The importance of a person’s image and the rules for its formation

Image is an image, a stereotype, a set of certain qualities that has developed in people’s minds that are associated with an individual. The concept of reputation is very close to this concept.

Initially, the concept of image was used in the business environment as the main means of influencing consumers. Later, image began to be understood as the most important category in socio-political sciences and psychology.

Stereotypes have been created in people’s minds for years under the influence of what they read in newspapers, magazines, books, seen on TV and heard in groups. The policy of the country’s leadership, the intellectual level of the individual, and the general economic level of the country play a significant role in the formation of such stereotypical ideas.

For example, a large number of actors, having played one role that is most memorable to the audience, often complain that the image and reputation of the movie hero has spread to the actor in real life. That is, even close people, acquaintances and friends stopped perceiving the actor in isolation from the role he played. In fact, a comedic or tragic character in the minds of people became inseparable from the artist who performed him on stage or in films. For many actors, it was impossible to change the image of a movie hero even until the end of their lives.

Another example of image and reputation is the idea of ​​expensive cars as a symbol of social success, happiness and material wealth. The image of great opportunities and position in society is also ensured by expensive real estate.

Recently, the topic of image formation (of a person, a company, a show business star, a businessman, a state or a politician) has acquired significant importance in life. And this is understandable, because what each subject demonstrates and puts on display has a significant influence on most of his environment. Therefore, the right approach to the formation of a personal image is the key to the success of many events.

Image is the same thing as a name, a concept inextricably linked with the idea of ​​a person. This is a person's calling card. This is the impression that other people recreate in their memory when they remember you.

Rules for image formation in the modern world

First of all, you need to define the image, what it is.
The concept of image is not only appearance, the ability to look good, to choose a hat for shoes and lipstick for a handbag, it is also the adequacy of reasoning, competent speech, and manner of communication. If attracting the opposite sex is important, then image and reputation will play a vital role. Not only among acquaintances, but also in the family, at work, in relation to older people, in love for the younger generation. Each social class of society has its own idea of ​​the concept of image

It is important to understand that your opinion may differ. Clothing, manner of speaking, demeanor, gestures, intonation of words and sentences are a great way for an employer or future spouse to form an opinion about you.

You need to start working on building your image and reputation with an adequate analysis of yourself and your capabilities.

A stylist will help you change your appearance, a makeup artist will tell you how to properly care for your skin and do the right makeup, a psychologist will help you accept yourself and your own “I”, a dance teacher will teach you how to move and walk correctly.

It’s never too late to change your image; it’s important to correctly assess yourself and the situation

What else you need to know about image formation

The image should be changed in accordance with the emerging changes in life.
If, for example, your social status has changed, then you should think about changing your clothing style. Sometimes your image needs to be changed in accordance with the dress code of the company you transferred to. Image and reputation are being reconsidered according to age

It is important to know that if you do everything right, the impression you will make will be positive. The element of uniqueness in creating your image should always be present

Image and reputation are not isolated from each other.

The main condition for achieving professional success is the constant activity of a person’s inner world, continuous work on oneself, on one’s spiritual development. Just as people train their body and pump up their muscles, it is also necessary to train their memory, ability to think and analyze. First of all, books will help here. Professional and fiction literature not only preserves knowledge, but also teaches how to think, increasing competence and positive productivity. Professionalism implies confidence and the ability to control the situation. Together with economic success, professional and career success provide a person with a high social status.

The social status itself is determined by age, education, profession, position, prestige, material security, personal freedom, level of legal and moral security, career and personal prospects.

The need to create an image

The types of image and the functions that it performs should help a person interact with the world around him most effectively. The functions of image include:

• the opportunity to demonstrate the best qualities, individuality, and moral values ​​of a person;
• the influence of image on a person’s psychological comfort (increases self-confidence and one’s capabilities, has a positive effect on a person’s communication abilities);
• opportunity to demonstrate business qualities and professional competence;
• the ability to smooth out existing shortcomings by refocusing attention on the advantages;
• the opportunity to attract attention to your person and make the right impression;
• the ability to interact with different categories of people, ensuring greater efficiency in the business sphere.

When creating an image, it is important to use reliable information about a person and his real qualities, because the deception will quickly be revealed and the person will ruin his reputation. An image that is far from a person’s real personality is very difficult to maintain and broadcast to others.

Changing your image: where to start

Not everyone can afford to hire an image maker to choose the perfect image. As a rule, when it comes to changing your image, the first thing that comes to mind is changing your hairstyle. Yes, indeed, even a new haircut can change a person’s appearance by 180 degrees, but if we are talking about the general concept of “image,” then going to the hairdresser is only one of the possible stages in the pursuit of the ideal picture.

A radical change of image: the main stages of transformation.

Changing your hairstyle - this could be a shorter haircut or changing the shape of your bangs. You can even change by curling your curls, or, conversely, by straightening your hair. Hair coloring is often used - these can be dramatic changes, for example, dyeing a blonde a brunette or choosing a different shade of hair, using tinting. Changing the style of clothing is also considered an integral part of changing the image: street style clothing changes to a classic suit. Or aggressive colors are introduced into a soft romantic image. Clothing is selected depending on the goal that a person pursues when deciding to transform. Makeup also has a huge impact on the visual portrait of the hostess. Aggressive makeup is associated with fearlessness and passion. Pastel-colored cosmetics suit sophisticated people who know their worth

It is important to understand that make-up is not considered as a tool for a radical change in image, but rather as an adjustment of an old style to a more current one. In this matter, it is best to contact a specialist; only a professional will be able to choose the ideal image that is suitable for all occasions. Changing your image can also include physical changes: losing weight, honing your ideal figure in the gym, adjusting your menu and changing your overall lifestyle.

Of course, this only applies to those who have decided to make drastic changes.

To give a full assessment of your metamorphoses, experts advise creating a separate folder “Image change: before and after” for monitoring and subsequent comparison of the change of appearance.

Purpose of image in life

It is important for a person to win over people, no matter what he does. To run a business, to defend a dissertation or an important project, to find a husband or to shop in a store - everywhere it is important to be able to make a good impression and win people over.

Without this skill it is truly impossible to achieve outstanding success. Therefore, it is so important to know what an image is and, if necessary, to be able to change the image.

Specialists work on creating the image: makeup artists, psychologists, dance teachers and yoga trainers, PR people and marketers, producers and sociologists, speech therapists and stylists. There are schools where they teach how to correctly achieve what you want using the visual effect of a person. Practicing psychologists conduct training in such schools. In addition to the visual component, they will teach you a correct understanding of the world and self-image, talk about ways to accept yourself and increase the attractiveness of a person’s inner appearance.

Today there is a new profession - image maker. This professional will tell you how you can change your image to achieve maximum success at work, when running a company or when managing household affairs. Also, famous people can resort to the services of this specialist in order to form a scandalous image of themselves.

Image makers advise accepting your outer shell (image) as a means to achieve your plans. Every day you need to be well dressed in public, neatly combed, with the right makeup, behave adequately, watch your words, gestures and even gait. That is, his reputation must be conscious and thought out to such small details as, for example, clothing, accessories, greetings, topics of conversation, attitude towards other people, everyday positive mood and gratitude.

For company managers it can also be energy, steadfastness, for subordinate employees - punctuality, for housewives - caring, etc. Then the person will make a good impression. And he will be successful in all plans and affairs, and not just in personal relationships.

Perelygina E. B. The concept of image (from the book “Psychology of Image”)

The word image: (from French or English image) literally translated into Russian means image, appearance. In general psychology, an image in the broad sense of the word is understood as a subjective picture of the world or its fragments, including the subject himself, other people, the spatial environment and the temporal sequence of events (1). From the point of view of social psychology, image is a type of image that arises as a result of social cognition. <...> In explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language, the word “image” is defined as an appearance, appearance, likeness, “a living, visual idea of ​​someone or something”, “a generalized artistic reflection of reality, clothed in the form of a specific, individual phenomenon”, type, character embodied in a work of art (2, 3). Summarizing these characteristics, we can say that the image is understood in the everyday sense as the result of a mental reflection (representation) of one or another objective phenomenon; in the process of this reflection, transformations of the original information are possible, and accordingly the image does not necessarily represent an exact copy of what is being displayed; the process of creating an image can be active and purposeful (for example, in art); this process may include procedures of analysis (which makes it possible to display what is typical in an object) and synthesis (due to which the image has the characteristics of an individual phenomenon). All these characteristics apply to image. However, the word “image” is not an exact synonym for the word “image”. It is more correct to define an image as a type of image, namely an image whose prototype is not any phenomenon, but a subject. <…> Currently, in the specialized literature one can find a large number of definitions of image. Let's list some of the most common ones. Often, an image is defined as a purposefully created or spontaneously arisen form of reflection of an object in the minds of people (4). <…> The image is informative; it communicates about a certain set of features that are inherent in the object itself. Moreover, these signs can exist objectively or be arbitrarily attributed to the object by the creators of the image. Many authors recognize that the image, since it depends on many factors that can change their meanings, is not something once given and unchangeable. It is dynamic, its attributes are transformed, modified in accordance with changes in the medium itself or in group consciousness. An important feature of the image is its activity. It is “capable of influencing the consciousness, emotions, activities and actions of both individuals and entire groups of the population” (5). <...> Concepts related to the concept of “image” are “opinion”, “reputation”, “authority”. In the literature one can even find the identification of image with these phenomena. So, for example, A. Yu. Panasyuk believes that image is essentially the same as opinion, and sees the difference between the corresponding terms only in the grammatical rules for using the corresponding words in the Russian language: “Image” is more correctly used in phrases like “ image of a person (politician, lawyer)”, “opinion” – in phrases like “opinion about a person (politician, lawyer)” (6). We cannot agree with this definition of image, as well as with the identification of image with reputation or authority. Opinion necessarily presupposes a verbal form of expression... <...> Meanwhile, the image, and therefore the image, as its variety, necessarily includes non-verbal elements, and these elements can significantly predominate in its structure. In principle, an image can consist of only non-verbal elements. <...> The image is often considered in a general context with reputation (7) In particular, A. Yu. Koshmarov characterizes the image as the expressive, expressive side of the image, while reputation (from the Latin reputatio - counting, reckoning) in Russian means “ an established general opinion about the merits or demerits of someone or something”; “a public assessment acquired by someone or something, a general opinion created about the qualities, advantages and disadvantages of someone or something.” <…> Equally groundless is the confusion of image with authority. The reason for this confusion may be that both concepts are used in the context of social influence research. <...> Image can also serve as a basis for trust and a factor facilitating influence (8) (we will dwell on this aspect of it later), but this is, firstly, not the only function of image, and secondly, the use of image as a means social influence is not always possible, but under certain conditions that the image must meet. Imageology studies and practically transforms these conditions. It is necessary to distinguish between imageology and image psychology. <…> In a number of works devoted to image, there is also a scientific justification for the individual practical results described in them. These include the works of V. M. Shepel (9, 10), G. G. Pocheptsov (11, 12, 13) and a number of other authors (14, 15, 16). In the overwhelming majority of currently existing works on image, it is the pragmatic aspect of this phenomenon that is presented. Basically, these are practical manuals and guides for image makers on building an image for certain specific purposes. With this in mind, let us consider some of the most common characteristics of image contained in the literature, so that we can then summarize them to construct a general definition of image. It was already said above that sometimes the image is characterized as the expressive, expressive side of the image (7). In this respect, it is contrasted with reputation as an opinion developed in a rational way. Some authors talk about images in the plural. For example, I. A. Fedorov defines images as “a system of social programming of the spiritual life and behavior of subjects (individuals and groups) by general civilizational and mental stereotypes and symbols of group behavior, mediated by the power of motivation for success, the standard of the desired impression, the mimetic abilities of the subject and the situation” (17 ). This emphasizes the variability, flexibility, and situationality of the image. A number of definitions reflect the iconic, informational and symbolic nature of the image. Thus, V.N. Markin writes: “Image is not a mask, not an embellishment of one’s professional appearance. In real life, of course, this also exists. But this aspect in image technology, in my opinion, is not the main thing. The core thing here is the opportunity to convey (through certain image signals) information about yourself, about your true (personal and professional) foundations, ideals, plans, deeds” (18). (Italics are mine. - E.P.) Taking into account the iconic nature of the image, it can be considered as a message addressed to the audience that the client has such and such properties. In order for the audience to perceive such a message, it must be written in a language that it understands, and therefore use symbols (signs) familiar to it in their usual meanings. A. P. Fedorkina and R. F. Romashkina characterize the image as “a socio-psychological phenomenon that reflects the influence on it of not only the conscious, but also the unconscious components of the psyche of various social groups, the motivation of their behavior, as well as the formation of images <...>, which demanded by the masses today” (19). In this definition, there is a noticeable emphasis on such a pragmatic result of image construction as the transfer of information about the subject in the form of his image to the addressee, which is a social group. This aspect is also present in many other definitions of image: “Image is a person’s outward-facing “I”, his public “I”” (20); “This is essentially what and who I appear to be in my environment, how “They” see and perceive me. This is a symbolic refraction of my “I” in the consciousness of others” (21). Often in the literature there is a statement that image is the style and form of human behavior, and mainly the external side of behavior in society. Sometimes an image is a set of meanings and impressions thanks to which people describe an object, remember it and begin to relate to it in a certain way, in other words, thanks to which the object becomes known. At the same time, as a rule, it is clarified that the object of the image is most often a person, a group of people or an organization (company, political party) and much less often – inanimate objects (goods, products, services), in relation to which the concept “image” is more often used. . A number of definitions emphasize the fact that the concept of “image” includes not only natural personality traits, but also specially developed, created, shaped ones. Other definitions emphasize that the image is largely predetermined by the objective characteristics of the object, in particular, the image of a person is predetermined by his psychological type and personality, their compliance with the demands of time and society. Both are true. Most image specialists include in this concept not only a person’s appearance, determined by his anatomical features and clothing style, but almost all characteristics accessible to perception. Thus, Polly Bird writes that image is “the complete picture of you that you present to others. It includes the way you look, talk, dress, act; your skills, your posture, posture and body language; your accessories, your surroundings and the company you keep” (22). Only a few specialists, as a rule, those who in their practical activities specialize specifically in improving the client’s appearance, use the term “image” in a narrow sense, meaning only the appearance itself (face, hairstyle, clothing style, etc.). V. M. Shepel, without reducing the image to appearance, nevertheless, derives the concept of image from the visual image, recalling that “image translated from English is an image. This is the visual appeal of a person. Happy is the one who has an attractive image from God. But, as a rule, many gain people’s sympathy through the art of self-presentation” (23). It is necessary to specifically pay attention to the fact that in all the above formulations, people who perceive someone’s image are mentioned in the plural. <…> Another important characteristic of the image, which is often emphasized by the authors of the manuals, is its functionality. In other words, image is not an end in itself. When we create or improve our image, it doesn’t matter whether we do it ourselves or resort to the help of specialists, we assume that we need a good image for something, that with its help we can achieve certain goals, solve some problems more effectively tasks, to make this or that activity in which we are engaged more successful. This is what justifies efforts to create or improve an image. Since in some cases independent efforts are not enough to achieve the desired result, a subject who wants to improve his image has to resort to the help of specialists... <...> Evaluating the results of work to create or transform an image is a problem. An image is fundamentally difficult to assess in terms of quality, according to any objective criteria, while the practical need for assessing images is very high. As a rule, in the real assessment of images in practical imageology, the following groups of criteria are used: a) the client’s self-perception. A successful image is one that evokes the expected range of sensations in the client himself - contentment, awareness of his beauty, etc.; b) the appearance of planned evaluations from others, and these evaluations do not necessarily have to be positive (for example, if it was planned to cause envy, then the appearance of envy serves as a criterion for a good image); c) the practical achievement of the planned interaction with the subjective confidence that it is achieved with the help of the image. For example, a client may consider his image successful if he manages to achieve a pre-set goal - for example, borrow money, get hired, etc. The unreliability of these criteria is aggravated by the fact that work on building and transforming the image takes place in an environment where characterized by a high degree of uncertainty, so the planned result is not 100% predictable. Taking this into account, all other things being equal, the more successful image will be the one that is characterized by the greatest flexibility, “elasticity”... <...> Summarizing these characteristics, we can say: Within the framework of imageology, the image appears as formed through targeted professional efforts in order to increase the success of a certain activity client (person or organization) or achieving a subjective psychological effect; a symbolic representation of the client among the social group that makes up the audience’s image. From this definition follow such characteristics and parameters of the image as the conditioning of the audience by the type and nature of the client’s activity; definition of image as a product and criteria for its evaluation (the ratio of the effectiveness of the image and the resources spent). In other words, within the framework of imageology, image is considered as a product of special activities to create or transform an image, as a result of the application of targeted professional efforts. This, in particular, explains why the definitions and provisions of imageology cannot be uncritically transferred to the field of social psychology of image, the purpose of which is the theoretical reflection of image as an objective socio-psychological phenomenon, knowledge of those objective socio-psychological patterns that underlie its emergence and functioning and which, to one degree or another, corresponding to the degree of their awareness, can be used in practical imageology. However, the situation of turning to a specialist image maker is still not as common as we read about it in the image literature. From a psychological point of view, creating an image is a universal psychological process carried out by every person, since he has to enter certain social groups and communicate with other people. In the vast majority of cases, people cope with this task on their own, and often quite successfully. Thus, the task of combining all aspects of such a multidimensional phenomenon as image in a single definition remains relevant for the fundamental theory of image. Such a definition should take into account: – the specifics of socio-psychological, primarily group, determinants of image; – orientation when creating an image towards group and personal success in achieving the goal of a particular activity; – the subject’s use when creating an image of himself (his appearance, clothes, facial expressions, speech, intonation, color, gaze, posture, behavior, etc.) as a means of achieving a goal; – the high role of symbols in images; – subjective orientation of images to the subjective feeling of the laws of group perception, etc. In other words, the socio-psychological definition of image must take into account its dual – social and psychological – nature. Being the image of a subject for a social group, the image, in a certain sense, is at the same time the image of a given group for a given subject, because the construction of an image occurs in accordance with the subject’s ideas (conscious or unconscious) about the characteristics of the group for which the image is being built. Image cannot be considered only as a phenomenon of the mental life of an individual, but at the same time it is incorrect to describe it as exclusively a manifestation of factors external to the individual, including the influence of the group. It is a manifestation of the work of the psyche in coordinating its own impulses with individual and group experience. Taking into account all these considerations, we can propose the following socio-psychological definition of image: Image is a symbolic image of a subject, created in the process of subject-subject interaction. 1. Psychological dictionary. 2nd ed., revised. and additional / ed. V. P. Zinchenko, B. G. Meshcheryakova. M., 1996. 2. Fedorkina A.P., Romashkina R.F. Problems of image in the context of social psychoanalysis // Image of the civil service. M., 1996. pp. 694–696. 3. Ozhegov S.I. Dictionary of the Russian language. 18th ed., stereotype. / Under. ed. N. Yu. Shvedova. M., 1986. pp. 371–372. 4. Semenov A.K., Maslova E.L. Psychology and ethics of management and business. 2nd ed. M., 2000. pp. 86–87. 5. Ibid. 6. Panasyuk A. Yu. Do you need an image maker? Or about how to create your own image. M., 2001. P. 10. 7. Koshmarov A. Yu. Television image of a political leader as a result of reputation management // Psychology as a system of directions. Yearbook of the Russian Psychological Society. T. 9, issue. 2. M., 2002. P. 426. 8. Zimbardo F., Leipe M. Social influence. St. Petersburg; Kharkiv; Minsk, 2001. pp. 117-118. 9. Shepel V. M. Imageology: Secrets of personal charm. M., 1994. 10. Shepel V. M. Management psychology. M., 1984. 11. Pocheptsov G. G. Image. Elections. Kyiv. 1997. 12. Pocheptsov G. G. Imageology. Refl-book. Wakler, 2000. 13. Pocheptsov G. G. Profession: image maker. Kyiv, 2001. 14. Eysenck G. Yu. Number of personality dimensions: 16, 5 or 3? Criteria of taxonomic paradigm // Foreign Psychology. 1993. No. 2. T. 2. S. 9-23. 15. Markin V. M. “I” as a personal characteristic of a civil servant // Image of the Civil Service. M., 1996. 16. Fedorkina A.P., R. R. R.F. Problems of image in the context of social psychoanalysis // Image of civil service. M., 1996. 17. Fedorov I. A. Individual image as a side of the spiritual life of society: dissertation for Uch. Art. Doctors of sociological sciences. Tambov, 1998. 18. Markin V. M. “I” as a personal characteristic of a civil servant // Image of the civil service. M., 1996. S. 122. 19. Fedorkina A.P., R. R. R.F. Problems of image in the context of social psychoanalysis // Image of the civil service. M., 1996. S. 84. 20. Pocheptsov G. G. Image. Elections. Kyiv. 1997. S. 5. 21. Shpalinsky V.V. Psychology of management: Textbook. M, 2000. S. 27. 22. Bird P. Sell Youorself. London, 1994. P. 1. 23. Shepel V.M. Imagegia: Secrets of personal charm. M., 1994. S. 6.

Perelygina E. B. Psychology of image: Textbook. Section I. Paragraph No. 1: The concept of image (with abbreviations). M.: Aspect Press, 2002. Pp. 11-23.

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Formation of habitual image

Since the starting point for perceiving an image is the appearance, maximum attention must be paid to the visual component. Creating a high-quality residential image involves two options:

• independent work;
• professional help from an image maker.

When planning to make a positive impression, it is important to remember the need to match the residential image with the expectations of the target audience. To achieve success, you need to be associated with a certain social group, instilling trust and a positive attitude.

Whatever the image, the unshakable rule of its formation is neatness and grooming. Carelessness or signs of untidiness give a good reason to doubt a person’s personal qualities. And as you know, it can be very difficult to correct the first impression later.

Literature

• Gurevich P. S.
  Adventures of the image: Typology of the television image and paradoxes of its perception. - M.: Art, 1991. - 221 p. — 50,000 copies. — ISBN 5-210-02533-0.
• Davydov D. G.
  Image characteristics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and directions for their correction in the everyday consciousness of young people / Image of the Army - Image of Russia (collective monograph) / Ed. E. A. Petrova, V. P. Delia. - M.: RIC AIM, 2006. P. 173-193.
• Panasyuk A. Yu.
  Image. Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: RIPOL classic, 2007. - 768 p. ISBN 978-5-386-00257-2
• Panasyuk A. Yu.
  Image formation. Strategy, psychotechnologies, psychotechnics. — M.: OMEGA-L, 2008.—266 p. ISBN 978-5-370-00028-7, ISBN 5-370-00028-X
• Political imageology / Ed. A. A. Derkach, E. B. Perelygina and others - M.: Aspect Press, 2006. P. 367-377. ISBN 5-7567-0416-7

WHAT IS STATUS COMPOSED OF?

Our genes, upbringing, and environment - everything participates in the formation of status. It is affected by both what does not depend on us and what we can change.

Physical data is important: a taller, stronger and more attractive person has a higher status. The ratio of facial width to length matters: the larger this indicator, the higher the testosterone level. Such men are more aggressive, stronger and financially luckier than long-faced men. Women are more likely to agree to a second date with such a person.

Some social theories say that people increase their status in a group by producing important benefits for everyone rather than by aggression. However, the acquisition of high status is facilitated by a threatening appearance, despite the fact that this has no connection with the public good.

Extroverts have a better chance of achieving high status than introverts. Neuroticism is negatively correlated with status in men: they “shouldn’t” feel fear, doubt and sadness. Even a beautiful name plays a role in increasing status: the chances of getting a job for a person with a good-sounding first and last name are many times greater than for a person with a dissonant one. The education of parents and their attitude towards the education of their children also influences: the presence of books in the home of a teenager at 14 years old predicts his future status, university studies and the number of years of education.

RAT STATUS

Didier Desor, an experimenter from the laboratory of biological behavior at the University of Nancy, decided to find out how power is distributed in the rat community.

The scientist placed six animals in one cage, leaving them the only way to the feeder with food - through a pool of water. Soon the roles in the group were divided into two exploiters who had never swum at all, two exploited swimmers, one independent swimmer and one non-swimming scapegoat. The rats were fed according to their ranks. The miners dived into the water and brought food. The exploiters took away the food, the rest got the leftovers after the “feast”. An independent individual was strong enough to get food and defend it. Everyone beat the scapegoat, and he was content with food, which the other rats refused.

The experiment was repeated in 20 cells, and everywhere such a hierarchy was built automatically.

It is curious that, no matter how animals of different social roles mixed, the status order did not change. Researchers from the University of Nancy continued the experiment by examining the brains of the subjects. An amazing thing was discovered - dominants experience the greatest stress. The fear of losing status and privileges deprives them of a quiet life.

Finally, luck matters a lot. We all know influential people who, if they please, can turn us into dust with the wave of their little finger, and we see that they are small in stature, puny and not distinguished by intelligence. They were simply lucky, because nothing in their lives could have predicted such a meteoric rise.

Status exists in the eyes of other group members and is worth something as long as the power associated with it is real. Would we fear and respect Kim Jong-un if he showed up at our neighborhood supermarket and jumped the line? However, if we were in North Korea, we would have to reckon with his status or lose our lives.

Activity as a component of image

The image of an activity includes the analysis of a specific type of activity in order to create the most effective image. Such components as the focus of the activity, the knowledge and skills necessary for its implementation, the perceptions and requirements of society for a specific type of activity are taken into account. By type of activity, the following types of image can be distinguished:

• image of the organization (PR technologies, reputation);
• personal image (divided into the image of specialists, politicians and show business);
• territorial image (housing, recreation areas, areas of economic activity);
• social image (promotion of various ideas, ideologies).

Self-presentation

One of the components of a successful image is self-presentation. This is the ability to show your abilities, present yourself, attract attention and interest people. Not every person has these qualities, but they can be developed in oneself. Of course, not all areas of human activity require self-presentation, but it will fit well into various types of image. Basically, it is necessary for people in creative professions, especially in show business, as well as in politics.

External and internal image of the individual

When it comes to a person’s appearance, the first thing we pay attention to is his physique: whether he is thin or plump, tall or short. For example, thin people of small stature may seem weak and inexperienced, so image makers will offer them more formal clothing and demeanor

People have long emphasized their position in society and their status with the help of clothing and accessories. The main principle in their selection, which image makers must adhere to, is that the appearance of the person whose image they are working on must correspond to the circumstances and ideas of the people for whom the image is being “sculpted” about the positive. He should look like “one of their own” to them.

And vice versa, with its appearance it should not evoke distrust or negativity in people’s subconscious. For example, it is unlikely that a politician’s words will be taken seriously if he looks like a rock star when speaking from a high podium. A politician who comes to a meeting with pensioners in expensive branded clothing will also cause a negative impression.

A prerequisite for a positive image is beautiful speech (rich vocabulary, absence of reservations, filler words), and mastery of oratory. In addition, when forming a verbal image, one must not forget about the educational level of the audience. It would be a mistake to speak too abstrusely or try to pass yourself off as “one of our own” by resorting to slang.

The attitude towards the audience is expressed even in such a seemingly trifle as the ability to introduce yourself. Those who pronounce first their last name and then their first and patronymic involuntarily express their superiority, increasing their own status. By first identifying yourself by your first name and patronymic, a person will show that he is friendly and ready to cooperate.

The essence of a nonverbal image is that information about a person is perceived at a subconscious level based on the postures, gestures, and facial expressions he takes. And here image makers have something to work on, because even a successful phrase can take on a negative meaning if it is accompanied by an inappropriate gesture or facial expression.

The internal image will tell you how a person positions himself. For example, for a politician who must arouse the sympathy of voters and win elections, image makers create the image of a strong and self-confident leader, energetic and assertive, who at the same time “is not alien to anything human” - he loves sports, supports his favorite team, He has a loving relationship with his wife and he adores his children.

Constitution

It turns out that the first thing you remember when meeting a stranger is... his constitution (= physique and height). In addition, it is well known that a straight back immediately demonstrates our self-confidence, and drooping shoulders indicate internal problems. Look at yourself in a large mirror, where you can be seen at full height, or even better, carefully look at the video recordings of you. We sometimes don’t notice our usual gestures and postures, but they say a lot about us. It is no coincidence that aspiring speakers are recommended to rehearse their speeches in front of a mirror, where they can see themselves in full height and watch for unnecessary movements.

Image of the organization

Various types of image of an organization are united by a combination of internal, external and business qualities of the company. They are made up of eight components:

1. Image of a product (service): people’s ideas about the unique characteristics inherent in a product.
2. Image of product consumers: demonstrates the status and character of consumers.
3. Internal image of the organization: reflects the culture of the organization.
4. The image of the founder and main leaders of the organization: is characterized by ideas about the personal qualities, abilities and intentions of the founder or leader, formed on the basis of perceptible parameters: behavior, actions, appearance and activities of the leader.
5. Personnel image: reflects the image of the personnel with their characteristic features.
6. Visual image of the organization: reflects information about the office building, its interior, the appearance of the staff, and corporate symbols.
7. Social image of the organization: characterizes the organization’s participation in the social and cultural life of society, the organization of environmental and social programs.
8. Business image of the organization: characterizes the organization as a subject of a certain activity, having a business reputation, business activity and the degree of development of innovative technologies.

Image making

Image making is a type of activity aimed at forming and managing the image of an object. In the literature, image making is sometimes called a communication technology. Image making allows you to distinguish an object from many similar ones, forming a certain attitude towards it in people.

Image making objects

Objects whose rating depends on the image created by them or for them

This category includes individuals (for example, politicians, TV presenters, leaders of social movements), radio and television programs, social movements. The purpose of these objects is to influence the mood in society.

Objects whose rating depends on their image and the goods and services they produce

Here we can note large national and transnational corporations. Their goal is to increase sales volumes, as well as simultaneously improve the quality of products sold and improve their image.

Objects for which image changes are not a fundamental factor in their success

These are various small businesses whose success depends directly on the quality of their goods and services.

Image making tools

There are many image-making methods depending on the category of the object. The most extensive list of techniques applies to objects whose rating depends on the image and on the quality of their products or services, since image-making actions need to mask their true goals, showing ingenuity.

Verbalization

This technology involves a vivid description of the situation. Verbalization is used to express the new context of a situation and escape reality.

Positioning

Initially, positioning was developed to promote products on the market

By positioning, the image maker places the object in a favorable environment for it and focuses the audience’s attention on its unique features. Positioning highlights in an object those characteristics in which the consumer is interested.

Manipulation

Here the audience's attention is transferred to another object in order to create the desired situation. The uniqueness of the created object should outshine the object that is relevant to the client.

Mythologization

Mythologization affects the audience on a subconscious level. The task of a myth is to activate vivid ideas about an object in a direction beneficial to the image.

Emotionalization

Emotionally charged information is more easily perceived by a person, therefore, to achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to correctly correlate the rational and emotional components of the impact.

From the history of image making

Image-making techniques have been known since the times of Ancient Greece. For example, Pharaoh Akhenaten and his famous sun-worshipping coup. The campaign was organized according to all the rules of modern PR. The main image maker of the campaign, priest Ey, divided its implementation into several stages. First, the introduction of the name of the sun god Aten into the litulature of the pharaoh, which, in essence, was the “positioning” of the idea. Then - the transfer of the capital to another place and its dedication to Aten, which was determined by the impossibility of carrying out a new idea in an old place, permeated with ancient traditions. This was followed by the introduction of the cult of the solar disk throughout Egypt. And finally, when, according to the organizers of this campaign, the population was ready - a ban on the cult of the old gods. Unfortunately, the introduction of monotheism in Ancient Egypt failed. After the death of the pharaoh, which followed in the 33rd year of his life, Egypt returned to the old gods, since social needs were not taken into account, and the specifics of the Egyptian mentality were not sufficiently worked out.

Perfumery

A person is associated, first of all, with smell. As Jean-Paul Guerlain says: “Perfume is the most intense form of memory.” They emphasize a person’s individuality and give his appearance uniqueness and sophistication.

Perfume is an integral part of the image. When choosing perfume, you must take into account that you should not only like the smell, but also match the image you have chosen. It is necessary to correlate the smell with your character, temperament, mood, clothing style, and age.

Perfume is a means of not only attracting attention to oneself. They are often used as a means of seduction, since they are capable of capturing the power of the senses and creating an inexplicable attraction. The power of their influence is enormous, and with the right choice, their possibilities are endless.

The magic of perfumery is the ability of specialists working in this field to recreate almost any smell. On store shelves you can find perfume products with the smell of blooming gardens, the aroma of steppe herbs or exotic plants, as well as the smell of a sea breeze.

Perfume smells affect your mood; they can either improve or ruin it. A poorly chosen scent can cause headaches or awaken distant negative memories with which it is associated. A skillfully selected perfume scent brings joy and improves your mood.

Material perception

It is formed by the presence or absence of a personal car, the furniture among which you live, and the dishes in your kitchen. This includes your home interior, certain family values, your books, personal film library, family photo albums, paintings on the walls of your home. All these details tell about the real you.

Therefore, before inviting strangers to visit your home, think carefully, perhaps your home can somehow significantly change the image you created earlier.

Object image

The image of an object is an opinion of a rational or emotional nature about an object (person, object, system), which arose in the psyche of a group of people based on the image formed in their psyche as a result of their perception of certain characteristics of this object. For example:

A business image is specifically designed in the interests of a person or company, taking into account the specifics of the activity, internal and external qualities.

The image of an object depends on its actions, behavior or qualities, if such an object is a product or service. An assessment of the image of an object that has arisen in a person (in the most general form, the assessment of “good” - “bad”) may have an emotional connotation (“like” - “dislike”), or may not have an emotional attitude, but only a rational one (“good” - “not good”). Public attitude towards an object is more subject to emotional communication. Logical argumentation can be easily destroyed by a successful emotional message.

State image

The invariant core of the category under consideration should be considered a dichotomy: the internal image of the state (for citizens) - the external image of the state (for the world community). On the other hand, the category “state image” combines a number of relevant image categories: “image of women”, “image of youth”, “image of older people”. Each of the categories reflects the characteristics of the internal and external images of the state. All components of such a complexly organized category as “state image” are in close interaction and dynamics and are subject to continuous transformations.

The appearance of a state and its reputation are often based on elements of myth and generalized stereotypes about an ethnic group. The share of such “myths” in politics is large. Thinking with stereotypes is characteristic of human psychology; the use of clichés allows you to save effort in orienting yourself in the surrounding reality and simplifies the process of cognition. But stereotypes most often cause colossal damage to a country’s image.

Image of the organization

The image of an organization can be defined as a formed, effective, emotionally charged image of an organization or its individual components, endowed with certain characteristics based on real or ascribed perceptual properties of a particular organization that have social significance for the perceiver.

There is also an opinion in the literature that the content of the concept of an organization’s image should include two components:

• the information component, which is the totality of all ideas about the organization;
• the evaluative component, which represents the public attitude towards the organization

Factors influencing the formation of a positive image:

1. Financial situation of the organization.
2. History of the organization, company, its tradition and reputation.
3. Personality of the leader.
4. Publicity - advertising fame.
5. Caring for staff.
6. Social responsibility to society.
7. Organization management.
8. Form style.
9. Ethical activities and relationships.

Notes

1. Panasyuk A.I.
   Image: definition of the central concept of imageology. Archival copy dated April 6, 2012 on the Wayback Machine Report at an open meeting of the Presidium of the Academy of Imageology on March 26, 2004
2. Perelygina E. B.
   The concept of image (from the book “Psychology of Image”)
3. Issue of the newspaper Segodnya No. 6 (507) for 01/14/2000 FOR HONEST FRIERS, SAY A WORD
4. V. G. Zazykin.
   Organizational image: structure and psychological factors of effectiveness

Wiktionary has an entry for
"image"

Lady and business

Achieving success in the world of big business and politics is very difficult, especially for the fairer sex, so an attractive appearance becomes an additional advantage. So what is the image of a business woman and what does it consist of?

The most popular and successful image was developed by American image makers back in the 50s: at first this style was demonstrated by the first ladies of states, then the fashion for it spread to all layers of working women. Margaret Thatcher, Nancy Reagan, Hilary Clinton, Elvira Nabiullina are vivid examples of what the correct image of a business woman should be.

We recommend: How to change for the better?

The image should be created comprehensively, avoiding excessive softness or hardness, finding a balance between the external appearance and the inner world of a woman. The image and style of clothing should be thought out to the smallest detail and harmoniously complement each other: for example, a formal business suit can be decorated with cute but stylish accessories. Heavy and expensive jewelry, excessively bright makeup, short skirts, deep necklines are taboos, as they cause mixed reactions from people.

A business image requires not only a suit, good shoes, proper makeup, but also the presence of manners and knowledge of business etiquette. The main rule is to be natural; any falsehood will be perceived as an attempt to deceive and will cause distrust in you as a specialist. Don't try to play the role of a successful person - just be one.

Behavioral image means complete control of your body, from your gait to the slightest movement of your eyebrows. You should not cross your legs or fidget during a conversation - this will be perceived as a desire to end the conversation. The interlocutor will instinctively consider his arms crossed on his chest as distrust of him or excessive isolation. Do not laugh without reason or use ambiguous hints - this can seriously damage your reputation.

How to change a girl's image: doing hair

Curls grow quickly, so you can safely experiment with them. If you don't like the result, you will correct it in a few months.

To change your image, experts recommend haircuts and hair coloring. Where to begin? Perhaps the first thing you need to do is shape your hair. To do this, contact a good specialist who will select the optimal haircut model. It should be not only beautiful, but also comfortable. Initially, think about whether individual strands will interfere with you, choose a comfortable hair length.

A successful hairstyle should be easy to style. You may leave the hair salon looking like a princess, but what good is that if after the first wash your hair looks like a haystack?

If you are not ready for such a drastic decision as a haircut, perhaps you should just change your hairstyle a little. If you always wore bangs, try pinning them up nicely. You can also experiment with braids. Beautiful weaving is always in fashion. It suits many girls.

You can find a large number of new interesting hairstyles on the Internet. Watch the video, experiment and enjoy the successful results.

Let's move on to coloring. It should be noted right away that it is better to change your hair color in a salon that specializes in this. A good hairdresser will quickly determine which shade suits you, and which, on the contrary, ages or emphasizes skin imperfections

It is important that the person you contact knows the hair coloring technology perfectly and follows it exactly. This will eliminate the possibility of burns or irritation during the procedure.

Choose a new color gradually. Try going a few shades lighter or darker. You can also apply balayage.

Be careful with dark brown. It greatly emphasizes all the imperfections of the facial skin. You only need to repaint this color if you have perfect coats.

Sometimes natural hair color looks best. In this case, there is no need to change it at all; you can limit yourself to a haircut and good makeup.

In addition, you should also think about updating your wardrobe. You can buy clothes that you have always liked, but were embarrassed to wear. Why should you give up what appeals to you? You have one life, look beautiful and be happy. We hope that our article was useful to you.