DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2022-2-242-253

Reflections on the theatrical nature of a human being: suggestion and its hidden potential

Maya V. Rakhimova
Candidate of Philosophy, Docent,
Head of the Department, Associate Professor of the Department
of Socio-Humanitarian and Psychological-Pedagogical DisciplinesSouth Ural State Institute of Arts named after P.I. Tchaikovsky,
41, Plekhanov st., Chelyabinsk, 454091, Russia;
e-mail: mayesta@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5343-748X
ResearcherID: AAD-5419-2022

The scientific interest of this work lies in the field of philosophical anthropology — the study of a human being as a complex open self-organizing system, where one of the constituent elements is, presumably, Theatricality. The author believes that theatrical techniques used by a human being in everyday life help him to adapt to the life in society, to others, and to himself. Theatricality appears as a kind of survival mechanism and a way of adapting to external and internal challenges. Being in plain sight, this amazing mechanism of social communication still remains somewhat hidden, studied abundantly but fragmentarily. It is difficult to trace the genesis of the formation of the Homo Theatrical’s phenomenon as well as to understand the mechanism and purpose of his everyday theatrical behavior. The Play and Theatricality as phenomena are closely intertwined, but not equal to each other. The Play does not involve breaking the rules, while the Homo Theatrical breaks the rules when he needs it. Among the elements of the theatrical nature of a human being, one can distinguish pretense, representation, manipulation, artistry, cunning, pragmatism, as well as suggestion. Suggestion appears as a phenomenon that is very common in the social environment. It has a viral potential and represents a kind of «psycho infection» for the brain. A Homo Theatrical strives to use suggestion to achieve pragmatic goals and, therefore, the theatrical nature itself acquires a viral potential. Reflection upon the viral potential of suggestion («psycho infection») contributes to a deeper analysis of the viral potential of the theatrical nature of a human being, which cannot but rely on an irresistible craving for suggestion, understanding the power of the influence of suggestion in achieving the desired.

Keywords: Homo Theatrical, the Play, manipulation, artistry, pragmatism, virus, «psycho infection», mimesis, meme, suggestion.

References

Artemova, O.Yu. (1987).Lichnost’i sotsial’nye normy v ranne-pervobytnoy obschine (po avstraliyskim etnograficheskim dannym)[Personality and social norms in the early primitive community (according to Australian ethnographic data)]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 200 p.

Bekhterev, V.M. (1908).Vnusheniye i ego rol’ v obschestvennoy zhizni [Suggestion and its role in public life]. St. Petersburg: K.L. Rikker Publ., 175 p.

Dawkins, R. (2016). Egoistichnyy gen [The selfish gene]. Moscow: AST Publ., Corpus Publ., 512 p.

Dennett, D. (2020). Opasnye memy i evolutsiya kul’tury[Dangerous memes and the evolution of culture]. Monokler. Available at: https://monocler.ru/opasnyie-memyi-i-evolyutsiya-kulturyi/ (accessed 29.01.2022).

Evreinov, N.N. (2002). Demon teatral’nosti [The demon of theatricality]. Moscow, St. Petersburg: Letniy Sad Publ., 535 p.

Fink, E. (2017). Osnovnye fenomeny chelovecheskogo bytiya [The main phenomena of human existence]. Moscow: Kanon+ Publ., ROOI «Reabilitatsiya» Publ., 432 p.

Huizinga, J. (2004). Homo Lidens. V teni zavtrashnego dnya [Homo Ludens. In the shadow of tomorrow]. Moscow: AST Publ., 540 p.

Ivannikov, V.A. (2015). [On the nature and origin of the human psyche]. Natsional’nyy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal[National Psychological Journal]. No. 3(19), pp. 15–23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2015.0302

Kant, I. (1999). Antropologiya s pragmaticheskoy tochki zreniya [Anthropology from a pragmatic point of view]. St. Petersburg: Nauka Publ., 471 p.

Kayua, R. (2007). Igry i Lyudi; Stat’i i Esse po sotsiologii kul’tury [Games and people; Articles and essays on the sociology of culture]. Moscow: OGI Publ., 304 p.

Mick-Evans, K. (2019). One does not simply preserve Internet memes: Preserving Internet memes via participatory community-based approaches: master of arts thesis. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334052666 (accessed 29.01.2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18093.54240

Nissenbaum, A. and Shifman, L. (2018). Meme templates as expressive repertoires in a globalizing world: across-linguistic study. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Vol. 23, iss. 5,pp. 294–310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmy016

Rakhimova, M.V. (2021). Is there a viral potential in «suggestion» as a quality of theatrical human nature? Advances in social science, education and humanities research. Vol. 531: Proceedings of the conference on current problems of our time: the relationship of man and society (CPT 2020). Yakutsk: Atlantis Press, 2021, pp. 45–51. Available at: https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/cpt-20/125953289 (accessed: 29.01.2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210225.009

Sidis, B. (1902). Psikhologiya vnusheniya [Psychology of suggestion]. St. Petersburg: B.N. Zvonarev Publ., 398 p.

Smorodintsev, A.A., Smorodintseva, E.A. (2011). Srazhenie s nevidimkami ili bor’ba za zhizn’ [The battle with the stealth or fight for life]. St. Petersburg: N-L Publ., 208 p.

Received: 01.02.2022. Accepted: 30.04.2022

For citation:

Rakhimova M.V. [Reflections on the theatrical nature of a human being: suggestion and its hidden potential]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofia. Psihologia. Sociologia [Perm University Herald. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology], 2022, issue 2, pp. 242–253 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2022-2-242-253