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25 Mechanisms of communication The main psychological mechanisms underlying the perception and under- standing of the interlocutor in interpersonal communication are identification, em- pathy and reflection. Identification is a process of almost complete identification of the person with the interlocutor and even «forgetting yourself» during communication. This helps, figuratively speaking, to «get into the skin» of another person, to feel, understand and experience everything that the other person feels, understands and experiences. The closest perceptual mechanism to identification is empathy, which is the capacity for deep emotional contact and empathy with another person, which helps to understand them more deeply and respond to their needs and problems. This mechanism of perception and communication is the most desirable in medical practice, both in communicating with colleagues and in communicating with patients. Reflection is the process of logical analysis of the problems, actions and states of the interlocutor, leading to certain generalizations and conclusions about the person. In social psychology, reflection also refers to a person’s ability to become aware of how they are perceived by their social partner. Channels of communication In communication we distinguish 1. oral speech that the recipient hears; 2. non-verbal (non-verbal) message (postures, gestures, facial expressions) that the recipient sees; 3. written message – words or symbols that the recipient reads. In some cases, several communication channels are used at once (for example, oral speech, followed by a written message). Often, when all five elements of communication are present, the interlocutors do not understand each other well. The reasons for this may be rapid or slurred speech, incorrectly selected message transmission channel (the patient does not hear well, does not understand speech after a stroke, or can not read a written mes- sage), lack of confirmation of receiving and understanding the message. Attention filters (distracting influences): Physical filters • noise (other people talking, phone calls, equipment working); • the state of the environment (temperature conditions, illumination, etc.); • time matching (an attempt to convey information to the listener when they are busy or in a hurry). Emotional filters (specific to one partner and unknown to the other): • prejudice (dislike of the partner); • differences in the social status of the interlocutors;