If you've gotten this far, chances are you've heard about something called anchoring effect You may have heard the term in a lecture, in a conversation, or even on TV, but it is not possible to guarantee that you have heard the same thing that we are going to discuss today.

This is because anchoring effect With this in mind, we brought the definition of what anchoring is, and the perspectives of the forward effect in NLP and psychoanalysis. Of course, let's also define each of these things, because if we are going to talk about it, it is important to understand what they mean.

Anchoring according to the dictionary

Let's start this conversation with the dictionary definition of anchoring. First, this word is a feminine noun. Also, in its strict meaning, there are few definitions:

• It is the act or action of anchoring something This means attach or tie sth. By doing this, you make it stable, and thus can use it more safely For example, If you need to get on a ship, you can't do it if it is not anchored;
• It is also the position of a ship at anchor .

The direct antonym of anchoring is "loose".

What is NLP

NLP is the acronym that denotes the neurolinguistic programming It, in turn, studies the structure of subjective experience, Besides studying, it develops tools that can be applied in all human interactions.

This study focuses on conscious and unconscious processes that combine and result in behaviors. For this reason, NLP proposes, through neurolinguistic programming, to change the structures of certain behaviors. It is the search for reprogramming that leads a person to achieve better results.

Basic definition of psychoanalysis

In light of this, let's give a brief definition of what Psychoanalysis is. After all, we need to understand it at least in general terms so that we can relate it to anchoring effect There are many more articles on psychoanalysis in our blog, if you are interested, just keep following the contents that we post every day.

Psychoanalysis is a branch of clinical theory that is concerned with explaining the workings of our mind. It aims to help in the treatment of mental disorders and neuroses and, to this end, seeks to relate the unconscious desires, behaviors, and feelings experienced by us.

For this reason, it is also known as the "theory of the soul". The neurologist Sigmund Freud is considered to be the father of this branch, and for him, most psychic processes are unconscious and dominated by sexual desires .

What is the anchoring effect

Now that we know a little more about the concepts discussed above, let's talk about anchoring effect . This is a cognitive bias that describes the tendency to anchor oneself to a part of a received information. This anchoring would be significant during the process of making a decision about something.

This means that when we receive information, we have a fixed first impression about it, so we can't move away from that first impression, because we become anchored to it.

There are numerous studies that have been testing this effect. The main method is to present a piece of information and ask to make a decision that has nothing to do with it. However, this same decision must be in relation to something that the person does not have much knowledge about. The results point out that even though the information has no real influence, it does influence how a person will react.

Anchoring for Psychoanalysis

As we saw in the previous topic, the anchoring effect is related to human thought, that is, Such thinking can shape and transform opinions according to human experience. Moreover, anchoring can be established in unconscious matters.

Anchors are like reference points in our mind, so they can refer us to more specific places in our "sea of experiences". Given this information, Psychology has been trying to help us understand how our mind works.

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She understands that deep-seated things, traumas from our childhood can interfere with our decision making. After all, for Psychoanalysis, situations that we experience in our early childhood mark us deeply. It is necessary, therefore, to understand what our anchors are.

We cannot forget also that the anchoring effect is the tendency to fixate on one piece of information as a starting point. After all, once this point is fixed, we have difficulty in adjusting to later information. And so, besides understanding our anchors, it is to understand how to modify this information.

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It is an automatic, innate, involuntary mechanism. Therefore, resisting this anchor is difficult and a complicated process. Therefore, psychoanalytic therapy tries to relate the whole unconscious issue to the resulting behaviors.

The anchoring for NLP

Within NLP, the anchoring effect is a technique As we saw above, NLP focuses on neurolinguistic programming to achieve new results. In this way, anchoring is one of the NLP techniques. This technique is used to create or modify responses associated with a stimulus.

We have already said that anchoring is in our everyday life, in our mind. For example, when we are in love and we hear a song about love, we will remember that person when we hear it. The passion may pass, but the memory remains. It may even take us back to that time, stir up feelings.

NLP believes that we can create positive anchors for positive emotional states. Thus, these anchorages will help us to make more positive decisions when faced with various situations. E, c onsequently, to perform anchoring, we need to identify the emotional state that we wish to have.

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Usually we want to return to a state of tranquility, peace, joy, euphoria, and well-being. So the important thing is to focus on what we want, but also understand what we don't want. According to NLP, when we think about what we don't want, our mind constructs that image. From that construction, our mind can take us to that place.

For this reason, it is important to change our way of thinking and not focus on what we don't want, but on what we do want. Example, "I want to be at peace" and not "I don't want to be nervous". After all, our mind is powerful, and our behaviors are influenced by it, Knowing how to use the right tools to help us is essential.

Final considerations

We have seen in this article how the anchoring effect It interferes in our life, in our behavior, in our response to the world. It also mainly interferes in our decisions.

The way we receive information, and what kind of information directly acts on the outcomes of our lives, is important. Thus, it is understood that it is necessary to understand how new and old information has shaped our psyche. Furthermore, it is necessary to recognize, analyze, and modify what is needed.

Both NLP and Psychoanalysis come to our rescue to make this path of understanding. They are different visions, different perspectives, but they are all effective. It all depends on what we hope and want.

Get to know our Clinical Psychoanalysis course

We hope this article has helped you to better understand anchoring effect Also, if you are interested in knowing more about this and about Psychoanalysis, our online Clinical Psychoanalysis course can help you.