for his rightness) - this is the contrast effect. If a person’s opinions are close to the attitudes of the “speaker,” then after he makes a speech, they come even closer to the position shared by the speaker, that is, assimilation and unification of opinions occurs. The closer the audience’s attitudes are to the speaker’s opinion, the more the latter is assessed by the audience as objective and impartial. People who hold extreme positions are less likely than people with moderate views to change their attitudes. Information passes through several levels of selection (selection): 1) level of attention (attention is directed to what interests a person and corresponds to his views); 2) level of perception (even perception and understanding of humorous pictures depends on a person’s attitudes); 3) level of memory (what is remembered is what coincides with a person’s interests and views). This three-step information selection process makes it very difficult to convince people. The goals of speech influence: 1) introduce new information into a person’s system of views and attitudes; 2) change structural relationships in the system of attitudes, that is, introduce information that reveals objective connections between objects, changes or forms new connections between a person’s attitudes and views; 3) change a person’s attitude, that is, make a shift in motives.

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Types of psychological resistance to influence

The first type is ignoring. This is deliberate inattention, absent-mindedness in relation to the interlocutor. Characterized by a lack of reaction to any actions of another person.

It is perceived as a sign of disrespect on the part of the interlocutor. In certain cases, it is the only correct behavior in an awkward situation. Used to forgive tactlessness on the part of others.

Other types of psychological resistance to influence:

1. Constructive criticism. Used in a controversial situation to prove one’s own rightness. With the help of criticism, they justify the incorrectness of actions, thoughts or goals. Must be supported by facts. Otherwise, it will not be constructive criticism, but an obsessive subjective opinion.
2. Counterargumentation. This is an attempt to persuade someone with the support of certain facts. Used to challenge someone else's opinion, which completely contradicts the thoughts of the interlocutor. A prerequisite is support by scientific or internationally recognized facts.
3. Confrontation. This is a direct opposition of thoughts. It is carried out in a direct (hard and verbal) form or in a hidden form with the introduction of non-verbal techniques. Often used by psychologists when conducting cognitive behavioral therapy.
4. Refusal. A specific indication by the interlocutor of his dissatisfaction or disagreement. Usually taken with the purpose of refusing to fulfill another person's request. May be spoken in a soft and calm tone. In another case - in an authoritative, menacing voice. Helps to avoid the fact of dismissal or beatings.
5. Psychological self-defense. Specific designation of your boundaries without listening to others. Helps prevent controlling behavior. In the process, verbal and nonverbal techniques are introduced in the form of verbal formulas and intonations. The purpose for which psychological self-defense is used is the need to eliminate oneself from participating in conflicts and maintain calm. This way a person gets additional time to think about the criticism and manipulations he has heard.
6. Creation. Creating a way of thinking can also be arbitrary. It involves the implementation of previously unused decisions and unpredictable actions. It manifests itself as a desire to be unique and not to fit in with others. Used against imitation. Formed under the influence of a craving for self-expression.
7. Evasion. This is the desire to avoid any form of interaction with the initiator. The reasons may be personal hostility or a negative attitude towards such an interlocutor. Any meetings are avoided. There is a reduction in time regulations and conditions for conducting a conversation. Such an attitude of a partner towards another in attempts to avoid meetings is necessary for personal peace of mind.

Another frequently used method of confrontation is energy mobilization. It manifests itself as resistance to attempts at suggestion, transmission, imposition of certain actions, patterns of behavior, type of thinking and other factors.

This is the transformation of any negative emotions into anger, rage and aggression. Sometimes this happens because a person does not know how to react to a certain situation due to his lack of information. This helps to tone up your emotional state.

Entrepreneurs often use a counter-influence technique called creativity. This gives them a competitive advantage over others and allows them to create unique products. Imitation is something that a young entrepreneur needs to get rid of first.