Our beliefs, ideals, attitudes are formed under the influence of society. We are brought up in the traditions of the family and ethnic group, we absorb the ideas broadcast by the media, we are influenced by the opinions of friends and colleagues. However, people are subject to this influence in different ways. The degree of submission to external influences depends on such a personality quality as suggestibility.
What is suggestibility
This personality quality in psychology is considered as a person’s susceptibility to the influence of others, but not to any influence, but to one that contains signs of suggestion. Therefore, let us first consider this particular psychic phenomenon.
The social influence to which we are constantly exposed – at home, at work, and in the company of friends – is varied. And not everything is connected with suggestion. There are two most common types of influence: persuasion and suggestion. It can be difficult to distinguish them, and they are often found together, in one act of communication. But the differences in these types of influence are fundamental, and they are associated with the attitude to information.
- Persuasion presupposes impact with the help of rational arguments, facts, logic. It appeals to reason and common sense.
- Suggestion is based on trust in the source of information; it is not associated with the rational sphere, but relies on faith and subconscious mechanisms of the psyche. For example, it may be associated with a psychological defense factor.
The effectiveness of suggestion depends, firstly, on the authority of the one who implements it, and secondly, on the psychological characteristics of the object of influence, that is, on the degree of its suggestibility.
How suggestibility manifests itself
The main channel of suggestion is faith, when a person does not comprehend the information received, but simply accepts it. Entering the brain, it bypasses the rational part of the psyche, is not criticized and immediately becomes part of the experience. As a result, this knowledge, beliefs, values are perceived by a person as his own, and he has no doubts about their truth.
Suggestion is often identified with hypnosis or suggestion, which is not entirely correct. Hypnosis is a special case of suggestion, in which there is no critical assessment of information, since a person is in a special hypnotic sleep. It is he who creates the conditions for influencing the human brain, bypassing the rational sphere. But suggestibility can also manifest itself in completely ordinary conditions, which is associated with a whole complex of reasons, which include the following:
- Authority of the source of information. For example, a believer does not analyze or question the postulates of faith written in the sacred books. A good teacher can be a source of suggestion for students, and parents for children.
- Lack of information combined with its importance. If there is no information on some vital issue, then a person is inclined to perceive even its grains and individual, unconfirmed facts as absolute truth.
- Psychotropic drugs and techniques that turn off the rational sphere of the brain. These include hypnosis, as well as other techniques, drugs and alcohol.
- Psychological features of the object of suggestion.
The last point is often dominant; the complex of these features is called suggestibility.
Suggestibility as a complex of individual psychological characteristics
To one degree or another, all people are susceptible to suggestion, this is what ensures the success of upbringing and the adaptation of a person to the social environment. But the level of suggestibility is different for everyone, as are the manifestations of this quality in the character and behavior of the individual.
Signs of suggestibility
It is easy to notice people with pronounced suggestibility, it is more difficult to identify its signs in yourself. The fact is that the process of suggestion usually occurs imperceptibly – other people’s beliefs, opinions, beliefs are often acquired unconsciously. But there are a number of personality traits that allow us to talk about a predisposition to suggestion:
- Dependence on the opinions of others, combined with the desire to be no worse than others, to follow fashion, to obey stereotypes of behavior.
- Admiration for authorities, when the point of view of the bosses or the position of the mainstream media seem to be the ultimate truth. The conviction that a person of high status is always right.
- Conformity is the tendency to obey the opinion of the majority.
- Rapid change of beliefs depending on the situation and social environment. A striking example is the hero of the story by A. Chekhov “The Chameleon”.
As a rule, suggested people quickly become ardent supporters of new ideas and beliefs, but they usually are not their authors, but blindly follow the leader. Depending on his position, suggestible followers can play the role of both constructive and destructive force.
Suggestibility is a socially useful quality, but it can be harmful to a person himself. The tendency to obey a strong personality, to follow authority makes an individual dependent on other people, or even a toy in their hands.
Causes of increased suggestibility
This personality quality depends on a number of factors, which, although related to the human psyche, are not controlled or regulated by it. Most closely suggestibility is associated with innate individual psychological characteristics of a person, such as plasticity or flexibility of the nervous system. But rigid (inflexible) people, characterized by mental stability and even stubbornness, are less susceptible to suggestion.
Along with flexibility, a number of mental and psychophysiological prerequisites for suggestibility can be distinguished:
- Self-doubt, shyness encourages a person to trust more other people who are perceived as stronger and more authoritative.
- Low self-esteem, which is often the cause of insecurity and leads to the fact that a person not only does not value his own opinion, he does not even try to form it.
- The habit brought up from childhood to unquestioningly obey parents, teachers, bosses – any authoritative person.
- A high level of emotionality, especially exaltation, when rational barriers and the ability to critically evaluate information are crumbling under the pressure of emotions.
- Propensity for hysteria and neurasthenia.
- Low level of intelligence, inability to think logically and critically comprehend the situation.
- Age. Children are more suggestible because they are less confident in themselves. The level of suggestibility also rises in older people for the same reason – an increase in the feeling of insecurity.
- Women are more suggestible than men. Psychologists name three main reasons for this: a traditionally brought up feeling of dependence on a man, a more flexible psyche and increased emotionality.
These factors can act both individually and in combination. That is, the suggested person does not necessarily have low intelligence, perhaps he has low self-esteem, or he was in a state of dependence for a long time, or it is just an exalted type.
Despite the fact that increased suggestibility can create serious problems for a person, psychologists have proven that this property also has positive aspects. Suggestible people are not only easier to adapt to a new environment, but also more talented, since they are more receptive, easier to learn, they have flexible thinking, able to find original ways of solving problems. Belief in the teacher and the desire to follow him also plays a significant positive role in the learning process for any business.
