Psychology of management

imitation
is understood the means of psychological influence based 
not only on accepting outer features of another person’s behavior or mass psychic states, but also 
on reproduction by an individual of features and patterns of the demonstrated behavior. The 
initiator of scientific study of imitation is the French psychologist and sociologist G. Tard. 
According to his concept, imitation is the main principle of society’s development and existence. 
Moreover, imitation is only a particular case of the common “universal law of repetition”. In 
animal world this law acts through heredity, while in the human society – through imitation. 
From G. Tard’s point of view, the source of the progress is as follows: periodically within 
the society there are made inventions which are copied by masses. These discoveries and 
inventions are woven later on into the pattern of society to be re-adopted by way of imitation. 
Imitation as a means of psychological influence is maintained according to certain laws: 
- firstly, imitation proceeds from the inner to the outer (i.e. internal behavioral patterns 
cause imitation sooner than the outer ones; the spirit of a religion is imitated sooner than its 
ceremonies); 

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- secondly, those who are lower on the social ladder imitate those who are higher (the 
village imitates the city, the towns – the capital and so on.); 
- thirdly, the older and the more educated a person is the lesser is the degree (s)he is 
prone to the simplest imitation patterns and the more complicated forms are peculiar to the 
imitation process. In adults, unlike in children, imitation is a secondary way of learning the 
world, and the main stress is made on the outer behavior pattern, without touching deep inner 
characteristics. 
Under the term of 
persuasion
is understood mainly intellectual, psychological influence 
based on transmitting of logically arranged information and setting the goal of making a person 
accept it willingly as a causative motive for action. In other words, in the process of persuasion 
not only acceptance of information is gained, but also inner agreement with it, and the final 
conclusion should be made by the person accepting the information. 
Historically, persuasion as a means of influence began to be applied in social practices 
much later than the mechanisms of suggestion and contamination. This is natural because the 
need in critical assimilation, conscious acceptance or unacceptance of outer information 
supposes quite a high level of a person’s intellectual development. 
The process of convictions’ merging or growing into a person’s motives is also a higher 
criterion of strength and efficiency of the formed convictions when, to use the words by N.A. 
Dobrolyubov, convictions have merged with a person’s feelings and will, are inherent to him/her 
permanently, even unconsciously, when (s)he doesn’t think about them at all. 
Complexity and multi-sidedness of the process of persuasive influence suppose, 
according to B.D. Parygin (1999), influencing both the rational and the emotional sphere of 
personality, an active interaction between the persuading and the persuaded which often 
outgrows into an open or hidden discussion. It is easier to persuade persons who have a bright, 
vivid imagination, orient rather on the other than on themselves, have a somewhat deflated self-
estimation, etc. 
The following conditions influence the improving efficiency of persuasion: 
- ability to establish contact, cause trust; 
- self-control, patience, and tactfulness; 
- ability to prove, explain, disprove; 
- presenting ideas in a way that they associate with the already assimilated ones; 

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-personal conviction, sincerity; 
- making sure that both parties understand the terms, notions, and expressions used in the 
process in the same way; 
- taking into account individual and age peculiarities of the person being persuaded, as 
well as the psychology of a small group. 
The persuasion procedure proper includes three kinds of persuasive influences: