The 7 Types Of Suggestion (and Their Characteristics And Uses)
Nowadays we are continually exposed to a wide variety of stimuli, suggestions in the form of slogans, attractive images, sounds or even smells that stay with us and that are associated with a wide variety of consumer products such as a snack or a perfume, among others; These being some examples of suggestion.
Here we will see what they are the types of suggestion that exist and what are its main characteristics.
Because of what has been seen on several occasions in movies, series or television programs, certain techniques carried out within the different types of suggestion have gone awry, and can become implausible as they are perceived as if they were a trick. of magic or illusion. However, suggestion is a more complex psychological process that must be carried out by qualified professionals, and It can even be used in psychological therapy to help certain patients establish healthier behaviors in their lives and thus change some that were harmful.
However, although it has been possible to observe the existence of the effects of different types of suggestion in various fields, such as politics or neuromarketing, within the field of psychotherapy, more studies are still needed.
The various types of suggestion that exist share the fact that they are carried out to induce in other people a change in thinking, emotions and/or behavior through the external introduction of content which can be considered a kind of mental or psychological manipulation.
Suggestion is a psychological process that is carried out with the aim of modifying patterns of behavior and attitudes through various techniques and, although certain types of suggestion have traditionally been associated with hypnosis, it is also usually carried out in various areas, such as in that of advertising or neuromarketing, and even in politics, in order to induce, lead or guide a series of certain ideas, behaviors and/or emotions in people, without the need for them to enter a hypnotic state.
And in reality suggestion, beyond what we might be led to believe in the movies where a hypnotist appears with a pendulum managing to get another person to do what is asked of him, is quite far from it; It is actually a quite natural mechanism of the human being, since it works in a wide variety of behaviors such as when making purchases within an establishment.
Within the field of psychology, it is quite common to find the use of the word suggestion to refer to the action of indirectly and argumentatively introducing something, such as a certain statement, into the mind of another person. It also refers to the impression made on people’s minds through gestures, words, speeches, sensations, signs, environment, etc.
Main types of suggestion
Below we will briefly explain what the different types of suggestion consist of that we can find within the various contexts where suggestion could be used.
1. Direct suggestion
The first of the types of suggestion that we are going to explain is direct suggestion. Its effects usually occur immediately, and It occurs when a person exercises their authority over another person who is suggested, potentially subjugating them In this type of case, authority is exercised through an order and the suggested person would carry it out, executing it without ever asking the reason for said order.
2. Indirect suggestion
Indirect suggestion is more subtle than direct suggestion, and its effects do not occur immediately
This mode of suggestion is produced through a series of acts carried out by the person who carries out said suggestion in order to induce the suggested person to do what the person who suggests wants, causing the other person go in the direction you intend instead of going in another, all without saying it explicitly.
An example of indirect suggestion can be seen in the case that a person, far from intentional, records an idea in their head, thinking that it had arisen from themselves, when in reality it had been suggested by another person.
3. Hypnotic suggestion
Thirdly, we can find among the different types of suggestion hypnotic suggestion, a type of suggestion usually carried out for therapeutic purposes However, it can also be carried out by various means.
In this case, mental suggestion is achieved through a hypnotic session in which different techniques can be used for this purpose. In this type of suggestion it is important to be very careful after having carried out the hypnosis session because it could become decisive for the patient.
4. Autosuggestion
Autosuggestion is a type of self-imposed suggestion Put into practice, we could find the example of that person who convinces himself that something is true and to do so, what he previously does is mentally repeat that certain phrase that serves to affirm it until he begins to consider it as true.
In the case of autosuggestion we can find two different modes: ‘voluntary autosuggestion’, which is what occurs when a person repeats several times that something is true consciously in order to convince himself of it and, on the other hand, , there is ‘involuntary autosuggestion’, which is what occurs when a person does not realize that they think they want something, although they may have seen it in an advertisement, read it somewhere or had heard about it before.
5. Motor suggestion
Another type of suggestion is motor suggestion, which is one that can induce or even inhibit a movement or pattern of behavior based on chaining movements
This type of suggestion is widely used in the field of neuromarketing in order to sell certain products, an example of motor suggestion being the strategy carried out by supermarkets when they put products with economic prices, which are not essential, next to them. of the checkouts where customers pay for their purchases so that they are visible at those times when they are waiting in line until their turn to pay arrives, making it more likely that they will end up buying a product of this type while they wait your turn.
Sensory-physiological suggestion is one of the types of suggestion, being frequently applied to induce certain behaviors by appealing to some physiological reactions or the senses
This is another technique widely used within the field of neuromarketing, being applied in stores to induce certain pleasant affective states in customers so that they are associated with the shopping experience. For this reason, in clothing stores we often hear relaxing music or even happy music that induces relaxing and/or happy moods when shopping.
7. Cognitive-perceptual suggestion
Finally, among the different types of suggestion there are also cognitive-perceptive suggestions; It is a mode of suggestion in which certain psychological contents come into play that influence memory just as the role played by the senses is also important.
This technique is also widely used within the field of neuromarketing, advertising and sales, an example being advertising advertisements where they use an image that is shocking to the senses of the public to whom they intend to sell a certain product; while said image is accompanied by a slogan that serves to summarize what is intended to be recorded in the consumers’ memory, being content that induces them to buy.
