Public opinion: study, formation, influence, results, role, types, examples, problem, morality

Public opinion is the beliefs of those who were not asked. This joke can often be heard, especially among young people. This is discussed in the context of discussing the problem of dependence on other people's opinions. Let us also study the concept of public opinion, give a definition, analyze the structure, functions, mechanism of formation, and find the connection between it and the beliefs of an individual.

What is public opinion

It’s worth starting with the definition of the concept of “public.” This is a group of people who find themselves in a common difficult situation. Its participants are aware of the complexity and uncertainty of the situation and express a general attitude towards it. It is reflected in the behavior, actions, and reactions of each group member.

Until now, the concept of “public opinion” has not received a uniform definition. Let's put it this way: this is a set of beliefs, judgments on some issue, which are propagated and accepted by a group, the majority of society. This is a state of mass consciousness.

To study public opinion, sociologists and psychologists use the following research methods:

polls,
questionnaires,
interview,
phone call.

The phenomenon itself has been known for a long time, but was subjected to close study in the 20th century. First, sociology began to study the phenomenon, and then psychology. Let's look at each of the theories in more detail.

In sociology

In sociology, this is understood as the attitude of the majority towards events that occur in society. It reflects the general position of people on some issue and expresses their interests. Society consists of groups, each of them has its own opinion. It is both internal and public at the same time.

In psychology

In psychology, it is considered as a mirror reflecting the state of society. It reflects reality, shows the average opinion of people on some issue, the average system of values and beliefs. It reflects the average statistical assessment of reality and dictates norms of behavior in a specific situation.

As a means of manipulation

By manipulating the beliefs of society, you can control cities and countries. Subdue people and control their behavior.

Popular methods of manipulating public opinion:

suggestion;
generalization, exaggeration (one case is passed off as statistics);
starting rumors;
playing on emotions through crime news;
presenting an alternative according to the “lesser evil” principle (the manipulator needs and benefits from the “lesser evil”);
promotion of beneficial information;
suppression of facts;
providing information in parts, which prevents you from adequately perceiving reality and seeing the big picture;
turning lies into truth through frequent repetition of false information;
hoax.

Personal and public

The couple has been married for many decades, but problems arise in the relationship that force people to divorce. If people are dependent on public opinion, they will never do this, because they will be afraid of condemnation from the outside. They will suffer, but continue to pretend that everything is fine in the family, so as not to become a topic of conversation for neighbors, friends and acquaintances.

Experienced psychologists are convinced that craving for public opinion is of no benefit. It simply forces you into a framework that interferes with your life. Therefore, people live with people they don’t love only so as not to arouse the suspicion of others.

The essence of public opinion

Signs of addiction

Experts have identified several signs of dependence on public opinion. Among these should be highlighted:

it is difficult for a person to decide on his own when buying basic things (clothing, equipment and even food);
in the process of a controversial issue arising, such an individual tries to consult with someone whom he considers better;
the personality loves praise and regularly expects it;
dependent people are afraid to express their opinions because they are afraid of being ridiculed;
lack of self-confidence and strength;
a person is afraid to change something in his life, so he never finishes what he starts;
such people adapt to others and fulfill the whims of stronger and more independent people;
an individual on social networks demonstrates every event: holidays, going to the cinema, going to a concert, etc., so that others can see and understand what a busy life he has.

And this is not the entire list of signs that a person is dependent on other people’s opinions, but these symptoms most often appear.

Properties

Properties include:

coverage;
prevalence (by subjects);
direction;
polarization;
distribution (geography, social strata);
intensity;
sustainability;
formation speed;
consistency.

If we analyze the phenomenon as a social institution, we can name the following properties:

maturity,
direction,
orientation,
effectiveness.

The consciousness of the majority contains negative or positive beliefs (by polarity), as well as evaluative, analytical, constructive judgments (by content).

Structure

The structure includes an object and a subject. Object – any event (process, fact, phenomenon). When studying an object, it is important to pay attention to whether the subjects understand the problem correctly and to what exactly in the object attracted their attention. Subject – people who express value judgments regarding an object. The subject has its own structure: classes, communities, layers, groups. Those groups for which the problem is of greatest importance are included.

What else is included in the structure:

assessments (judgments of the majority, even if they are erroneous);
knowledge of society (theory and practice);
feelings and emotions;
social attitudes;
will.

Thus, the structure of public opinion includes an emotional, volitional and rational aspect.

How not to lose your individuality

...and stop depending on the opinions of others?

Our individuality evaporates under the onslaught . How we look, how we behave and what goals we set for ourselves, what we want from life - all this is our individuality. Freedom is the most important thing a person has. To take away freedom means to take away a person’s life. One should never lose one's self. The system is built in such a way that people who are different and different from each other are not always accepted by society. Of course, if we pay attention to the views and opinions of passers-by, we will not be liberated, we will not begin to truly live. Everyone sees themselves differently, so everyone wants to express themselves. Interesting and unique people get lost among thousands of passers-by because they are afraid of other people's opinions.

In order to stop depending on the opinion of society, it is worth understanding that:

The opinions of others are just opinions, no one forces you to listen to them and change anything. Often people, condemning someone's action, do not notice that they themselves have committed a similar thing. After all, it is always easier to condemn than to understand.
Sometimes people's opinions about the same thing are completely opposite, and it will not be possible to please the whole society as a whole. There will always be someone who will find something negative even in the most noble deed.
It is impossible to live constantly looking at others; your personal opinion should always come first.

The way others see us is not us

What others think about us never touches the truth. All ideas are illusions. A person will not be able to immerse himself in your state, probe your inner world and your vision of it.

The opinions of others are the complete opposite of our true knowledge and values. When you listen to others, agree and blame yourself for being different, it puts an end to your personality and its development. Remember: what others think about you is not who you are.

Surround yourself with the present

Our environment influences us - that's a fact. Among deceitful and hypocritical people we become spoiled. Try not to be around people you don't like. Look for people who are like you, non-judgmental and willing to listen. Choose the right company, this is very important for the further formation of your personality.

Your choice

You are your choice. The main thing is to do it without thinking. Don’t lie to yourself, talk to yourself, ask provocative questions, but answer them honestly. Know your weaknesses and strengths. Confidence in yourself and your abilities will not give anyone a chance to attract attention, and no one will be able to offend you and your views.

Gossip

Gossip creates problems and can make mountains out of molehills like nothing else. Don't create gossip or listen to it. Understand: if they talk about you, you are always ahead. But who are these people who are so interested in other people's lives? It's simple: they have a surprisingly small world, and they have not seen anything beyond their stereotypical knowledge. When they come across an interesting and somewhat strange person who is trying to express himself, they condemn what they cannot understand. There will always be a herd in any society.

Read further: The process of human personality development

Immunity

Develop an immunity to strength and special indifference to the opinions of others. All this only complicates your path. Do and look the way you want. There will be no other chances and life for this.

Essence and functions

So, what is the essence of public opinion:

this is the conclusion of the entire society (most of society) on a specific issue;
it is a reflection of the interests and needs of society;
it is a regulator of the behavior of subjects;
this is the result of unification and interaction of members of society.

A group belief may be false if subjects are guided by rumors and speculation rather than by actual facts.

Functions of public opinion:

Social control. People can support or slow down the implementation of an idea.
Expression. With the help of responses and assessments, society can regulate the activities of any organizations.
Consulting. Polls among the people help solve important, pressing problems.
Directive. The people have the right to vote and can participate in major decisions.

Stage 2. Realize the reason

The psychological concept of the Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler describes two reasons why dependence on public opinion is formed in childhood:

The child wants to earn approval, so he behaves correctly. He is praised, he gets his share of attention with a plus sign. Over time, he gets used to it and becomes dependent on praise. He is ready to live a life that is not his own, just to please and meet expectations.
If a child fails to earn attention by doing the right things, then he begins to do the opposite. The goal is the same - to attract attention, but with a minus sign.

Thus, the basis of addiction is initially the desire to please. You are praised for good deeds and scolded for bad ones. You are trying to achieve social recognition and fulfilling other people's expectations. This develops into a constant worry: “What will people think?”

As a result, you are afraid of condemnation and stop living as an independent person.

How public opinion is formed

Formation can be spontaneous or specially organized. Let's take a closer look at the mechanism, stages, and formation factors.

Formation mechanism

In order for public opinion to form, specific conditions must be met:

severity of the problem, relevance and social importance, practical significance (the object always affects the political, economic, spiritual or other important part of the life of society);
opportunity for discussion (the problem should imply the presence of alternative beliefs, differences of views, ambiguity);
competence, cultural or information awareness, education (society must understand what we are talking about, understand the issue).

Thus, only an opinion that meets all three criteria can be public: significance, debatability, and competence.

Stages of formation

Public opinion is formed in three stages:

Origin. Society becomes interested in a phenomenon, and individual groups give it their assessment. People strive to search and obtain new information.
Formation. Members of society exchange their opinions, and on their basis a group attitude is formed.
Functioning. The majority begins to maintain a group attitude and adjusts their behavior to it.

Sociologists identify another fourth stage - recession (interest in the problem decreases). Why this happens: the problem is solved or it cannot be solved, a more serious problem has arisen.

Factors that influence

The formation of group relations is influenced by:

gossip,
gossip,
data,
words of authority figures,
someone's beliefs.

That is, the general attitude on any issue is formed by the media, social institutions and individuals. Typically, psychologists and sociologists reduce sources to two positions: personal observation of other members of society and the media. Let us pay special attention to the influence of the media on public opinion.

Public opinion and the media are interconnected. The main means of media influence is stereotyping. With the help of certain behavioral stereotypes, myths and illusions, they evoke the emotions that are needed, for example, fear, joy, delight. The media shows people a picture of the world that will cause them to react in ways that the government wants. But at the same time, every participant in society can influence the media, for example, through the Internet.

Learning not to depend on the opinions of others

The desire to be liked by others is natural to humans. This is why public opinion is so important to us. Remember how often we think about what others think about us. After all, as practicing psychologists say, 80% of our opinion about ourselves is based on what others think and say about us.

This is especially true in childhood, when we are developing as individuals.

At this age, we are especially dependent on the opinions of people who are significant to us - parents, friends, teachers. And the degree of significance of approval from the outside, including from complete strangers, will depend on how well we can love ourselves and accept ourselves as we are. A person who loves himself is independent of the opinions of others and does not need their constant approval.

In order to understand why this happens, let’s take a short trip into the past, to the days of our birth. The baby is completely dependent on the love, attention and care of others. Without all this he cannot survive. But the grown-up baby no longer needs all-consuming love and round-the-clock care, so parents, unwittingly, begin to give him the wrong attitudes, which can negatively affect his future life.

In an effort to make their child comfortable - quiet and obedient, they begin to blackmail him with their love, while uttering completely unacceptable phrases. For example: “I don’t need a spoiled child,” “I wanted a normal son, but I don’t understand who was born…”, “If you behave badly, I’ll send you to an orphanage,” etc. And the child concludes that in order to be loved, he must be quiet and obedient, or at least pretend to be so.

Almost each of us can remember how he was scolded in childhood for his whims, violent manifestations of discontent or aggression. Although these are, in fact, the same natural emotions as laughter or sincere joy. But parents, instead of trying to understand their baby or figure out what’s going on, dissatisfiedly reproach him with the fact that “good children don’t behave like that,” and also shame him and try to humiliate him. As a result, they again provoke us to pretend and not be ourselves just to be the way they see us.

More on the blog: Finding balance between work and life

But they can also be understood.

After all, many adults are very concerned about “what people will think of us.” That is, for them public opinion is more valuable than the emotions of their own children. Moreover, the opinions of others are more valuable to them than their own “I”. Here they lose themselves as an individual for the sake of the approval received from other people. This forces them to be good to everyone, to try to please everyone, just to be accepted. As a result of this behavior, they are deprived of the ability to create, since any creativity is an expression of individuality. And those who are dependent on the opinions of other people do not have their own individuality.

Magnificent artistic paintings, unique musical masterpieces, great inventions and discoveries were made by those who did not look at other people's opinions and never thought about what other people would say about them. In their creations they expressed themselves as individuals and at the same time were sincere, including with themselves. But if they constantly looked back and tried to understand what others thought of them, then we would not see their masterpieces. Because they would lose themselves as individuals and merge with the gray mass. They became the same as the majority - boring, faceless, mediocre.

But even if you don’t pay attention to great people , you can see that successful people are those who are independent of public opinion and who don’t care what others think about them. They followed the path they had originally chosen, and success awaited them there.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that in order to gain fame, success, recognition and wealth, it is important to free yourself from the shackles of public opinion as soon as possible. It has long been recognized that even our well-being depends on our ability to be ourselves. We cannot change our childhood and the attitudes we received in it. But it is entirely within our power to change our attitude towards ourselves. After all, it is often enough to love yourself. And as soon as this happens, you yourself will be surprised at how little the opinions of others will mean to you. This means that now you will have enough chances to become happy. After all, as it turned out, the greatest happiness is the happiness of being yourself and living in harmony with yourself, and also allowing yourself to show any emotions, without thinking about what others will say to it. We have the right to laugh when it’s funny, cry when it’s sad, get angry, rejoice, admire, etc.

More on the blog: Build boundaries: 5 reasons why a mother should let her son go

But at the same time, we must remember that too frequent manifestation of negative emotions positions us as a deeply unhappy person. But if you show them only occasionally, then this is quite natural. It is impossible to live life with rose-colored glasses. And every person has moments when he wants to tear and throw. Holding back these impulses within yourself is extremely harmful. They will have a destructive effect on your psyche. Therefore, it is extremely important to throw them out at least occasionally. And this is how you need to love yourself - different, sincere, emotional.

Below is one psychological exercise that should be performed when you doubt your love for yourself or when you begin to doubt whether you are as good as you think about yourself. It is that you will need to hug yourself tightly. And as strong as possible. And tell yourself that in this life you are following your own path, which you have chosen for yourself. And the people around you have the right to form their own opinion about you, but it does not interest you, since you have your own goal and you will achieve it, no matter what.

Not a single person in the world has the right to decide for you what is bad and what is good, much less give their assessment of your actions. Don't let someone else's false beliefs lead you astray from the path you intend to take towards your goal. Don't be afraid to refuse people's requests if you don't want to fulfill them. You, first of all, should be interested only in your own interests. Any help on your part must be sincere and come solely from your desire to help. Others will respect us only after we begin to respect ourselves. And to do this, we need to learn to say a clear “no” to everything that is unacceptable to us.

Author: Veronika Khatskevich

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Public opinion and public consciousness

Society dictates what to condemn and what to praise, what to hide and what to support, how one can behave and how one should not behave. Public opinion is a state of public consciousness. Reflects the hidden or explicit attitude of people towards any phenomena of reality. If the beliefs of a person do not coincide with the beliefs of the majority, then he prefers to remain silent. This pattern is observed in all areas of life. Thus, group attitude and consciousness regulate the behavior of individuals.

Be honest with yourself and live in the present.

It's up to you how you feel every day. Do you want to experience constant fear and anxiety from the thought that society will not approve of your action? Stop thinking about it. Don't worry about whether someone has reprimanded you in the past or that people will think badly of you. Live here and now and don't look around. Breathe deeply and do not forget that only you are responsible for your thoughts and actions. This is the only way you can be happy. Only in this way will you understand that every person has their own opinion and only you can choose whether it will affect you or not.

The influence of public opinion on a person

Society dictates to a person how he should behave, what norms he should adhere to. Society teaches a person to be responsible for his words and actions. Society educates and re-educates, it forms traditions, habits, and customs. Mass consciousness dictates standards of life that are common to all, limiting freedom and encroaching on individuality. Finding a balance between social and individual is one of the main tasks in the life of any person.

You must understand and accept yourself, learn to analyze and filter information, everyone can integrate their ideas into society if they are truly confident in them and in themselves.

Be honest with yourself and live in the present.

Dependence on public opinion

How to be yourself and not think about what people will say, but at the same time maintain good relations with society? Dependence on the views of others is associated with the fear of criticism and condemnation that society may subject a person to. Not everyone can oppose the majority. However, it is important to do this, because addiction hinders development and self-realization. Fear makes a person passive, deprives him of dreams and aspirations. The problem is that a person cannot live outside of society, but obeying it in everything is not the best option. What remains?

Reasons for depending on other people's opinions

It is difficult to stop depending on public opinion, but it is quite possible. Initially, it is worth understanding the reasons for this dependence. Here are some of the reasons:

A person constantly experiences a feeling of imperfection when looking at others. This may concern appearance, material well-being or personal life;
Competition is present in any society and everyone wants to take first place, even if he denies it in every possible way;
During the formation of the psyche in adolescence, certain stereotypes and ideas about a good life are deposited in the head of the future personality. In adulthood, a person begins to unconsciously evaluate both himself and others according to these criteria.

Addiction breeds fear

People have several types of fear in relation to society:

fear of negative evaluation;
fear of not being accepted in a new society;
fear of attention deficit in society.

Such fears can lead a person to social phobia.

How to stop depending on public opinion

First of all, you need to accept the fact that all people depend on others. Some to a lesser extent (strong-willed, self-confident people), and some to a greater extent (insecure individuals with complexes and fears), but there are no exceptions. So you won’t be able to completely get rid of addiction. This is how a person works that we need to take into account the beliefs of the majority, look at other people if we want to achieve something in life.

The diversity of views is due to people’s different life experiences, different interests, and specific perceptions. You must understand and accept yourself, learn to analyze and filter information. Remember that the attitude of the majority is changeable. We have already said what this depends on. With a certain amount of self-confidence, an arsenal of facts and arguments, you yourself can make your beliefs popular. Everyone can integrate their ideas into society if they are truly confident in them and in themselves.

What do you think about yourself?

No matter what you look like, what you wear, what you do or what you think, focus on feeling like an adult and a confident person. Don't look at the looks of others.

Do not look for approval and support in the looks of passers-by. You may not care how they look at you or what they think, because you are already confident in yourself. It doesn’t matter how you dress or look, the main thing is to feel like a self-sufficient and successful person.

Already know that you are a cool, beautiful and worthy person! This brings home the idea that it doesn't matter what other people think of you. The main thing is what you think about yourself and how you feel!

You don’t want to live all the time waiting for someone’s support or a compliment addressed to you, do you? Then start supporting and approving yourself. Shift the focus of your thoughts from what others think about you to what you think about yourself and how you feel. Do you like yourself? Straighten your back, how do you feel now? Cheer yourself up, tell yourself that you are beautiful and successful, no matter how you look now (after all, it’s not your clothes that determine your status, but your sense of self). Stop looking for approval in the views of others. Let them evaluate themselves. And you already know that you are beautiful and self-sufficient, even if your appearance says something else.