The 7 types of suggestion (and their characteristics and uses)

Today we are continuously exposed to a wide variety of stimuli, suggestions in the form of slogans, attractive images, sounds or even smells that stick with us and 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.

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What is suggestion?

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 wrong, being able to become implausible when perceived as if they were a magic trick or trick. illusionism 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 the different types of suggestion in various areas, such as politics or neuromarketing, within the field of psychotherapy, more is still needed studies.

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, and can be considered as a kind of mental or psychological manipulation.

Suggestion is a psychological process that is carried out with the aim of modifying behavior patterns and attitudes through various techniques and, although traditionally associated with certain types of suggestion to hypnosis, it is usually also carried out in various fields, such as advertising or neuromarketing, and even in politics, in order to induce, drive or guide a series of specific ideas, behaviors and/or emotions in people, without the need for them to enter a state hypnotic.

And it is that in reality the suggestion, beyond what they could make us believe in the movies where it appears a hypnotist with a pendulum managing to get another person to do what is asked of him is a far cry 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 made 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 to indirectly and argumentatively introduce something, such as a certain statement, into the mind of another person. It also refers to the impression made on the minds of people through gestures, words, speech, sensations, signs, environment, etc.

Main types of suggestion

Next, we will briefly explain what the different types of suggestion that we can find within the various contexts where suggestion could be used consist of.

1. direct suggestion

The first of the types of suggestion that we are going to explain is direct suggestion. Its effects are usually immediate, and occurs when a person exercises her authority over another person who is suggested, being able to subdue her. In this type of case, the authority is exercised by means of an order and the suggested person would carry it out, executing it without questioning the reason for said order.

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2. indirect suggestion

Indirect suggestion is more subtle than direct suggestion, and its effects are not immediate.

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 person suggested to get him to do what the person suggesting wants, causing the other person to go in the direction he intends instead of another, all without actually saying so. explicit.

An example of indirect suggestion can be seen in the case that a person, far from intentional, records in his an idea in her head thinking that it had come from herself, when in fact it had been suggested by another person.

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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 done by various means.

In this case, a 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.

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4. Autosuggestion

autosuggestion is a kind of self-imposed suggestion. Put into practice we could find the example of that person who convinces himself that something is true and for that what What he does previously 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 the one that occurs when a person repeats several times that something is consciously true in order to convince oneself of it and, on the other hand, there is the 'involuntary autosuggestion', which is what occurs when a person does not realize that he comes to think that he wants something, he may have seen it in an advertisement, read somewhere or had heard about it with anteriority.

• Related article: "Positive autosuggestion: what it is and how to use it to achieve our goals"

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 cheap prices, which are not essential, next to the boxes where customers pay for their purchases so that they are visible in those moments when they are waiting in line until it is their turn to pay, being more likely to end up buying a product of this type while waiting for their shift.

6. Sensori-physiological suggestion

Sensory-physiological suggestion is one of the types of suggestion, being frequently applied to induce certain behaviors by appealing to some physiological reactions or to the senses.

This is another widely used technique within the field of neuromarketing, being applied in stores to induce certain pleasant affective states in clients to associate with the experience of purchase. For this reason, in clothing stores we often listen to 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 way of suggestion in which Certain psychological contents come into play that influence memory, as well 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 that of advertisement where they use an image that is shocking to the senses of the public to whom it is intended to sell a specific product; while said image is accompanied by a slogan that serves to summarize what is intended to remain engraved in the memory of consumers, being content that induces purchase.