Lecture
Task 1. Using one's personal potential for influence
Instructions. Students are divided into groups of 3-5 people. Each group chooses an initiator of influence and a target of influence from among the members of another group. Task: to evoke a specific emotion in a person. Each group receives its own task card.
Task options:
Option 1. Evoke pity.
Option 2. Evoke curiosity, a desire to ask questions.
Option 3. Evoke boredom.
Option 4. Evoke a reaction of smugness.
Option 5. Make the target of influence feel that they have been treated unfairly.
After each role-play, the instructor asks the target of influence: “What feelings arose?”. Once the answer has been given, the initiator of influence reads out the content of the task.
During the discussion, students answer the questions: 1) What means and techniques of influence did each initiator use? 2)Which of them achieved their goal, and which did not?Why?3)Which type of influence (coercive, manipulative, or constructive) do the actions of each initiator fall under?
When summing up the results of the work, students should be made to note that the ability to detect changes in one's own mood and emotional state – this is an important step in resisting unwanted influence.
Task 2. Resisting influence
Instructions.Three volunteers are chosen from the student group and asked to step out into the corridor and wait while the group rehearses the script of its actions toward them. They will come in one at a time. Task: to find an object hidden in the room, listening to the group's comments. The group is divided into two subgroups. The subgroup on the left gives only positive comments (for example: “Only you could pick the right direction straight away”; “With your insight you must have already realized that you need to turn 180 degrees”; “You are certainly showing genius right now, focusing on Anatoly”, etc.). The subgroup on the right gives only negative comments (for example: “Yes, you're unlikely to find the object if you keep choosing the wrong direction to search in”; “Walking toward the window shows just how poorly you're still oriented”, etc.)
At the end of the game, the instructor asks the seekers questions: “What did you feel when this team (on the left) was helping you? What did you feel when the second team (on the right) was helping you?
Note. As a rule, the seekers say that the criticizing group helped them more, even though it was more pleasant to listen to the group giving positive comments. The discussion helps to reach conclusions about the greater significance, for these particular seekers, of critical remarks, about the fact that they are so habitual that they are perceived as a “normal instruction”, about the difficulties of emotional reflection, about the greater informativeness of negative emotions, etc.
Task 1. Distinguishing between contested types of influence
Instructions. The instructor announces that the students are now going to develop their ability for suggestion, emotional contagion, and generating a desire for imitation. Repetition of information about the contested types of influence and the factors contributing to their effectiveness.
Three groups are formed from the students: those who suggest, those who spread contagion, and those who evoke a desire to imitate. Each group writes on a sheet of paper what it will suggest, what it will spread as contagion, and what it will call on others to imitate. It is desirable that the goals be positive, for example:
build confidence in yourself;
infect others with enthusiasm, curiosity, joy;
evoke a desire to imitate energetic action, dance, exploration, etc.
Each group prepares a script for its impact and carries it out. 20 minutes are given for this work.
While one team is working, all the others are subjected to the influence. During this time everyone turns into “naive subjects” and surrenders to the will of someone else's influence.
When summing up the exercise, it is important to analyse which techniques were used by each team and how effective they were.
Note. During the preparatory work:
The suggestionteam needs to be reminded that they should usepositive speech formulas: “You will achieve high efficiency in your work”, and so on. It should also be stressed that they must avoid negative formulas: “You will no longer be afraid”, “You will not make new mistakes”, and so on. It is important that the suggestion team prepare carefully to speakconfidently and without any fussiness, ratherslowly and weightilythan quickly and lightly.
The contagionteam needs to understand that they themselves must be infected, or “charged”, with the emotional state they want to spread to others. If they want to spread joy, they must themselves radiate joy and spread it more through their eyes and movements than through touch, which many people perceive as a form of pressure.
The imitationteam should be made to see that they must be worthy of imitation, and to that end must display outstanding examples of some kind of behaviour. The team must show an innovation worth following, demonstrate something fashionable, and call on others to imitate it.
Task 2. Distinguishing argumentative and manipulative techniques of influence
Instructions.The group is divided into two subgroups. These will be the party of Socrates and the party of Euthydemus. You will need to act out, in character, an excerpt from Xenophon's work “Socratic Dialogues”. This text contains a dialogue between Socrates and Euthydemus (Appendix 1). Each team will prepare its own scene based on this “play”. Each team will have its own Socrates and Euthydemus. There will also be a third role – the role of the author, Xenophon. He will comment on each character's line, telling everyone which technique of argumentation or manipulation is being used.
The party of Socrates will try to prove that he acted using constructive methods. The party of Euthydemus will try to prove that Socrates used manipulative techniques.
10 minutes are given to prepare the scenes.
Organizing the discussion. In the final discussion, students should be made to note that interaction often seems constructive when in fact it is sophisticated manipulation (an analysis of the excerpt from the standpoint of the influence techniques used is given in Appendix 2).
To conclude the task, the instructor reads out the ending of the excerpt (Appendix 1).
Business game “Self-promotion of a Creative Project”
Instructions.The group is divided into three subgroups. Each subgroup must prepare a self-presentation. The topic could be: “Self-presentation of the “Time Management” training project for the investment committee of the Development Bank”. Goal: to interest the members of the committee and evoke a desire to fund the project.
In preparing and delivering the self-presentation, it is effective to use all methods of self-promotion. The most effective method –a genuine display of competence. You can also presentcertificates and other evidence of your success, showcharts, diagrams, calculations. It is also necessary to clearly state yourgoals, requests and conditions.
The work will be assessed based on how effectively all the methods were used. A scoring table is drawn on the board.
|
Team |
Demonstration of capabilities |
Goals |
Charts and calculations |
Certificates |
Requests and conditions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 minutes are given to prepare the self-presentation. The presentation itself should take no more than 5 minutes.
At the end of the class, the effectiveness of each group's self-promotion is discussed.
Why do researchers call imperative, coercive influence primitive?
What conscious and unconscious goals does the initiator of a psychological attack pursue?
What means of psychological attack exist? Give them a brief description.
What is coercion, and in what forms can it be carried out?
In what cases can coercion be justified?
What consequences do psychological attack and coercion have for the target of influence?
What is the main difference between manipulation and coercive influence?
Name the tactics and techniques of manipulation known to you. Give examples.
What socio-psychological living conditions and problems of modern people have led to the widespread use of manipulation in interpersonal communication?
What are the main signs of constructive influence?
Why does constructive influence perform a developmental function for both the target and the initiator of the influence?
What qualities and abilities does a person have who exerts a constructive influence on others?
Comments