The concept of mental image positioning

What is the concept of mental image positioning?
Many people search for the meaning of mental image, as mental image is a term and concept used in many sciences, such as philosophy, sociology, and psychology. There are many types of mental images, and there are also components of mental images, which we will talk about in detail in the following lines. Positioning concept.

The concept of mental image positioning

The term mental image consists of two words: image, which means the appearance of a thing and the form that characterizes it. The mentality means the mind, meaning the mind and understanding, and what is meant by understanding and imagining something. The term generally means the impression formed in the mind of a particular person, value or entity. Among the means that help to form the mental image are the various media, i.e. the world of journalism, media, and mass media.

The concept of mental image positioning has been introduced in studies related to public relations because of its important impact on it and the necessity of using it in successful public relations. In this topic, we discuss in detail the term mental image and the meaning and impact of mental image.

What is the meaning of mental image?

Mental image has many definitions, all of which have in common that mental image is often formed in people through what has previously been seen or heard from others or through experience and upbringing. A person acts towards people or things according to the mental image he has.

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The most famous concept of mental imagery is Positioning

Among those famous definitions is the Longman Dictionary definition:

In his definition of the mental image, he says that it is (the image that forms in the mind, which is the opinion that others form about an individual or thing intentionally).

What are the types of mental images?

• To answer the question of what is the meaning of mental image, we must know that there are several types of mental image identified by the American professor of public relations (Frank Jeffkins) as follows:
• Mirror image: The image in which a person or organization sees themselves.
• Current image: The image in which others see the person or organization.
• Desired image: her a mental image A person or organization desires to establish itself in people's minds.
• Expected optimal image: It is the best image that can be achieved if we take into account the competition between people and some of them, or institutions and some of them, and the effort made to influence those around them.
• Multiple images: refers to the different impressions of the same person or institution that make up those around him.

What is the importance of mental image?

1. The concept of mental image positioning is of great importance in life, as the mental image makes the individual more able to adapt to the surrounding circumstances.
2. It saves a lot of effort and provides him with ready-made images that enable him to deal with others and sometimes make him able to predict some of their behaviors and reactions.
3. The mental image that narrows the scope of others' ignorance.
4. An individual can use the results provided by mental imagery to determine what images of others might be like when interacting with them.
5. Positioning also helps make the world easier and more organized by tapping into the psychological aspects involved in learning processes within humans.
6. A mental image can help explain individuals' attitudes, opinions, and behaviors in social life.
7. Explains their philosophy of life as it is linked to their values, beliefs and culture.
8. The mental image also plays a major role in forming public opinion, because it is the first step in forming opinion because it affects people’s opinions and attitudes.
9. The mental image summarizes the effort and time that an individual may spend dealing with the surrounding environment and the people around him, as it provides him with a perception of the world in which he lives.

 

Factors that help in forming the concept of mental image positioning

There are many factors that lead to the formation of the concept of mental image positioning, the first of which is the media that plays a major role in forming mental images.

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The media

The media is one of the factors that help form mental images. As the information and data you provide about events, people, institutions, and even countries and peoples. It directs the individual to form certain mental images of the world in which he lives. The individual depends on the media in addition to his experiences to learn about the reality surrounding him.

This is because the wide spread of the media and its great ability to attract and dazzle using modern technology has led to an expansion of coverage. With his ability to convey events quickly and instantly. This gave it great appeal and enormous mass influence, which led to the formation of certain mental images.

Personal or direct communication

Personal communication plays a major role in creating a mental image. Reality and an individual's daily life are also surrounded by many events that can be observed directly. Thus creating the concept of mental image positioning as a result of experience and direct contact.

Reference groups

Reference groups are the surrounding environment such as family and society and their influence in creating a mental image that is much greater than what you can imagine. What is ingrained in people's mind and conscience since childhood is really difficult to get rid of. Especially if one feels a sense of belonging to the group around him, repeating certain opinions and norms to work to standardize the behavior and perceptions of group members.

Previous Experience:

An individual's past experiences are part of the answer to the question of what is the meaning of a mental image. It helps him to form the concept of mental image positioning. It is the product of the interaction of all the knowledge, experiences, trends, values, and ideas that his mind collected from learning, studying, the environment, reading, culture, and others.