Psychological techniques for manipulating mental consciousness

What is manipulation from the point of view of psychologists

Manipulation is used by people who need to dominate other people. Sometimes their ability to influence the psyche occurs unnoticed by them. Such a person always gets what he wants and thinks that those around him voluntarily submit to his will. But in fact this is the result of strong external influence. For those who do not have natural skills, it is necessary to study in detail the types of people susceptible to influence.

People's personality types and manipulative characteristics:

Traditional - an individual striving for comfort and security. Guided by common sense, has no special needs. It should be influenced through the satisfaction of needs. Vulnerable is a dreamy, emotional personality type. It is difficult for him to cope with stress, so he is easily suggestible. Vulnerable people should be influenced through emotions. Rational - guided by analytics and facts. They need to be manipulated through logical arguments, influencing a sense of moral superiority

Such people easily recognize manipulation, so you need to work with them carefully. Primitive - for this type only lower needs are important. To instill the desired idea, it is enough to offer them the satisfaction of natural needs: food, sleep, sexual desire. Pathological - suffering from mental illness

Using the characteristics of the disease, you can instill in him any information: an individual with a disease is not able to adequately perceive reality and will do everything that is required of him.

To use each technique, preliminary preparation will be required. A good manipulator must constantly hone his leadership skills in order to be able to suppress people with a strong will and high self-esteem.

Techniques of influence: features, hidden capabilities, precautions

Psychological influence has one goal - to force a person or group of people to comply with a requirement or change their mind. Many people use means of influence in everyday life unconsciously, focusing on their needs. Therefore, the influence can be positive, useful for a person, or negative - destructive.

Parents instill in their children the rules of behavior in society, trying to raise them to be law-abiding people. The director influences his subordinates in order to obtain a cohesive team ready to work on a common task. Advertising creators use techniques similar to hypnosis to encourage customers to buy a product that they did not initially need. Interpersonal influence, unlike group influence, is rarely destructive. It is not authoritarian in nature, it is easier to get rid of it.

A striking example of the dangerous influence of group psychological influence is the recruitment of people into the ranks of terrorist organizations. To instill in a person thoughts of the need to commit mass murder, it is necessary to completely change his personality. People are reduced to the state of zombies who are no longer able to think critically.

Every person who uses suggestion techniques in everyday life must understand the degree of responsibility. If psychological influence is used unsuccessfully or too often, it is possible to put a person into a state of artificial depression and suppress his will. It is easiest to convince a person with low self-esteem and who does not have an opinion of something. Those at risk include children, the elderly, and people with undeveloped critical thinking.

Available methods of manipulation: how to manage people

At first, using complex manipulation methods will not work: the interlocutor can easily figure out the deception. You need to train in simple ways:

1. Using the particle “not” in questions and requests. Perception is designed in such a way that the “not” particle is skipped in a conversation. A negative statement becomes positive without the individual noticing it. By asking a question with the particle “not”, the manipulator gives a double message, forcing the object to make the necessary decision.
2. The illusion of choice. By offering two options, the manipulator forces the individual to make a choice, even if he was not initially inclined to do so. The need to make a choice unsettles him, he feels insecure and can act rashly - exactly as the manipulator requires.
3. Creating intrigue. Curiosity pushes people to agree to dubious offers. Girls are prone to curiosity, so advertising campaigns aimed at them are based on introducing them to mystery. To influence a man, you need to focus on benefits.

For the effect to work as intended, the manipulation effect must be constantly updated. Therefore, having received the first result, you should maintain it.

Working with destination settings

In psychology, there is a concept of “irrational beliefs” that can harm a person. The manipulator can also play on them. American psychologist Albert Ellis studied such attitudes and developed the ABC mechanism, which explains their operation. It deciphers as follows:

• A – occurrence of events.
• B – beliefs belonging to a particular person that are used to explain events.
• C is the individual’s response under the influence of his attitudes, which is expressed both emotionally and behaviorally.

Personal beliefs can be divided into four groups: “I (you, the world) should”; attitudes that give rise to the illusion of a bad outcome; an opinion about what the world around should be like for an individual to feel safe; blaming themselves or other people.

Origins of manipulation

The child is dependent on his parents and often suffers from their neglect of his needs. Some children stop demanding what they want, but there are also those who learn to play on the weaknesses of adults. For example, parents, coming home from work, do not pay enough attention to the child - dad watches TV, mom cooks dinner.

If this happens every evening, then the child begins to think about ways to return participation to his life. Suddenly he gets sick. Mom and dad are now always nearby, caring for and talking to the child. That is, the child is the center of attention. And he decides to use this method further. Another example of child control is throwing tantrums in crowded places. The child knows that mom or dad won’t be able to stand it and will end up buying the toy. Thus, the ability to manipulate people begins in childhood.

Language management techniques

There are also linguistic methods. They are also great at manipulating people.

1. Inability to verify the statement. In this case, the following expressions are more often used: “All men are bastards,” “It’s all our fault...” and so on.
2. An indirect reference to a norm conventionally recognized by society. For example: “You didn’t even pick up the trash after yourself!”
3. Disguise a statement as an assumption. An example would be the following expression: “Even though they were together, they were never fired.”
4. Link to some authority. For example, “All smart people say...”, “But good doctors believe...” and so on.
5. Ignoring the message. Answer with phrases that contain a different meaning.

Greater success can be achieved by using different techniques, varying them depending on the situation.

A simple request

One of the most effective ways to get something from a person is to start with a simple request. Having completed an easy task, the opponent will feel his importance, thereby being ready for new assignments. Then, when the first easy level is completed, if necessary, ask for something more significant and complex. Thus, with gradual steps you can make a smooth transition from easy tasks to complex ones.

When it comes to the question of how to manage people, experts recommend choosing the right time and the opponent’s mood, and also not moving from one request to another: it is important to take a long break and not impose too many tasks. Studying this method, marketing research showed that those people who agreed to take part in the promotion were subsequently more willing to purchase a particular product

Distraction

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The main element of managing society is to divert people's attention from important problems and decisions made by political and economic ruling circles, through the constant saturation of the information space with unimportant messages. The technique of distraction is very important in preventing citizens from gaining important knowledge in the fields of science, economics, psychology, neuroscience and cybernetics. “Constantly distract the attention of citizens from real social problems, switching it to topics of no real importance. To ensure that citizens are constantly busy with something and do not have time to think; from the field to the pen, like all other animals (quote from the book “Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars”).

How to find out about the psychological impact

There are different ways to communicate. Manipulation is one of them. But how can an ignorant person understand that they are being deceived into feelings or are trying to push him to a certain action? There are special keys that the manipulator uses to obtain the result. Here are some of them.

Emotions. If the addressee felt that the opponent was “pressuring” feelings (for example, pity, empathy, shame, vindictiveness), then the process of consciousness control is underway.

Incomprehensible words. Professional terms and “smart” words appear in speech. They are a red herring intended to disguise a lie.

Repeat phrase. The addressee hears the repetition of the same statement in speech. In this way, the manipulator tries to “zombify”, to instill the necessary thought.

Urgency. It creates a certain level of nervousness. The addressee does not have time to comprehend what has been said, and he is already called to action

His attention is distracted, and in the bustle he begins to carry out what his opponent is trying to achieve.

Fragmentation of meaning. During the discussion, the addressee is not given all the information

It is split into pieces in such a way that a person is unable to grasp the entire news, but draws false conclusions based on a fragmentary phrase.

Imposing stereotypes. The manipulator deliberately refers to known truths, emphasizing the commonality of the addressee with them. This imposition of stereotypical thinking or actions leads to their implementation by the object of influence.

Manipulation in communication is necessary in cases where a person does not have the strength or confidence to achieve his desire. He is afraid to openly express his claims and would prefer to achieve his goal through hidden influence.

Treat people like little children

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Most propaganda speeches aimed at the general public use arguments, characters, words, and intonation as if they were talking about school-age children with developmental delays or mentally handicapped individuals. The more someone tries to mislead the listener, the more he tries to use infantile speech patterns. Why? “If someone addresses a person as if he were 12 years old or younger, then due to suggestibility, that person’s response or reaction will, to a certain degree, also lack the critical judgment that is typical for children aged 12 or younger years.

Ways to manipulate people

There are a great many ways of manipulation. As a rule, the manipulator resorts to different ones, but he has several that he uses often. Knowing them, it is easier to resist negative influences and learn to avoid situations where they are possible.

Some methods of manipulation

people:

1. Lie
   . The most common way to get a person to change their opinion or behavior. People lie very often, but manipulative lies are a special type of deception. Such lies are systematic, carefully thought out, have significant consequences and, as a rule, entail more lies.

There are people for whom lying is a way of life and the only way to solve problems, or rather, a way to avoid them. By lying, you can protect yourself from anger, resentment, guilt and their consequences, and also earn respect, recognition, and love.

A lie can be so subtle and “stupefying” that it is almost impossible to notice it. For example, a manipulative liar can use the “False Questioning” technique: he asks a clarifying question, the first part of which is a repetition of what the interlocutor said, and the second part is adding “on his own”; or a simpler option: when asked again, the interlocutor’s question is simply very subtly, but significantly modified. The purpose of this technique is to confuse the interlocutor and reduce his vigilance.

1. Care.
   A person surrounded by care becomes soft, compliant, less categorical, uncritical and inattentive. Caring can lull the vigilance of your interlocutor and win him over.
2. A pity.
   The manipulator demonstrates his imaginary inferiority, weakness, fatigue, pain, etc. The goal is to achieve pity and a condescending attitude towards oneself, to demonstrate the position “I am not dangerous.”
3. Vows and promises
   . Hearing an oath, a person is inclined to believe his interlocutor more, because this is a signal that the speaker himself does not doubt at all what he is saying. The content of promises coincides with the desires, needs, dreams of those people to whom they are given, therefore the illusion of understanding and zeal of the “benefactor” is created.
4. " Zombification"
   . If you repeat the same phrase to a person all the time, hypnotizing him with it, he begins to believe that it is true. If the suggested information also “catches” emotionally, and is not just a fact, it will not be difficult to suggest it.
5. Love
   . Phrases like: “Well, I love you, so you should...”, “If you love me, then...”, “Do this for me...” and other ways to “cover up” with love, have an impact on the emotional sphere of the individual, drowning out arguments of reason. Manipulation of friendship, sympathy and other positive feelings also works.
6. Temptation.
   If you offer a person something that you are sure to like, you can lure him anywhere and force him to do anything. For example, parents tell their child: “When you’ve done your homework, you’ll go and play.”
7. Bribe.
   This is the same temptation only in reverse: a person is not promised something so that he becomes easily controlled, but is immediately given what is desired, and then they deal with the fact of bribery.
8. Threats and blackmail
   . The threat is always made according to the formula “If you don’t do..., then I will do...”. For example: “If you don’t help me, I will be offended by you.” Blackmail is built according to a more complex scheme: “I did... and now, if you don’t do..., I will also do....” An example of manipulation: 1) threat: “If you don’t stop smoking, I’ll tell your mom about it,” 2) blackmail: “I took a picture of you when you smoked. If you don’t give up, I’ll show the photo to my mom.”
9. Condemnation.
   Many people are afraid of being ridiculed, misunderstood and not accepted in society. Intimidation, criticism, scolding and everything else that is done in front of strangers and provokes shame and guilt, makes a person afraid of repeating this event, so he does everything that the manipulator asks, just so as not to be humiliated again.

Manipulation is not the best way to influence another person. You need to understand that this is an act for which you will have to bear responsibility.

Goals

To learn how to manipulate, you need to clearly imagine the end result that you want to achieve: for your boss to raise your salary, for your husband to buy something, for your colleague to take over part of your project. The formulation of the goal cannot be too vague and voluminous: I want the respect of my colleagues, the unquestioning submission of my wife, etc. This will be psychological violence, as a result of which both will suffer.

As a basis, you can take ready-made goals, which are most often set to manipulate others.

Goal 1. Educational

Most often used by parents - for children, husband - for wife (or vice versa), boss - for subordinates. This is manipulation for the greater good, since the ultimate goal is to make the other person better.

Mom: “Dress warmly. Otherwise, you’ll catch a cold and have to cancel your trip out of town this weekend.” The goal is to protect the child from colds and teach him to dress according to the weather.

Wife: “Darling, I don’t understand anything about mathematics, you are much stronger than me at it, help your child with his homework.” The goal is to involve the husband in raising children.

Boss: “We didn’t reach our sales target this month. If this happens again, I will have to disband the department.” The goal is to make subordinates work better.

Goal 2. Financial

This goal is set by businessmen and bosses, as they pursue financial gain for themselves. There are a huge number of tools here, ranging from blackmail (“I will deprive you of your salary if you do not increase production efficiency”) and ending with moral destruction (“Your company is unprofitable, cannot withstand competition, so an agreement with us is the only salvation for you”).

Although wives also often manipulate their husbands for this purpose, trying to trick him into expensive gifts or purchases for the home. They don't openly say, "Buy me a dress for $500." Every day they will take him past the display case with him, admire him, say that “Petka (what a great guy!) promised to give him this for his birthday,” cry that she has nothing to wear to the corporate party, etc.

Goal 3. Entertaining

Oddly enough, many people want to manipulate others just because they are bored with life. Eric Burns generally called this phenomenon psychological games. The same intrigues at work, especially in the women's team. Or the desire to diversify the relationship with your significant other (flirt with your husband’s friend in order to make him jealous).

Goal 4. Emotional

In principle, any goal of psychological manipulation can be called this, since it affects precisely the emotional sphere of the victim. But here we mean something else: to force a person to change his feelings or attitude towards something. This is considered aerobatics, but at the same time borders on personality disorders.

Examples can be found both at work and in the family. The new department head cannot openly tell his subordinates: “Fear me!” Through conversations, he learns something unpleasant about each of them and begins to blackmail them. The constant fear of being exposed makes people obey him unquestioningly.

We draw a conclusion. Formulate your goal correctly, try to see the end result. Remember, this is what separates you from a manipulative psychopath.

Video manipulation of people

Manipulation

– this is a kind of subtle art. Not every person is given the ability to control other people, but a manipulator can do this masterfully. There are people with some talent for manipulation, but you don't have to have it to become a manipulator. How to manipulate people?

Not everyone will be able to hone the art of manipulation to perfection, but every person has unconsciously and consciously resorted to manipulation more than once in his life.

Psychological manipulation

- This is a type of socio-psychological impact. The purpose of manipulation is to change the perception or behavior of a person(s) through lies, deception, violence or other inhumane tactics.

The problem with manipulation is that manipulation is almost always unethical.

. The manipulator pursues selfish goals, and uses dishonest and inhumane methods as a means to achieve them.

If manipulation is unethical, then why study this phenomenon? At a minimum, to be able to resist the manipulator!

However, there is also such manipulation that could be called altruistic

when one person controls another against his will, but for his benefit. For example, when someone fights a loved one's bad habit through intimidation and threats.

In addition, frankly speaking, our society is structured in such a way that it is difficult for an honest, unselfish, overly kind and open person to survive in it. Such people are sometimes called “good” only because they are easy to manipulate. Everyone likes reliable people or those who are “led” to persuasion, give in to pity, and so on. In some situations, honest people should use methods and techniques of manipulation for their own good, as self-defense, to repel the manipulator and in order to survive in the “concrete jungle”.

An obvious lie.

Well, this is the most obvious. How to make a person believe in anything? Deceive him. “Mom, the hooligans took away the 200 rubles that you gave me for travel.” Mom has nowhere to go - the child has to go, and, as a result, the little manipulator has 200 rubles for beer, sweets and cigarettes. In general, this is a typical everyday example.

We won’t go far for examples. Let's turn on the TV (we should write a separate article about this manipulator). Elections for president or mayor always end with the same thing: “he lied to us.” Well, yes, he lied. More precisely, he manipulated you, and you fell for it. Who's to blame now? It's their own fault because they fell for it.

This is a dangerous way of manipulating with catastrophic consequences for the manipulator if a lie is revealed. In the first example, the child may be threatened with a red ass and a lack of candy, or even (Oh, horror!) access to the computer will be limited. In the second case, there are a lot of options, but those politicians who are directly caught lying in various ways are, as they say, “leaked.” We will not go into these essentially unnecessary details for our topic.

Basic Reframing Techniques

“Redescription” methods explain how a person can be manipulated only by replacing words, part of the message. Let's take a closer look at them.

1. A technique for replacing one piece of verbal information with a new sentence or word. For example, instead of saying “I'm afraid,” say “I'm afraid.” Fear will no longer be as pronounced, and the individual will accept it as an indication to be more attentive and careful.
2. Rearranging intentions, or rather, truly revealing them. What does it mean to manipulate a person using this method? According to the basics of neurolinguistic programming, the purpose of all behavior is positive. And once you discover your true intention, you can choose more acceptable actions. For example, a wife is often dissatisfied with her husband and allows herself to raise her voice at him. When the husband tries to find out the reasons for this behavior, she cries or leaves. Working with his wife, a psychologist helps to discover the real purpose of hysterical actions - lack of attention, support, love. After pronouncing the intention, the spouse can dress up his behavior, for example, in a soft, gentle form and thereby try to achieve the desired again.
3. How to manipulate a person using metaphor? It is a parable or a short story in which there is a comparison with the situation under consideration. You can use an example from a famous fairy tale or cartoon.
4. Another effective technique in “redescription” is to use the criterion that the addressee formulated in the new statement. A case in point is the story of the sinfulness of women. When Jesus responded to the offer to throw stones at her, he replied: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at me.”
5. Encouragement to look at yourself from the outside. Otherwise, change the recipient’s perception position. How to manipulate a person in this way? When the addressee condemns a certain situation, you can ask the question: “What if you found yourself in such circumstances?”
6. A technique of influence due to the inability of the brain to distinguish between fiction and reality. Asking questions like “How do you know...?” or “Why did you decide that...?”, the manipulator achieves the goal of the technique - the “correctness” of perceiving the situation is considered.

As can be seen from the description of the techniques, reframing relies on linguistic techniques that make it possible to consider circumstances in a new way. What does it mean to manipulate a person using this method? This is the disclosure of different ways to achieve your true intentions, as well as the ability to look at actions from the outside.

Basic psychological methods of influence in mass communications

Psychological methods of mass communication influence on the audience are quite diverse, the main ones are:

1. Contagion is a way of influencing the integration of the opinions of a large audience through its unconscious and involuntary susceptibility to suggestion.
2. Suggestion is a method that involves purposefully stimulating the consciousness of individuals in order to bring their opinions and behavior to the required model.
3. Imitation is a way in which an individual reproduces the behavioral characteristics of other individuals in order to show the audience the model of behavior that needs to be formed. Often, the demonstration uses the behavior model of the person who enjoys authority among the largest number of audience members.
4. Persuasion is an influence on a person’s consciousness in order to convey specific information to him. The effectiveness of using this method largely depends on the level of education and intelligence of the person persuading.
5. Manipulation is a way of influencing both an individual and a group of individuals. You can manipulate behavior, opinion, attitude. The peculiarity of this method is that the manipulator tries in every possible way to hide his intentions.
6. Coercion is a method based on threats and the use of certain actions against an individual in order to obtain the required behavior from him. Controlling actions can include restricting an individual’s certain benefits, or using physical force or the threat of imprisonment.
7. Argumentation is a discussion of a specific issue or problem with specific arguments in favor of one’s statements, in order to form the necessary opinion of the interlocutor or change his opinion on the issue under consideration.

Secrets of successful manipulation

The art of manipulating human consciousness is so widespread that we don’t even think that we are becoming its victims. And to become more receptive (and also to improve your skills yourself), you need to know a few secrets of manipulation. We can name four such secrets:

1. Simple, kind and merciful people, capable of altruism and self-sacrifice, are most often susceptible to manipulation. These traits are undoubtedly good, but they make a person more vulnerable.
2. Manipulators successfully exploit subconscious human fears, such as the fear of abandonment or being alone. By pressing on these points, it becomes very easy to control the actions and even thoughts of others.
3. Manipulators take into account that most people are wary of negative emotions and avoid conflicts. A banal increase in voice or change in tone can be controlled by a person without resorting to the above methods.
4. Manipulation is most successful when used against people who do not know how to say “No”, i.e. refuse. Knowing that such a person is in front of him, the manipulator can be 80% sure that the victim will do what he says.

You must always remain vigilant in communication - this is the first step to countering manipulation

It is equally important to know your personal characteristics and develop awareness - this also helps to strengthen your “immunity” against those who want to use you for their own purposes

If you want to understand the topic in depth, we have three offers for you.

First, read our blog articles:

• Techniques of manipulation in discussion;
• 9 manipulations during negotiations;
• How to recognize emotional manipulation;
• Manipulative techniques of toxic people;
• How to communicate with manipulators.

Second, read anything (or all) from this list of books:

• Henrik Fexeus “The Art of Manipulation. Think the way I want";
• Henrik Fexeus “The Art of Manipulation. Don't let yourself be deceived";
• Vadim Shlakhter, Sergei Kholnov “The Art of Dominance”;
• Everett Shostrom "The Manipulative Man";
• George Simon "Who's in Sheep's Clothing? How to recognize a manipulator";
• Nicolas Gueguen “Psychology of manipulation and submission”;
• Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People;
• Victor Sheinov “The Art of Managing People”;
• Vladimir Adamchik “200 ways of successful manipulation”;
• Robert Levin "Mechanisms of manipulation - protection from other people's influence."

And thirdly, watch this interesting video about the tricks of manipulating people. Use your skills only for good and do not succumb to other people’s manipulations. We wish you success!

Is manipulation good or bad?

If you've set your sights on mastering this art, you should know that manipulating people is ethically an exploitative, violent, and dishonest tactic.

Firstly, it is hidden, that is, it involves partial deception, silence, cunning, and lies. Secondly, its goal is to promote the interests of one person at the expense of another, and the first always wins, and the second, after such manipulations, is devastated and ruined. He is forced to do what he does not need, what he does not want, but at the same time does under pressure. On the one hand, he did it voluntarily. On the other hand, he understands (after a while) that he was psychologically forced to do this.

Despite this, manipulating a person is not always a negative phenomenon. For example, in one of the hospitals a pulmonologist was at the reception. Men with many years of smoking experience often came to him. After the X-ray, he sent them to lie down for a week in the oncology center, supposedly for prevention and additional research. In fact, the goal was different: seeing people in the hospital dying of lung cancer, many of these patients voluntarily quit smoking. If the doctor had used open persuasion tactics, it is unlikely that he would have been able to achieve such success.

In psychology, this phenomenon is treated neutrally, like, for example... a knife. It can become a murder weapon or a faithful assistant in the kitchen - it all depends on whose hands it ends up. Psychological manipulation is the same as a knife, and you need to handle it carefully so as not to hurt yourself or harm others.

We draw a conclusion. When manipulating people, you need to constantly ask yourself how much the victim will suffer from this. Don't become a monster in achieving your goals.

Get into his interests

In many couples, the interests of the man and woman coincide - and this is wonderful. Shared hobbies are like super-strong glue for a relationship with your husband.

But what if this did not happen?

• Take an interest in his affairs
  - even if through force. Watch football while stifling a yawn. Asking what exactly was fixed in the car at the service station, ceasing to understand anything after the third word. Listen to the advantages of one spinning rod compared to the other three.
• Unobtrusively invite you into the world of your interests
  . Few men would agree to attend a macramé class, but if you think about it, there's probably something your manly partner can handle with dignity.
• Look for compromises
  : go to the movies, either for an action movie or for a melodrama; to a pizzeria, and next time to a sushi bar; to a strip club - and then to a salsa master class.

Many have heard the phrase “People are divided into those who ride and those who ride.” What kind of personality is this that recognizes the weaknesses of another subject and can play on them to their advantage? What does it mean to manipulate a person?

Types of manipulators

In psychology, manipulators are conventionally divided into active and passive. This division has to do with the roles they take on in the relationship.

• Active manipulators

This type is characterized by the use of active techniques of influence and domination over a person. For example, a type of such manipulation may be the establishment of total control over another person. The following types of active manipulators are distinguished:

1. Dictator. This is a person who uses his position in society to achieve his goals. He often points out his authority;
2. Prosecutor. A person who perceives himself as a leader and the people around him as dependent on him. Uses tactics of accusation and humiliation of others for his own self-affirmation;
3. Rebel. A person with open or passive aggressive behavior, accompanied by rudeness and harshness;
4. Businessman. A person who evaluates the weaknesses and strengths of other people. He uses them for his own benefit. This type of manipulator is characterized by calmness, concentration and deceit. Such people are characterized by the use of flattery techniques in relation to others.

• Passive manipulators

This type of manipulator builds their relationships with people, initially placing themselves in a position of subordination. In conflict situations, acting as a “victim”, putting pressure on the partner’s feelings of guilt. This type of manipulator is divided into the following types:

1. Weakling. The person acts as a person incapable of performing certain social actions. Is the complete antipode of a dictator, as an active manipulator;
2. Threatening. When building a relationship with a person, the manipulator takes a position of constant apology and obedience;
3. Virtuous. Such a person consciously shows boundless care, goodwill, and “suffocating love.” Such individuals are characterized by instilling feelings of guilt in others. There is also an instillation of a sense of duty for the excessive love, care, and help shown by the manipulator;
4. Defender. A person who positively perceives the mistakes of others, expressing support and sympathy for others. But at the same time, the defender does not admit his own mistakes;
5. Indifferent. The face shows complete detachment from business. This type of manipulator often blames other people for their own bad actions.

Some people know what it means to manipulate a person

Methods and techniques for resisting manipulation

Even a skilled manipulator can be resisted. To do this, the victim needs a conscious attitude towards communication.

Analysis of the situation

Before choosing a form of resistance, you need to analyze your communication with the alleged manipulator. To do this you need:

Identify manipulation techniques. The victim must understand what method of control the interlocutor is using

To do this, you should pay attention to the most frequently repeated words and phrases in speech, facial expressions and gestures. Determine the motives of the interlocutor. This is not always possible

However, if a salesperson in a store talks for a long time about the advantages of a product, his goal is easy to determine - to sell, to increase revenue.

Manipulation must be distinguished from psychological games. The difference between them is that when playing a psychological game, the winner does not receive any practical benefit. He gets only moral satisfaction. An example of such a game: each participant in the dispute tries to convince the other of the correctness of his religious views. To win a dispute, you need to provide not only a large number of facts confirming your case. You need to have a good understanding of your opponent’s religious views in order to point out their weaknesses.

Resistance

Resistance to manipulation can be active or passive. Active is suitable for people with strong energy, self-confidence, and independent views. You can openly resist if the manipulator is lower on the social ladder (a subordinate, a salesperson in a store). Passive resistance is recommended for people with weak energy and health, as well as when the deceiver is higher in social status than his victim (boss).

Passive resistance

Passive resistance is characterized by:

1. Slowness. The victim's reactions and speech are slow.
2. Ignoring. The victim pretends that he did not understand the meaning of what was said, forcing him to repeat the same information several times. Ignoring can be reduced to a complete lack of reaction. For example, if the victim remains silent throughout the conversation, the dialogue turns into a monologue. The manipulator talks to himself, which stops his attempts at further influence.
3. Agreement. Open resistance increases the pressure of the manipulator, and the victim’s consent makes him relax.
4. Repeating remarks spoken by the manipulator. The intonation needs to be changed to interrogative.

Most of these techniques are aimed at causing irritation or bewilderment of the deceiver, causing him to lose control of the situation.

To protect himself from foul play, the victim should focus his attention not on the liar's speech, but on his face. Lies are given out:

• redness of the skin;
• shifting eyes, the expression of which does not coincide with what the liar is saying;
• muscle tension;
• rapid breathing.

Active resistance

To stop manipulation you need:

1. Open discussion about the inadmissibility of deception. The deceiver's consent does not mean that he has accepted the rules of the game.
2. Revealing the essence of the trick. The manipulator is told in what way he is trying to influence the victim. This technique is not always recommended. When the victim knows about the method being used, she will control the liar. The manipulator will be confident that the lie went unnoticed and will not change tactics.
3. A repeated reminder of the inadmissibility of deception. If the manipulator is caught off guard when using a new technique, there is a chance that he will stop the dishonest game. The deceiver may be intimidated by the erudition of the victim.
4. Reciprocal reception. A kind of competition begins between the interlocutors. However, most often the winner is the one who was able to give up the dishonest game in time.

Subconscious defenses

Protection against manipulation in communication is rarely conscious. The victim feels his position subconsciously and can take an action that even to himself seems irrational. The most common ways to get rid of a manipulator include leaving and ignoring. The victim uses the second method if he cannot leave.

Complex

1. Shift of emphasis

Manipulators deliberately shift the emphasis in the material they present, relegating something not entirely desirable to the background and emphasizing what they need. This is often the lot of the media, which in most cases serve their masters. An example is the anecdote from the era of stagnation about Secretary General Brezhnev. The media are commenting on the race around the White House that took place at the suggestion of Jimmy Carter. Carter and Leonid Ilyich ran a race. Of the two participants, the younger and stronger Carter, of course, won this race. The American media write smugly: “Our respected president is in excellent shape and could easily come first, and General Secretary Brezhnev only got there last!” Our media wrote with restraint: “In the competition held in Washington, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev came to the finish line second. US President Jimmy Carter could only be content with his second-to-last place.”

Antidote : Check the information, do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions and find out details.

2. Emotional contagion

This manipulation technology is based on such a property of the human psyche as emotional contagion. It is known that a person builds certain protective barriers to obtaining information that is undesirable for him. To bypass such a barrier (censorship of the psyche), it is necessary to direct a manipulative effect on feelings. Thus, by “charging” the necessary information with the necessary emotions, it is possible to overcome the barrier of the mind and cause an explosion of passions in a person, forcing him to worry about what he heard. Next, the effect of emotional contagion comes into play, which is most widespread in the crowd, where, as is known, the threshold of criticality of each individual is lower and historically more ancient reflexes and instincts are activated. A similar manipulation technique is used during a number of reality shows, when participants speak in a raised voice and sometimes demonstrate significant emotional arousal. This forces viewers to continuously watch the twists and turns of the events shown, empathizing with the main characters.

Antidote : Separate the wheat from the chaff. It is necessary to separate the emotional message and the substantive aspect of the information. For example, before making a purchase under pressure from a clever salesman or advertising, think about what goals, desires and projected expenses you had before this situation/information appeared, what specific qualities and properties of the product/service interested you, and how much you really need them. If it is possible to postpone making a decision, it is better to consider the issue of expediency later, in a calmer and more adequate emotional state, following the rule “the morning is wiser than the evening.”

3. “Psychological Aikido”

Depending on the presentation of the same materials, you can achieve different, sometimes opposing, opinions of the audience. That is, some event can be artificially “not noticed”, but something else, on the contrary, can be given increased attention. Here is a clear example of how this works:

"Dear Mom and Dad! Since I left for college, I have been careless in writing letters. I regret that I was inattentive and that I did not write until now. I will tell you now everything that happened, but before you continue reading, please sit down. You won't read any further until you sit down, okay? Well, now I feel quite tolerable. The skull fracture and concussion I suffered when I jumped out of my dorm window when it caught fire shortly after I arrived here are now mostly healed. I spent two weeks in the hospital and now I can see almost normally. Headaches occur only once a day. Fortunately, the fire in the hostel and my jump were seen by the operator on duty at the gas station located next to the hostel. It was he who called the fire department and called an ambulance. He also visited me in the hospital and, since I had nowhere to live after the fire, he was kind enough to offer to share his room with him.

Article on the topic

How our consciousness is manipulated: 10 simplest techniques and defense techniques

It's actually a basement room, but it's quite nice. He is a wonderful guy, we fell in love and are getting married. We haven't set an exact date yet, but the wedding will happen before my pregnancy becomes noticeable. Yes, mom and dad, I'm pregnant. I know that you dream of becoming a grandparent and that you will welcome the child and surround him with the same love, devotion and tender care that surrounded me as a child. The reason for the delay in our marriage is that my friend contracted a minor infection that interferes with premarital blood tests, and I inadvertently contracted the infection from him. I'm sure you will welcome my friend with open arms. He is kind, and although not very educated, he is hardworking.

Now that I've told you what happened, I want to tell you that there was no fire in the dorm, I didn't have a concussion or a skull fracture, I wasn't in the hospital, I'm not pregnant, I'm not engaged, I'm not infected and I don't have a friend. However, I get low grades in American history and bad grades in chemistry, and I want you to look at these grades with wisdom and leniency.

Your loving daughter Sharon"

In his book The Psychology of Influence, American social psychologist Robert Cialdini cites this funny letter as an example of the skillful use of the principle of perceptual contrast to influence people and change their beliefs. You can be sure that this wonderful little weapon of influence provided by the principle of contrast does not go unclaimed. The enormous advantage of the principle is not only that it works effectively, but also that its use is practically invisible to an untrained person.

Antidote : Learn to return yourself to the originally chosen position before external influences introduce it. Review whether your current position aligns with your strategic principles and priorities. Compare your position before and after receiving additional external information that changed your perception of what is happening. Analyze the reliability, importance and significance of information brought from outside. Relate the insights you gain from this information to your long-term and prior plans, value systems, priorities, and significant relationships.

4. Commands hidden in sentences and questions

The manipulator hides his command under the guise of a request. This can be clearly demonstrated by one Zen Buddhist parable:

The conversations of the Zen teacher Bankei attracted not only Zen students, but also people of different sects and ranks. His large audience displeased the priest of the Nichiren sect, as followers of the sect deserted him to hear about Zen. A self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple intending to argue with Bankei.

- Hey, Zen teacher! - he called. - Wait a minute. Anyone who respects you will obey your words, but I do not respect you. Can you make me obey?

“Come to me and I will show you,” Bankei said. The priest began to majestically make his way through the crowd to the teacher. Bankei smiled:

-Stand to my left.

The priest obeyed.

“No,” said Bankei, “it will be more convenient for us to talk if you stand to my right.” Go here.

The priest moved to the right with dignity.

“You see,” said Bankei, “you obey me.” It seems to me that you are a subtle and soft person. Now sit down and listen.

In this parable from the distant past, we can observe direct manipulation; it only emphasizes the nature of the messages behind ordinary conversation and sentences. But such influence can also be achieved through more hidden methods.

Antidote : Be clear about your goals and frame of reference. It is also worth trying to find out the motives and interests of the interlocutor. In the future, it will be easier to track the tactics and strategy for achieving them, formalized in the form of specific techniques.

5. Avoiding discussion

Such a manipulative action is carried out with the demonstrative use of resentment. For example, “...it is impossible to constructively discuss serious issues with you...”, “... your behavior makes it impossible to continue our meeting...” or “I am ready to continue this discussion, but only after you get your nerves in order...”, etc. P.

Disruption of a discussion by provoking a conflict is carried out using a variety of techniques to infuriate the opponent, when the discussion turns into an ordinary squabble, completely unrelated to the original topic.

Antidote : Maintain emotional calm, restraint and self-control. Explain to yourself that this trick is a provocation of the aggressor and will not work, since you have already identified it. You should not feel anger towards the aggressor himself for allowing himself such injustice. This is his nature.

6. Artificial displacement of the dispute

In this case, having begun to discuss any position, the manipulator tries not to give arguments from which this position follows, but suggests immediately moving on to their refutation. In this way, the opportunity to criticize the position of the manipulator is limited, and the dispute itself is shifted to the argumentation of the opposite side. If the opponent succumbs to this and begins to criticize the position put forward, citing various arguments, they try to argue around these arguments, looking for shortcomings in them. The manipulator does not provide his system of evidence for discussion.

Antidote : Get the conversation back on track. Remember the home field effect in football. In communication, “one’s own field” is even more important. Do not give up the initiative and return “to yourself” and the chosen position.

7. Flow of questions

In the case of this manipulative technique, the object is asked several different questions on one topic at once. In the future, they act depending on his answer: they accuse him of not understanding the essence of the problem, or of not answering the question completely, or of trying to mislead.

Antidote : State that you think it would be more appropriate to answer the questions sequentially, and keep your answers focused on your chosen topic. In case of aggressive pressure, ignore subsequent questions and continue to calmly answer the one you have chosen or pause until the flow of questions dries up. Options for actively discrediting the manipulator are possible. For example, take a piece of paper and start writing down questions with a comment, as in the famous comedy: “Can’t you slow down, I’m writing down...”

AIF.RU thanks the Peter publishing house for the provided excerpt.

Methods of manipulation

How exactly are people managed? There are many ways to manipulate

All of them are based on the same principle of cunning: touching on the target - a topic that is important for another, otherwise there will be no response from the controlled

The most common methods of manipulation are:

• Ostensible indifference. One person treats the opinion of another somewhat dismissively, and that person begins to doubt whether he is right.
• Quoting the interlocutor. A frequent technique during which the words previously spoken by the manipulated are slightly distorted by the manipulator and take on a different meaning.
• Imaginary weakness. Usually girls resort to this method, flaunting their helplessness in an attempt to get help.
• Pseudo-love and pseudo-friendship. Declaring love or acting out friendship (imaginary) helps to achieve a completely different level of relationship, greater indulgence.
• Fast pace of communication. The manipulator talks actively and a lot. An excess of information arises; a person does not have time to carefully monitor everything, missing the influence of the manipulator.
• Imaginary fatigue. Sometimes you don’t want to disturb a tired loved one, you have to rather agree with his opinion. Manipulators take advantage of this.

Fatigue Manipulation

Attention to detail. By isolating one detail from a large-scale event, taking it out of its original context, you can present information to your interlocutor in a distorted way. Irony, mockery

If you ironically communicate with a person, allow him to mock his words a little, you can force him to have an emotional outburst. At this time, the state of consciousness changes, people become more susceptible to outside influence. False benefit. The manipulator may express the opinion that his opponent benefits more from a particular situation. To do this, he usually diminishes his share. This is usually followed by the interlocutor’s desire to equalize the benefits. Hastily changing the topic of conversation. Jumping from topic to topic can be discouraging and cause confusion, which gives the manipulator the opportunity to influence the opponent. Anger, aggression. By acting out a strong angry outburst, you can provoke the interlocutor’s desire to quickly calm down the angry manipulator. That's all he needs.

There are very, very many ways to manipulate. Manipulation, as human psychology, is not allowed to stand still; it develops along with the world around people.

Methods of protection against NLP techniques

The spread of neurolinguistic programming has taken on alarming proportions, seeking to involve as many people as possible in its networks. Some manipulators are able to influence people with their thoughts. You need to take measures to protect yourself from enslavement of your psyche. First you need to test yourself for susceptibility to other people's influence. Fans of manipulation prefer to work with people who:

• experience an increased need for other people's attention;
• prone to phobias of various types;
• suffer from mood swings;
• do not see the purpose of their own life;
• strive for easy sources of income;
• have problems in their personal life.

If at least one of the above signs is detected, then you need to urgently take measures to avoid becoming a victim of scammers. Appearance and demeanor also attract the attention of scammers, so you should urgently work on changing your image and inner world.

Ways to resist manipulation

Manipulation is a phenomenon that can seriously affect life. However, it has a number of disadvantages. The most significant of them is easy destructibility. As soon as the object of influence realizes this, it will no longer be possible to influence him in this way. This means that protection against manipulation comes into play. There are several techniques that are suitable in one case or another.

Passive

The manipulation has been recognized, but it is not advisable to quarrel with this person. For example, if this is an alcoholic neighbor in a deranged state, you cannot predict how he will behave if he receives a refusal.

Alcoholic

Or if it is a boss, colleague, wife or husband, child, mother, with whom you want to maintain a good relationship. Then everything can be, as they say, “released on the brakes”:

• Pretend that the question or topic of conversation is not clear.
• Gently move the conversation in a different direction.
• Ask clarifying questions, gaining time. At this moment, come up with a weighty, significant reason for refusal.

There are nuances and subtleties here. First, you need to remain calm. The slightest gap, and it will be more difficult to defend yourself, the manipulator will begin to press with renewed vigor. Secondly, in order to perceive less of what is being suggested, you can try to switch to your internal thoughts or contemplation of the environment. Let the opponent's speech flow into nowhere.

Active

One of the ways to protect against manipulation is an active, or even aggressive technique. It is used when there is no fear of conflict, when a possible deterioration in relations is not scary.

The first rule of the technique is to speak directly, openly and honestly about your feelings. Express dissatisfaction, indignation, bewilderment. This will either discourage the manipulator or force him to use aggression in response and reveal his plans. After this there are two possible ways:

1. Demand a brief answer to what the manipulator needs, and give a clear refusal. In this way, you will be able to put the manipulator in his place, as if winning back your right to personal boundaries. This will entail an inevitable deterioration in the relationship between the interlocutors, therefore resorting to this method should be done as a last resort.

Conflict between manipulator and manipulated

1. Apply manipulation in response. It is usually easy to fight a manipulator in this way - he does not expect such a move. Consequently, the object of its influence will be in an advantageous position.

PS - 1. Postscript for the first part.

Naturally, you should understand that almost none of the methods are used in their pure form. That is, as a rule, a combination of several methods is used at once. There may be a lie to play on pride and flatter, and then there is love according to the first scheme.

It is up to you to decide which methods to choose. The more complex the strategy, the more difficult it is to unravel. Likewise, if they are trying to manipulate you, it is more difficult to figure out when the person uses many methods at once.

The second part (the final one) will be released soon. Subscribe to RSS so you don't miss out.

______________________ This is how the technology turns out to be.

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The manipulation process: sequence of actions during suggestion

To achieve the desired effect of influence, you need to consistently apply the basic methods of manipulation:

Address your interlocutor by name. Psychologists working with personality development advise addressing interlocutors by name to increase the level of trust. The name makes the appeal personal, the individual involuntarily listens to it

But it is important to watch the tone: it should not be threatening or patronizing, otherwise the effect will be the opposite. Start a conversation with a compliment. Another technique that helps to win over your interlocutor is to say a routine compliment.

This helps keep the conversation casual, even if the manipulator is involved in business negotiations. Copy behavior. By adopting the pose of the interlocutor and repeating his gestures, the manipulator adapts to him. Adjustment simplifies the process of subjugating the victim, lulling attention. But it is important not to overdo it: if the object notices intentional copying, he moves away. The copying style should be unnoticeable. Use the fatigue effect. At the end of the working day, employees' critical perception decreases. They want to go home and become vulnerable to any influence. If at this time you invite them to participate in a survey, they will answer in a way that is beneficial to the manipulator in order to free themselves quickly. Do me a small favor. A little help does not formally force a colleague to reciprocate the gesture, but he will feel obligated. Using this feeling, you can ask for a favor, most likely he will do it. Show increased attention. Everyone wants to feel exceptional. You can play on this desire by paying increased attention to the object. Feeling flattered, a person will not be able to notice the coercion. Anticipate desires. This technique also works to create a feeling of exclusivity. The object takes the prediction of desires for flattery and easily lets the manipulator into the zone of trust, not noticing external pressure.

The means of manipulation must be appropriate to the situation, so some methods can be skipped if they can cause harm or reveal the intentions of the manipulator.