Suggestion and manipulation. Social engineering
We discuss how to make the victim do what we need.
So, let's start with the essence.
We remind you that the fundamental difference between persuasion and suggestion is as follows:
- The goal of persuasion is to achieve a conscious understanding of what is said, to consciously accept a system of values and judgments, and to agree with another point of view.
- The goal of suggestion, on the other hand, is to make someone firmly believe in something or someone without thinking too much about the truth of the arguments, to unconditionally accept the points made by the opponent. Suggestion is meant to create an unquestioning belief in something. From an ethical standpoint, suggestion is largely a manipulative influence on a person's psyche.
Suggestion influences a person's subconscious. It is commonly believed that by affecting a person's emotions and feelings (conditionally speaking, the subconscious), we also influence their mind, will, and behavior. When a person perceives suggested thoughts or ideas, they weaken their control and regulatory functions of behavior. This is the particular insidiousness of this type of psychological influence. In interactions between people, verbal suggestion gradually becomes a necessary element of communication. What influences the effectiveness of suggestion?
It turns out that it's quite simple. The main factors affecting the quality of the suggestive influence include:
- The properties of the one who provides the suggestion (the suggester). These can include the person's level of authority, social status, willful or intellectual superiority, self-confidence, unwavering optimism, irresistible charm, and much more.
- The properties of the object of suggestion (the suggestee), i.e., the person on whom the suggestive influence is directed. Practice shows that the most suggestible people tend to exhibit increased anxiety, self-doubt, particular gullibility, low self-esteem, suggestibility, and other characteristics reflecting an unstable psychological state.
- The relationship between the suggester and the suggestee. If the relationship is characterized by trust and authority, the level of suggestibility will be high. Conversely, if there are elements of suspicion and open distrust between the suggester and the suggestee, the effectiveness of the suggestive influence will naturally be minimal.
- The psychological state of the suggestible person. The quality of suggestive influence largely depends on the overall psychological state of the suggestee: the tension in their skeletal and muscular systems, the fatigue of their nervous system, the processes of excitation and inhibition, and other characteristics of their psychological state.
- Situational conditions of suggestibility. These can include: a low level of awareness of the suggestee (suggestibility usually increases when true information is concealed); uncertainty of the situation (in such circumstances, as noted by specialists, psychological tension significantly increases due to the inability to predict and plan); and time pressure (which greatly reduces the ability to analyze and foresee).
Thus, by knowing the factors that influence the effectiveness of suggestion, one can either significantly reduce its impact on themselves (and in many cases, simply avoid suggestive influence) or, conversely, use these factors for their own benefit. Now, let’s explore the technology of using specific techniques and methods of suggestive influence in practice. First and foremost, the techniques of suggestion should aim to reduce the activity of understanding, reasoning, and evaluating what is happening.
This is related to the fact that suggestion is based on weak awareness and relatively low criticality in perceiving the communicated information. For the effect of suggestion to be evident, the suggester must demonstrate high confidence in the truth of what is said and the accuracy of the information provided. The firmness of statements, combined with an expression of openness and honesty, usually leads to success—others truly begin to believe the speaker.
It is also important to know that the main methods of manipulative information delivery include:
- Skillful manipulation of comparative data, altering the true scale of events and phenomena. This can create an illusion of improvement, positive change, progress, etc.
- Half-truths, meaning conveying only the information that is advantageous to the suggester while omitting what the suggestee should not know.
- Fragmentation of information ultimately creates a situation of uncertainty. Additionally, a selective presentation of facts can enhance or diminish significant information.
- Frequent repetition of simple slogans and calls to action. It is established that repeated exposure to a simple statement weakens attention to its meaning. As a result, the repeated idea leaves mnemonic traces in a person’s memory and becomes deeply ingrained in their subconscious, inevitably influencing their actions. A simple and clear assertion, stated several times firmly and confidently, can manage both small and large groups of people. The shorter the assertion, the stronger its impact.
- The use of various stylistic figures, such as comparisons, allegories, analogies, rhetorical questions, exclamations, etc. These can significantly enrich speech, substitute for inconvenient information, help evade answers to tricky questions, etc. Moreover, using these techniques makes the speech richer and more expressive, thus more convincing for most people.
For today, we conclude. We are confident that this information will be useful to you!