MANIPULATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND FEATURES OF THEIR MANIFESTATION IN SOCIO-POLITICAL PROCESSES

Abstract

The aim of the research is to establish the essence of manipulation as a socio-psychological phenomenon and its use in socio-political processes. The author reveals the essence of manipulation as a complex socio-psychological phenomenon that includes various methods and technologies of influencing people's consciousness and behavior. It is established that manipulation includes a wide range of methods and technologies aimed at changing the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals without their explicit awareness. The historical stages of the development of manipulative technologies and the peculiarities of their manifestation have been studied. The content of the most common manipulative theories and their impact on people's behavior is disclosed: Edward Bernays' theory of propaganda or «engineering of consent», Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony, J. Homans' social exchange theory, the theory of speech acts, the agenda-setting theory, Noam Chomsky's manufacturing consent theory, the Overton window theory, and the normative social influence theory. The author highlights the features of forming the manipulative «core of influence».The basic algorithm of manipulation, which consists of the following stages, is substantiated: identification of the target audience, development of the manipulative message, «delivery» of the message, reinforcement and repetition, monitoring, and analysis of results. It is proven that manipulation can act as both a cause and an effect in different contexts. The author argues the advantages and disadvantages of using manipulative technologies in social processes. The scientific value of the research lies in the fact that the results obtained by the author can be used to minimize the negative impact of manipulative technologies on individuals and social processes in the country as a whole. Theoretical research methods were used to analyze the essence and peculiarities of the manifestation of manipulative theories, which contributed to a deeper study of the issue. The method of analysis was used to reveal the essence of manipulation and its evolution in the process of human development. The method of generalization contributed to forming the author's own vision of the basic algorithm of manipulative technology. The method of classification was applied to reveal the essence of the most common manipulative technologies based on the scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists. The systematic method was used to reflect the features of forming the manipulative «core of influence».