The Power of Suggestion

 

As I told you in yesterday's review of Senior High ... the highly successful whodunit psychodrama has ended. After months of guessing who killed Luna ... we already know who the culprit was. The series ends with a big bang ... and what an acting ensemble. It was an ENDER to REMEMBER.

As a former clinical instructor in psychiatry ... there is one phenomenon used in the series that was discussed only in passing.  The director or the writer did not even mention what it is called so lay people (ordinary viewers) at least will know the importance of the scene. It is called suggestibility. We understand Senior High did touch on it ... but it was not discussed fully ... nor was it explored deeply. (We understand Direk ... we are not in a psychology classroom where we have to discuss the topic en toto.)

When Mon Confiado (the congressman) Luna and Z had a mad scramble at the school's rooftop ... the congressman accidentally pushed Luna to her death when she fell from the top floor. Realizing the gravity of the situation (and being the master manipulator that he is) he told Z ... "You killed Luna".

What the congressman said was an authoritative abuse of THE POWER OF SUGGESTION. It muddles Z's thoughts and memory... shapes Z's perception and influences her total behavior. What the congressman did ... rouse moral indignation ... as suggestibility in this scenario is like a subtle manipulation ... it is just like somebody's thoughts were hacked and hijacked and stolen from Z.  She was made to conform, accept, and imbibe details, facts, knowledge, or beliefs ... "sinabi ni Congressman eh ... so it must be true. "

Z was without careful or objective analysis of the issue ... she did not express any doubts  ... and just like the fish ... she took the bait hook line and sinker without any hesitation. Every time she has anxiety attacks... she is made to gulp downers and tranquilizers making her confused more than ever.  She has not questioned the congressman's accusation's accuracy and reliability either.

Some experts believe that if you are a receptive person anybody can plant suggestions for you ... without you knowing it. And in turn, you take everything ... as in the whole thing ... because you are open and inclined to receive. The process may be likened to hypnotic suggestion where anyone can plant subliminal messages to you ... and this is achieved by making suggestions.

No doubt Z's mind was like a porous sponge willing to absorb ... and agree to receive any suggested ideas (pinatay mo si Luna) ... just like an obedient student following orders from his superiors.

The power of suggestion and its techniques have long been utilized in the medical field ... even in marketing strategies and communications ... even in the promotion of products.

In the hospital ... the use of a placebo is one glaring example. If you have a cancer patient who keeps on asking for Demerol and  Morphine more frequently than what the doctor has ordered ... suggestive numbing comes into play ... (although the patient's family may be against the idea. Some would rather have the patient get an extra dose ... even though it is lethal and life-threatening ... because they believe the patient really is in pain ... and that's what they need.). If you tell the patient " This is your pain medication ... it will help manage your pain".  The deliberate suggestion coming from a doctor can influence and change the patient's perception of pain even if the injected substance is sterile water.

In online marketing for instance ... telling your followers how good the product is ... can influence consumer behavior and encourage sales and purchase decisions. For instance, if you are selling makeup and other facial products ... the power of suggestion can be seen when advertisers sow and plant subtle cues by switching on specific associations, emotions, and concepts in the consumer's minds. When you use visual imagery to create a mood or an impression and if your clientele starts to associate good makeup with beauty, status, or success ... and starts buying ... that's the power of suggestion.

Making a review of Senior High like the ones I made the other day ... is a suggestion technique. If the review has intrigued you ... and my hype about the acting potentials of each one of the cast made me look like I was on cloud nine ... as if I was singing Hossana and Alleluja to high heavens. If this word-of-mouth promotion... lured you to watch the last remaining episodes of the series in YouTube... the power of suggestion is again on display.

However, I just want to correct the naysayers that what I wrote in the review is just a part of a promotional slant or gimmick. No, it isn't ... it is the truth and nothing but ... If I have been rattling superlatives ... it is not because I was a paid hack. If my review was glowing with adjectives on the third degree ... it is all because that is what I felt. I am not ABS CBN promotions head honcho ... ready to plant subliminal messages in your psyche to up the show's rating.

The review was all mine. ABS CBN gave us a good show ... so there is nothing wrong ... in giving them the praise they deserve. It is our way of saying Thank You for a job well done.