Image is an important part of our life. One way or another, we all live in society, fulfill social responsibilities, and interact with each other. Image helps us with this; it “tells” other people about us. Our relationships with them are built on the basis of this story. In this article we will examine the concept of human image in more detail. Read it, it will be interesting;)
The human personality contains so many different Hydes and Jekylls, such a huge number of hidden doors and labyrinths that you and I are not even two-, three-, four-faced, but real ten-faced Januses.
Of course, you cannot, like a genie out of a bottle, let a completely different person out of you. But we change masks every now and then, intentionally or even without realizing it. And this change of role, image, image - from a fly to an elephant or from a boa constrictor to a rabbit - is quite understandable, because a person has too many social roles. As William Shakespeare rightly said: “Life is a stage, and the people in it are actors.”
Modern understanding of image
Is it possible to bring together all the diversity of images and is it necessary to do so? Who are the image makers and imageologists who miraculously reshape and repaint personality?
It turns out that image is not just another buzzword, but quite a fruitful topic for scientific research. More than 60 candidate and doctoral dissertations have already been defended in Russia, one way or another related to this concept that is just beginning to make itself felt.
The Academy of Imageology was also created. This serious scientific community is engaged in educating ordinary people about image issues, promoting the idea of introducing the specialty “imageologist” in universities, so that the younger generation knows at least the basics of image. The Academy also conducts research in the field of not only the image of individuals, but also social groups, cities, firms, companies and even states.
“Trying to save face, you lose your ass”
Lyndon Johnson (1908–1973), US President
Oddly enough, the concept of “imageology” appeared in Russia. And, as often happens, the idea of creating a science of image, as they say, was in the air, so several minds immediately caught it and tried to tame it. These scientists - V.M. Shepel, O.A. Feofanov, F.A. Cousin - in the early eighties of the last century, they almost simultaneously began to use the word “image” in their books.
The science of image, image research, is a young phenomenon. However, professions related to its creation have already gained wild popularity. And the Academy of Imageology proposes to turn highly specialized professionals in the field of image building into universal ones who would put into practice theoretical knowledge on creating an image of any type.
So far, imageology is just being formed and isolates individual elements of already existing sciences to create new knowledge. The foundation of the emerging profession is social psychology. Other building materials are very, very diverse: cultural studies, linguistics, PR, marketing, etc. Imageology has good potential to become a science of the 21st century.
Notes
- Panasyuk A. I.
[academim.org/art/pan1_2.html Image: definition of the central concept of imageology.] Report at an open meeting of the Presidium of the Academy of Imageology 03/26/2004 - Perelygina E. B.
The concept of image (from the book “Psychology of Image”) - [www.segodnya.ua/oldarchive/c2256713004f33f5c2256865004a7f57.html Issue newspaper Segodnya No. 6 (507) for 01/14/2000 FOR HONEST FRIERS, SAY A WORD]
- V. G. Zazykin.
Organizational image: structure and psychological factors of effectiveness
Wiktionary has an entry for "image"
Image and image
The image connects some internal and external characteristics of any object that becomes the subject of people's perception. It has both an individual person, regardless of whether he realizes it or not, as well as any association of people and even an inanimate object. But what is image?
Recommended reading → The influence of advertising on children and adolescents
Products on the market with the same physical characteristics have different prices. The price is above the quality and reflects the concept of image. From this example, it is clear that image is not only something that is perceived visually, but also something that has value. In human life, this is also a price, only it is measured in other quantities.
An individual lives his whole life trying to find a common language with other people, trying to please, revealing himself or, conversely, disguising himself. The objective characteristics of a person associated with his intelligence, abilities, and spiritual wealth are often not visible.
“Image is instant personality. Instantly produced, instantly evaporated"
Oliver Hassenkamp
As a result, the types of image that a person develops, in most cases, differ from the inner essence that a person actually has. Sometimes even those closest to us don’t fully know us. It turns out that it is not we who live in society, but our image or image.
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.
Change of image
Image is destiny. Indeed: whatever you name the yacht, that’s how it will float. How you define yourself first in kindergarten, then at school, at college, among work colleagues, is how they will treat you. It’s not without reason that they say: first you work for your image, then the image works for you. This is the main characteristic of the image.
Almost always, upon closer inspection, a clown turns out to be a sad bore. The shirt guy and the soul of the company is a domestic tyrant. And the bitch boss is a gentle and reverent keeper of the hearth.
But how to change your image? Is it possible to ensure that the way a person internally sees himself and the way those around him perceive him become identical?
Elements of image
People suffer not because they do not know how to appear, but because they do not know how to be. There are laws for the formation of a certain type of image: for example, political, professional or gender: femininity for a woman and masculinity for a man.
In Russia, back in the late 60s and early 70s, academician of the Academy of Imageology, Alexey Aleksandrovich Bodalev, studied the laws and characteristics of how such people are perceived by society. In his work: “Perception and Understanding of Man by Man,” for the first time in Russia the laws of image formation through the first impression were considered.
When building an image, clothing comes first. In 2004, the Phoenix publishing house (Rostov-on-Don) published the book “Image and Clothing of a Woman.” This book talks about how to use clothing to incorporate certain characteristics into a visual image.
In general, there is no specific rating in image: in some situations, appearance is important, in another - gestures, in a third - what another person said about you.
But it is known that when forming a first impression within 20 seconds, we pay attention to non-verbal components: how a person moves, how he looks, how he is dressed - these are tools for forming an image. And the environment in which communication and contact occurs is also very important.
Why is the phenomenon of first impression studied separately even in science? Because very often our whole life is limited to the first impression - we do not have subsequent meetings with many people.
Using image using the example of the bride and groom
This is especially important in youth, when people want to start a family. The day of meeting your parents inevitably comes. It's no secret that parents can play both a negative and a positive role in the development of a young couple's relationship.
The wrong image was formed, and the couple did not materialize. And if young people understood how to form an impression of themselves, then, probably, there would not be so many tragedies.
What do political scientists who accompany future elected representatives in their election campaigns do? They teach candidates to behave with different audiences in accordance with the expectations that this audience has. Therefore, meetings with voters in different cities and regions are structured differently.
The same should be true in the behavior of a potential bride or groom. It is clear that a young man or girl knows his parents and their expectations very well and can dedicate his chosen one to this.
On the other hand, in a situation of meeting parents, a girl or boy may say: “Take me as (as) I am.” But how will they know what kind of person you are? Often behind the phrase “Perceive me...” lies simply ignorance of how others see us.
And then the girl complains: “I’m so good, efficient, I love him, but the young man’s mother didn’t see this.” And it was her own fault: she came, sat down on the sofa and began to behave like a guest. Whereas the mistress of the house expected that her son's friend would start asking how to help - display some kind of daughterly behavior. But that did not happen. And of course, the boy’s mother was disappointed and did everything to break up this couple. She decided that the girl was ill-mannered and lazy.
That is, the potential bride was assigned characteristics that had nothing to do with her; her feminine image worked against her. This happens very often in life, because the laws by which we present ourselves and the laws by which we are perceived do not coincide.
Sequencing
It is important to choose a worthy image.
The right image should contribute to career growth, normal relationships with friends, and success in the love field. To achieve it, you need to adhere to a certain algorithm of actions.
- Decide exactly who you want to be and how to look. Remember that you need to select a wardrobe with a view to the near future, and not looking back into the past. Take a piece of paper, write down what you want, what image you dream of trying on yourself. Gather all the data together, taking into account your character traits and behavioral characteristics.
- Try to get rid of unnecessary junk. In every person’s wardrobe you can find from a few to ten or more things that hang unnecessarily and are not used. It is better if there are several outfits left on the hangers, but they will be key for you.
- It's time to decide on the color of clothing that is a priority. Remember that color psychology also affects a person’s internal state.
- Decide on a style. It is important to understand what suits you and what appeals to you right now. Understand yourself, your feelings. If the goal is to achieve success in your career, give preference to a business style, if the most important thing for you now is the search for love, then you can give preference to a romantic image, if you are a fairly active person, constantly on the move, choose a sporty style, if you want to be a bright person, choose an extravagant style.
- Decide on your body type. Remember that you need to choose clothes that can advantageously emphasize your strengths and hide your weaknesses.
- Think about accessories. They are an important element of any person’s image. It could be a handbag or purse, a beautiful watch, jewelry, shoes, or a belt. When using accessories in your look, be sure to use them in moderation. Don't forget that they must be on topic.
- Decide on perfume. Their aroma should highlight your true nature. Remember that perfume should be combined with the clothing style and general appearance of the person.
- When you have already decided on the style, the right wardrobe has been selected, it’s time to think about a suitable hairstyle, and for the woman, about makeup. It is important that everything is “on the same page.”
- When deciding on your image, be sure to take into account your profession, age, and social status. When the new appearance is tried on, it is necessary to take care of the development of good manners and correct behavior. For example, if you want to be an authoritative leader, then you also need to work on the culture of speech, forget about the words parasites, jargon, familiarity.
- When the creation of a new image is completed, try it on familiar people or strangers. Your task is to evaluate their reaction and draw conclusions based on what they see.
Image building
At some point, people still begin to understand what their image is to others. But often until the end of their lives they cannot understand why he is like this. And how many opportunities they lose because of this! An image that is inadequate to a person’s goals reduces the likelihood of solving a variety of life-changing problems.
Consider a situation: an employer publishes a portrait of a potential employee. It often turns out that companies need 25-year-old specialists with ten years of work experience. At least from this we can conclude: in your resume you need to very competently present your skills and experience in your practical activities. Sometimes it is not the entries in the work book that are important, but certain business opportunities.
The clothes in which you will appear before your future superiors also play, if not the main role, then at least a supporting role. The color of the uniform encodes some information that the interlocutor subconsciously reads. You can go somewhere called “red rooster” and get what you want. And somewhere you will be happy to see you only in a classic jacket, buttoned up with all the buttons.
When perceiving an image, the subconscious always outweighs the conscious. This is especially true for the first meeting.
It is then that we begin to gradually correct the first impression. Remember the wonderful film “Office Romance”. There, the heroine not only changed clothes, learned to walk, she began to feel more natural. This is the dialectic between external and internal.
Public image
The Academy of Imageology also studies the image of the state, not only ours, but also others. For example, Russia is considered in comparison with other CIS countries: Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia. And now, in parallel with this work, they have begun to conduct a very interesting study - to study the image of Germany. Image on the world stage is a very important aspect.
Any social group has a certain image. The brightest one today is, of course, the homeless. This is an accentuated challenge of a person outside of society. There are no “New Russians” now: this image has been flattened. There is also no need to talk about “old Russians”: such a dichotomy does not exist in society now. There are ethnic images.
“The secret to living in a big city is to always wear a suit, because then you can go to the toilet anywhere. Everyone will say, “Sir, nice to see you again.”
Paul Feig
The image of a “person of Caucasian nationality” still does not lose ground. However, research shows that people who belong to this category have increasingly begun to disguise their nationality. Women are beginning to adapt to the indigenous population, for example, of Moscow - they are actively becoming blondes, dissolving in the urban environment. It is beneficial to be one of your own by building a “good” image.
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
Image development
An attempt to change a personal image can break a person if the image is inadequate to his essence and, most importantly, does not correspond to his fateful tasks. When the development of an image is completely divorced from reality, the image not only begins to conflict with the essence of a person, but can also conquer the personality and transform it. At worst, it can break a person. This is not at all the task of the image.
Therefore, instead of changing masks, it is better not to wear them at all and be yourself. This is much more difficult, but at the same time it carries with it enormous opportunities for personal growth.
There is an opinion that “being yourself” means being the same with everyone. This is the position of an egoist, the level of development of a monkey. Notice that monkeys always and everywhere behave the same way, right?
For a person, “being yourself” means being on the platform of reason and making decisions in each specific situation in accordance with this.
It is necessary that the image be a continuation of the personality, and not vice versa.
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.
