Contents
They influence others, the world and themselves — everything and always, although in different ways and in different forms. Influence can be rational and not, open and hidden, conscious and not, intentional and accidental, legitimate and beyond the scope of civilized relations….
Influence has types and forms. By type, they distinguish between influence (impact) on the external and on the internal, personal and social, intentional and accidental, legitimate and not civilized. Read more about the most important and basic types of influence…
Impact on the inner life of a person
How it is possible to influence the body and the external environment of a person is well known. The man was pushed, he fell. Or — a wallet was stolen from a person, without money his possibilities decreased. Or — the person was in conflict, he was fired, the conflicts ceased. First of all, these are physical and social (situational or administrative) impacts, and they cannot be underestimated.
However, psychologists are much more interested in studying the impact on the inner life of a person, the impact on the mind or feelings of a person, the appeal to his consciousness or the unconscious. It is also not entirely correct to call this a psychological influence, since the psychological channel is only one of the ways to influence the internal, there are many levels and types of influence. The influence on the inner life goes through different channels, namely, the appeal to his spirit or his mind, the impact on his feelings or even his bodily state … The way to the heart of a man goes through his stomach — this is largely true, since our inner life and bodily state are strong connected. A person can effectively influence his inner life by using a wide variety of external possibilities — using external memory, external attention, and even external motives.
The inner and the outer mutually influence each other: not only does the outer influence the inner, but the inner also influences the outer. The education of loyalty and patriotism gives real social results: even if there is no money and nothing to eat, even if it is hard and dangerous to go, but if people know that they need to save their homeland, they will have strength.
Social influence — the influence of society on the behavior of specific people; this is an influence, the direction and method of which is determined by the social automatisms of response built into us, by the people around us, by society as a whole. For example, it can be an administrative influence, or an influence aimed at creating an idea about oneself, other people, social groups and social phenomena. The mechanisms of social influence are universal and effective, and in management activities they cannot be replaced by anything. What affects the persuasiveness of a message? What makes us believe and agree, what makes us feel and act? There are six main mechanisms (methods) of social influence: mutual exchange, obligation and consistency, social proof, goodwill, authority and scarcity.
Social influence is opposed to personal, individual influence, the direction and method of which is determined by the person himself, his individual characteristics and inclinations.
Unconscious influence
Influence can be intentional, in this case it is usually conscious, and unconscious, most often the influence is accidental. The less educated people are and the more they live a life of little awareness, the more they influence each other without noticing it. The very presence of a certain person often leads to the fact that other people begin to act on his charm, his ability to unconsciously infect others with his condition or encourage them to imitate. Often people condemn certain forms of influence (accusations and manipulations, suggestion and training) only because they do not notice how they themselves use them everywhere.
civilized impact
Civilized people also influence each other, but they do it consciously, mainly referring to the mind (and not feelings and the unconscious) and in accordance with the developed agreements (and not just “really wanted”). If there are no clear agreements, the legitimacy of influences is determined by moral principles and the rule of territories, according to which everything is divided into areas: yours, mine and ours. I am the master of my territory, I determine everything, and without my permission it is impossible to influence me. You are the master on your territory, you can do whatever you want there, and I can only do what I was allowed to do. On a common territory, we need to negotiate.
Civilized people make sure that the interaction between them is more conscious, creative and effective.
Forms and styles of influence
According to the form and style, they usually distinguish between direct and non-direct (indirect), open and hidden, directed at the mind or feelings, kindly and forceful, linear and field influence.
The style when one person is inclined to discuss controversial issues, setting out and arguing his position is the style of the Negotiator. Influencing feelings gently and kindly, through motivation and interest, is Dushka’s style. Forceful influence, the style of the Silovik is the influence on feelings through coercion and coercion. At the same time, a common feature of these styles of influence is that these influences are direct and immediate. When the influence is produced not directly, but indirectly or indirectly, through someone or through something, the synton approach speaks of Tactics style.
In open influence, it is obvious who influences, how influences and why. An example of an open targeted communicative influence is an appeal. If the fact of influence is noticeable in the appeal, then something is hidden in the hidden influence: either the author of the influence is not visible, or how he does it, or it is difficult to decipher why. Most of the hidden influences are in the nature of manipulation, and the attitude towards them is highly ambiguous. Hidden influence is an indicator of once stupidity, once — cunning, once skill …
Sometimes a distinction is made between linear and field influence. The bullet has a linear effect. Gas in a chemical attack is a field effect. Psychologists of the phenomenological direction, following Kur Levin, often talk about the psychological field, more scientifically oriented specialists sometimes mention motor fields.