What is moral pressure on a person. How to withstand psychological pressure? How to resist psychological pressure

Landscaping and planning 29.04.2022
Landscaping and planning

A very important ability to defend one's point of view is necessary in order to properly position oneself in society and withstand psychological pressure. In order to be respected by others, you need to have your own opinion, confidently present it. If you are a non-conflict person who knows how to find compromises - this is very good! But if you agree with what is being imposed on you because you are afraid to speak out, this leads to undesirable consequences. For example, you are silent, keep grievances in yourself, then you may have psychological problems.

It is necessary to understand the main reason for isolation. Perhaps some bad experience in childhood left a negative imprint on the formation of your personality. And in the moment, and in life affects your behavior.

Psychological pressure and opposition

Attention!

  1. Don't doubt yourself.
  2. Remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
  3. Speak confidently and calmly.
  4. Calmness is the first rule of invulnerability.
  5. Don't go for personal insults. Talk to the point.
  6. Don't neglect personal space. You will be more comfortable keeping your distance.
  7. Listen carefully to the interlocutor. And in general, learn to listen.
  8. Give arguments.
  9. Be guided by common sense, but not by emotions.

Protection from psychological pressure

There is a well-established opinion that the best defense is an attack. Many do not agree with this. It would be much more effective not to attack, but, as people who respect each other, to find out what does not suit both. Maybe you just don't understand each other. And it turns out that everyone defends his opinion.

Confronting Psychological Pressure

First, recognize the true purpose of your manipulator. And act on the contrary, that is, proceeding from the fact that your “enemy” does not fulfill his plans. Almost the opposite. But be careful, do not overdo it, so as not to anger the "enemy".

How to get rid of psychological pressure? A person who has decided that it is within his right to secretly control others will only defend his own interests. He can do it in the following ways:

  1. Suggestion. You understand that the opponent crosses the line and openly imposes what is convenient for him. If it doesn't suit you, state it confidently. When your terms are not accepted, offer a compromise. If they refuse to meet you halfway, leave the conversation.
  2. Obsession. Most likely, the “attacker”, if he has already set a goal, will not give up so quickly. Unfortunately, he sees you as a potential victim. And you need to come out a winner!
  3. assertiveness. Don't agree to his terms, don't give in. Say "NO" and change the topic of conversation. Try not to revisit an old topic unless it's an equal compromise.
  4. Threats. Put your thoughts on the shelves - realize the real threat of danger. Most likely the manipulator exaggerates. Be able to understand it!

Very often, in such situations, people want to show all their resourcefulness, and fully demonstrate their sense of humor. This is done in order to show their superiority over others. But here you can prepare in advance for the attack and think over some answers to possible questions. Don't take this too seriously. And don't show that it bothers you. Let be striker plays with himself!

How to avoid psychological pressure?

Psychological pressure can be avoided only in one proven way. Namely, at the very beginning of the relationship, show yourself on the strength side, as a worthy opponent. So that your enemy does not even think that you succumb to his tricks. Psychological pressure is like a game.

Ignoring and rejection are the best methods. Every effort must be made to ensure that you are not being manipulated. Simply put, not being interesting in this "industry".

Hello again, dear friend!

Whatever they say, our daily work is stressful in many ways. Competition, rush jobs, endless business plans and the desire of management to “motivate” employees in all available ways, rarely resembling heart-to-heart conversations. How to deal with psychological pressure at work?

In the previous article, we discussed what psychological wushu is and why it is important to master the techniques of psychological self-defense. Protection may be more active or passive, but one way or another it is necessary.

Some prefer to just remain silent. These are possible responses to psychological pressure, but not the best. For:

  • When they start to pressure or provoke us, a wave of emotions rises inside. If they cannot be curbed immediately and the emotion crosses a certain threshold, sometimes it turns into angry tirades, and more often it causes numbness and lightness. shock. And a lot of stress, too.
  • The image of a person who is not able to withstand pressure is not the best. All and sundry will put pressure on you, fearing nothing.

We know everything about you!

Most applicants make round eyes with the words “What exactly?”. At the same time, they begin to become noticeably nervous.

- Very well. So my story about myself will take less time than expected...”

Possible uses for this technique:

Unusual idea, it will be necessary to consider it ...

I'll think about how to take this into account in my work ...

I've thought about this before, but haven't come to a definitive conclusion yet...

External consent means that you agree with some part of what the partner says.

“Only a person like you can spend a lot of time talking with such partners!”

- Yes, potential partners are really so-so ...

You agreed. But only with part of the sentence. And you saved face, and the partner has no reason to escalate the confrontation.

Broken Record Technique

The broken record technique is based on the "three C's" or "German sergeant's principle".

  1. First say exactly what you want to say
  2. Then what exactly did you intend to say
  3. Then say exactly what you said

Essentially a repetition of the same thought. On the fourth time, you will most likely be heard.

It is better to choose a phrase in advance. It should be capacious and it would be appropriate to repeat it several times.

For example:

Why did you hire an employee from my department to do this job without approval?

I had no other choice...

You put me in a stupid position!

I understand. But I was in a desperate situation...

Why do you think you have the right to do so?

I'm sorry, I had no other choice...

Stubborn Professor Technique

The meaning of this technique is to express doubts that doing the actions that the partner suggests does not violate your personal rights or beliefs.

Why are you picking on words every time?

Pedantry is an important part of my nature...

Options for using technology:

This is one of my beliefs...

If I do this, then I will cease to be myself ...

This is against my rules...

I have some prejudices, but they also help me find the best solutions...

All four of the techniques we discussed, three today and one in the previous article, are counteraction techniques, not confrontation techniques. They allow you to stop the emerging conflict in the bud, to transfer negative energy in a different direction. At the same time, "save face", save nerves and relationships with a partner.

Have a nice day!

Have you ever quarreled with your loved one? Have you ever had to do something after such a quarrel that you later regretted? Do you know the situation when you thought about some idea for a long time, in order to then voice it, for example, to your boss at work, but after a conversation with him, you left the office squeezed like a lemon, and even with the need to lead a completely different project? Have you ever had to make unnecessary promises or make ridiculous commitments while communicating with someone?

If you answered yes to at least one of the proposed questions, then you have experienced from your own experience that this is psychological pressure. Unfortunately, communication with people around us, including even those closest to us, is not always free from manipulation and attempts to influence us. Knowing how to resist psychological pressure is not at all a whim and not pumping your skills, but a real life necessity.

Types of psychological pressure

Before we talk about what are the ways to protect against psychological attacks, it makes sense to briefly recall the most common forms of such attacks. Let's present them in ascending order of negative potential.

Rhetorical questions

One of the most common forms of psychological pressure is asking rhetorical questions. For example, you may be asked: “Well, why are you so worthless?”, “Do you even understand what you are doing?” or "Do you understand what you just did?" etc. Trying to answer such questions does not make much sense, as well as ignoring them, because by doing so you either admit that you are wrong (it is quite likely that this is not the case at all), or show disrespect to the interlocutor.

To fend off such a psychological attack, you can continue the question and give some kind of positive answer, for example: “Yes, I understand what I did, and I did it because ...” Thus, in a number of situations, you can solve the problem, even with the help of a lively , but quite a constructive argument. Despite this, if you do not know how to resist psychological pressure, most likely, you will only aggravate the situation.

Guilt

In any communicative situation, it is important to understand that everyone has their own truth, and the line between truth and lies can be fuzzy. The same events are often perceived differently by different people. And on this "trick" many manipulators build their psychological attacks, putting pressure on the interlocutor. This is a very clever technique, and with people who do not have psychological defense techniques, it works flawlessly.

To counter this technique, it is helpful to start by playing along with the manipulator so that its pressure does not increase. Further, you should not take on any unnecessary obligations or promise something that you are not going to keep. There is also a more radical method - just answer the person with a refusal. Although these methods do not always work. Manipulators know this, and using guilt is one of the most powerful techniques in their arsenal.

Massive attack

This technique is typical for people who put psychological pressure on a person who has all the powers not to do what they want from him. Often found in business and at work. The technique consists in the fact that the addressee of the manipulation begins to be attacked from all sides by various methods by people interested in resolving the situation in their favor.

For example, if a representative of the “weak” side does not want to sign a contract during the negotiations, the “strong” side begins to put pressure on him. This can be expressed in endless calls, constant visits of representatives to the office of the victim of attacks, huge amounts of emails, etc. The bottom line is that a person cannot withstand such psychological pressure and simply gives up under the onslaught of an opponent.

And here are a few more methods of psychological pressure of this kind:

  • a massive attack on the client is carried out;
  • in organizations, a massive attack is made on managers (for example, to increase salaries) or ordinary employees (for example, to dismiss);
  • in the activities of collection agencies, a massive attack on debtors is carried out, etc.

A skillful psychological attack can unsettle even a persistent and strong person, not to mention those who are not ready for such aggression against themselves. There are two best ways to protect yourself from it:

  • the victim talks separately with each member of the "campaign" against himself and explains his position;
  • the victim enters into negotiations with the main opponent and resolves all issues with him.

The adoption of such measures is quite effective, but still does not give an absolute guarantee of victory over the manipulator.

direct threat

This method of psychological pressure is not distinguished by the need for a special intelligence in the aggressor, but is very effective. When someone openly threatens the interests of a person, especially what is very important and valuable to him, it is extremely difficult for him to refuse. But even here there is one BUT: far from always a threatening person is able to realize his threats. However, the point is not even whether this will happen or not, but in the very impact on the psyche.

Often, direct threats should be considered as an indicator that they want to negotiate with you, and for a manipulator you are a fairly serious opponent. But even here it must be remembered that if a person were capable of some kind of decisive action, he would not threaten, but immediately began to act. So a good way to behave in the presence of a direct threat is to follow the initially chosen plan. (Here we recall that we are talking about communication situations that do not concern such things as a threat to health or life. In these cases, you need to use other methods, including methods).

These are the most common methods of psychological pressure. As you noticed, describing them, we also indicated the simplest ways to deal with them. But not always and not all people can always be calm, control the course of communication and analyze what is happening. Often emotions take over, and then you have to forget about composure. It is precisely at such moments that it is necessary to apply methods of protection against psychological aggression.

Below we will introduce you to several such methods, so after reading the article, your defensive arsenal will be replenished with new types of “weapons”. However, before moving on to these methods, watch a short video.

5 Simple Tricks to Protect Against Psychological Pressure

The described techniques are very simple to use, and anyone can master them. By and large, many of us unconsciously already use them, but the maximum effect can still be obtained if two conditions are met: understand that you are using a specific technique, and understand what you are using it for. At first glance, these are small things, but in reality they are of great importance.

So, here are these five simple tricks:

  1. To reduce psychological pressure in the process of communication, place objects between you and the interlocutor. These can be chairs, a table, some interior elements. Even small things, such as putting an ashtray on the table or holding a cup of coffee up to your mouth, can reduce your susceptibility to the psychological onslaught of an interlocutor.
  2. If you notice that someone is exerting psychological pressure, take it. Crossing your legs, crossing your arms, lowering your head and looking down from under your brows, you protect your vital organs and energy points. Such poses are not just called closed, because they really close a person for the perception of other people's signals.
  3. In addition to real barriers between yourself and the interlocutor, you can create mental barriers. Choose what seems to be the strongest protection for you: a wall of water, ice or fire, a glass jar or a cloud of gray smoke, a force field or even a space suit. Remember how in childhood, when playing, we said: "I'm in the house"? This is also not without reason, because thoughts have the ability to influence our perception.
  4. When someone is pushing you at home or at work, divert their attention. To do this, you can choose anything that will not allow the interlocutor to concentrate. Take a glass of water in your hands and start watering the flowers, turn on the water, open a magazine on a page with a girl in a swimsuit ... You can do something that knocks down the interlocutor: if you are a man, cough, or hit your palm with your fist; if you are a woman, effectively cross your legs or bend down beautifully behind an allegedly fallen hairpin, etc. To reduce the strength of the psychological impact of a partner, any distraction is effective. The main thing is that it looks natural, and also does not repeat too often.
  5. If you have, defense against psychological attack can be turned into a fun game. To do this, mentally remove the interlocutor from the image in which he currently appears. Introduce an important and pompous interlocutor as a court jester; a scarecrow stuffed with hay; a naked baby doll that jumped out of the bath; clumsy penguin, etc. The most important thing is to choose an absolutely ridiculous image, thanks to which any psychological pressure will be minimized.

Agree that it will not be difficult to become skilled in these techniques? We think that you will cope with this task successfully. But do not rush to close the page and run towards the manipulators. Next, we will reveal a few more useful tricks.

Effective fight against psychological pressure: algorithm of actions

Anyone who has had to face psychological pressure at work, in the company of friends, relatives or not very familiar people, knows that as soon as you relax and get confused, you suddenly begin to behave like an unreasonable child. Someone immediately begins to defend himself, someone hides his head in the sand, and someone succumbs to the influence of the manipulator and does what he is told. What response to such stress will be adequate and optimal?

The very first thing you need to do (and learn how to do) is to calmly perceive the incoming flow of information, stop emotional perception and begin to study the situation. Ideally, this should be done in one step and take a meager amount of time. And things like:

  • start breathing deeply and focus on breathing;
  • start slowly counting to ten (can be done together with breathing);
  • begin to carefully examine the interlocutor (here you need to pay attention to his appearance and behavior in order to find something that characterizes him as a person).

But psychologists advise a more interesting way: start to notice how the state of your partner changes in the process of communication. For example, catch where he is looking and how his eyes run; correlate his facial expressions and gestures with the content of the words. Some people look away when you start to watch them closely, others become nervous, start fingering, fiddling with the tip of their jacket or clicking a pen, etc. By such manifestations, one can more or less accurately determine the true intentions and motives of the interlocutor, as well as understand what state he is in.

So: at the moment when you manage to become a "researcher", i.e. start to study the situation, you can begin to find out exactly what kind of influence the psychological aggressor is trying to have on you. And if you already make sure that a person is exerting psychological pressure, do not hesitate and start defending yourself competently and professionally using the algorithm presented below.

Step 1 - ask questions

The purpose of asking questions is to gain time to think about the situation in general and your behavior in particular. You can directly ask your interlocutor if you can disagree with him in what he says to you. If he answers you yes, you can simply point it out and give him a negative answer to his request. If you feel that there is some kind of dependence in your relationship, find out what the consequences may be if you refuse.

The main condition is to clearly see the relationship between the words and actions of the interlocutor and your reactions. It often happens that the manipulator hides his manipulations, as a result of which he does not want to be exposed, so direct questions can make him retreat. This is especially true in situations where other people are present.

In the case when the relationship between your actions and the actions of your opponent is clearly visible from the very beginning, questions will help you get some time to think about your future behavior. Clarifying questions, such as:

  • Why did you decide that I don't want to take responsibility?
  • Why do you think I'm responsible for this?
  • What exactly should I be responsible for?
  • What makes you think I'm scared?
  • What do you think I should be afraid of?
  • Do you think that I have no right to refuse? Why?
  • Are you sure what you're saying? Why?
  • Why do you think so?

The main task when asking questions will be to find out the reasons why the interlocutor is in a winning position. Once you have time, move on to the next step.

Step 2 - Determine Your Opponent's Advantage

At the second stage, you need to understand how the aggressor exerts psychological pressure, how he plans to influence you. By understanding this, you will get a chance to organize a more powerful defense. Perhaps the opponent thinks he can influence you by raising his voice or shouting. In this case, you do not need to succumb to pressure. You just have to wait until the fuse of the aggressor weakens, and after that express your point of view.

It is possible that the manipulator will try to put pressure on you with the help of third parties present nearby. If so, then there is no need to lower your head. Pay attention to other people's reactions. You can even feel free to start looking at them. The mere fact that you are non-verbally addressing those present will cause them to give you some kind of feedback. The unanimity of third parties is very rare, so one of them may take your point of view. Yes, and the banal silence of others can be used to your advantage.

Remember that you cannot be psychologically broken, so you need to object slowly and calmly. Any tricks of the aggressor can be questioned or weakened if you are careful. When, for example, the interlocutor refers to some kind of authority, you can indicate that this technique is not suitable for the current situation. And if, for example, the aggressor points to his experience or age, you need to find arguments based on your experience and age.

If you want to keep the prospect of cooperation, you do not need to discount the opponent's arguments. It is better to somehow limit their applicability, using objective considerations for this. Here a person says that you have been communicating for a long time and helped him before, and that now he is again waiting for help. Relationships should not be underestimated. It is much more effective to point out the real reasons why you cannot help at the moment.

When the aggressor uses rush communication against you (at an increased pace), you need to come up with a way to stop him. You can say that you need to urgently call, go to the bathroom, send an email, etc. Any adequate pretext will help you reduce the pressure of your opponent, take a break and, knowing what the interlocutor is counting on, putting pressure on you, find your own method of pressure.

Step 3 - Determine Your Benefits

What can you use to help yourself? There are many options: support from third parties, reference to past positive experience, own merits, functions performed, authority, etc. But it’s better not to use reciprocal pressure, especially if the relationship with the manipulator is important to you for some reason.

It is best to build your arguments so that both you and the aggressor clearly understand the connection between your judgments. And if you offer your own solution to the problem, it is more competent to make it so that it is a compromise, i.e. suited both you and your communication partner.

Remember that your responses should not be too assertive, and even if you manage to successfully parry attacks, you should not show your superiority. Your task is to balance the balance, and not aggravate the situation and provoke conflict. And after the psychological pressure on you weakens, you can show your business qualities by offering cooperation.

Step 4 - Propose a Collaboration

Negotiating with a psychological aggressor is the best way to resolve a negative situation, because in this way you, firstly, make sure that you have managed to successfully apply psychological defense techniques, and secondly, let your interlocutor understand that in the future attempts to put pressure on you won't lead to anything good.

Of course, you can “cut the ends” and permanently end the relationship with the aggressor, but in cases with loved ones or those with whom you will be forced to communicate, this option will not work. Therefore, a focus on long-term cooperation is the best choice. The same applies to situations where, for some reason, you still have to make some concessions.

Achieving a compromise is also beneficial because you will have the opportunity to explain to your partner the incorrectness of his behavior. That is why it is recommended to refrain from accusations and even more so from threats. Having come to a mutually beneficial agreement, you will prevent psychological attacks in the future, because your partner will remember how the past situation ended. This allows you to set up psychological manipulators to build constructive relationships.

Thus, we have a clear algorithm of actions when someone exerts psychological pressure:

  1. Use questions to get extra time to think about the situation and determine the advantages of the aggressor.
  2. Determine the advantages of the aggressor, i.e. those methods of pressure that he uses or intends to use.
  3. Determine your advantages, i.e. those methods of counteraction that will be appropriate and effective in a given situation.
  4. Align the balance of power and offer cooperation, for example, to come to a solution that is beneficial for everyone.

We advise you to always adhere to the techniques proposed in the article and the algorithm for protecting against psychological pressure, because at home, at work or in the company of friends, in most cases it is necessary to maintain good relationships. At the same time, we are well aware that these methods are not suitable for every situation, so you need to master other techniques to resist manipulators.

You can get acquainted with some of them in our article "", and Igor Vagin, a candidate of medical sciences, an experienced psychotherapist, business coach and specialist in sales, negotiations and personnel management, will tell you about some in this short video.

Relationship psychology

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30.11.13 12:00

Life brings us into contact with many people. With someone we are comfortable, someone is indifferent to us. There are individuals with whom it is unpleasant to communicate. With each of the above types of people, we can control our relationships.

But there is a special category of people, communication with which cannot, strictly speaking, be classified. He seems to be a nice person, not rude and does not require anything. But you begin to feel pressure on your emotional sphere, some kind of inner discomfort. Such a subtle "psychologist".

Another case of manifestation of psychological pressure is impudent and self-confident people (“tanks”). They are sure in advance that everything in the world owes them. They go ahead, not paying attention to the feelings of others, achieving their goals, crushing all objections.

In both cases, we have a "manipulator" - a person who uses others to achieve his goals. All these people want is to use you for their own benefit. It can be a simple trick to use you as a listener (he at this time conducts a psychotherapy session for himself, asserting himself) or to force you to do something for yourself (do work instead of him). There may be many options. But the result is always the same: you do what you did not want and did not intend to.

How to recognize a "manipulator"

In order not to succumb to psychological pressure, it is necessary to notice the beginning of this process in time. If in the case of the “tank” the awareness of attempts at manipulation occurs quickly, then upon contact with the “psychologist” it is not immediately possible to establish this.

A sure sign of attempts to control you is your growing internal discontent in the process of communication. In contact with the "tank" you immediately have to defend yourself, which causes an internal protest. When communicating with a "psychologist", internal irritation also grows, but not at such a rapid pace.

How to resist psychological pressure: practical advice

Once in the zone of influence of such a person, you must take certain protective measures to create and maintain a normal attitude within yourself:

  1. Ask yourself: What does this person need? Why do I feel bad next to him?
  2. Find out his motivation. There are methods of creating motivation in the work team, creating a mood for individual workers. But these methods are focused on achieving common goals, which include your benefit. The manipulator motivates, ultimately, only for his own benefit.
  3. Apply certain styles of communication with similar people: with "tanks" - politely and formally emphasized. With "psychologists" to keep a distance, not letting close to their problems. Because that's what they usually use.
  4. In a conversation, repeat to yourself something like the phrase: "I have my own point of view." By doing this, you block the psychological impact of the manipulator.
  5. Do not look into the eyes of the interlocutor, being drawn into such "games". Your eyes should meet only occasionally. The rest of the time, listening to the interlocutor, look just below the line of his eyes.
  6. Reduce by all means the time spent in his zone. But act correctly and politely.

After getting out of influence, even if not entirely successfully, analyze the “hook” that you fell for. Why did such a person manage to use you? What did he “press” or what did he use? Answering questions like these will help you avoid these mistakes in the future. After all, no one has ever left meetings with such people. But the analyzed experience will equip you for a competent and successful fight against this phenomenon.

For them to become accommodating. Many of us know how to manipulate people's behavior with positive emotions, but the "dark side" is just as intriguing.

Even if a person is not going to use these techniques, he is unlikely to pass by the article "How to psychologically crush a person." The desire for destruction is as natural as the good ways of mankind.

Many rulers built their policy precisely on the fact that they made the population complaisant, instilling fear. Society becomes weak and depressed, which means it can be controlled.

Today you will learn what methods of pressure exist, several tactics used by the KGB and other special services, I will offer you several books if you want to deepen your knowledge, and I will also give you a couple of useful tips for those who are going to use all these techniques. Generally, .

Strategies

There are many directions in the field of psychological pressure on the enemy, and I would like to talk about the main directions.

Physical-psychological influence

The first strategy involves the physical impact, and only then the mental one. This is one of the most unfavorable ways, in some manifestations its use is illegal, but nevertheless it is used in practice, which means that I cannot but mention it.

First, a physical effect is manifested in relation to a person. For example, in a fight. After he felt the superiority of the opponent, they begin to “break” him psychologically. It is no longer so important what exactly the person says, he suppresses the interlocutor more and more deeply, causes panic fear in him and makes him complaisant.

This is one of the most unfavorable methods, since the "victim" is only interested in one thing - by any means available for this. He may, in order not to contact the aggressor, try to influence him with the help of law enforcement agencies or in some other way involve third parties.

Books

If you want to learn a little more about methods of psychological pressure in order not to become a victim or to apply some technologies yourself, before I move on to useful recommendations, I will offer you several books on this topic.

The first one belongs to the Legendary Bestsellers series. It's about the book The Psychology of Influence by Robert Cialdini: what means exist, commitment and consistency, reciprocity, . This guide contains softer tricks than I described in this article. The reader will get much more benefit from them, and why - I will tell a little later.

Another book that can help you solve all your problems without calling the other person names or making them emotional with silence is How to Outsmart Anyone: A Practical Guide by William Poundstone. Both of these books can be downloaded from LitRes.

We do not always succeed in the manipulative techniques that he uses. However, each person has an innate identification of such situations. A long stay in stress, acts destructively and a person seeks to get rid of this pressure.

We must not forget that in such cases it is almost impossible to predict the behavior of a particular person. No matter how you plan, he can do something completely different. It depends on many properties of the psyche that cannot be predicted. Behavior may not be rational or logical.

Strive to use positive methods of influence and communication to avoid unexpected situations. Don't forget to also subscribe to my blog. See you again.

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