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.

Social manipulation

Manipulation of the mass consciousness of society or the opinion of the people is an extensive and rather complex process. This usually happens with the help of the media. Basic effective methods of influence:

1. Divert attention . Public attention is switched from important problems to others that either do not concern them or are of little significance. For example, broadcast a story about an earthquake in some African country on all television channels, and at that moment approve unpopular bills.
2. Create a problem and offer a solution . For example, allow illegal construction, and then pass a law that supposedly will protect the rights of shareholders, but in fact will increase the cost of housing.
3. Gradual implementation. To adopt an unpopular measure, it must not be implemented immediately. An example is the adoption of the law on resort fees. Now they offer to collect 10-30 rubles, then the amount will be increased.
4. Communicating with people as with small children. Most propaganda speeches are written as if they were addressed to children or mentally handicapped people.
   The manipulator explains everything “on his fingers,” this allows him to avoid a critical assessment of his performance.
5. Evoking emotions. People under the influence of emotions have a blocked ability to think critically. In addition, it is easier to act on the subconscious of the people.
6. Block people's access to true information, praise ignorance. This is expressed in the broadcasting of stupid programs on TV, the promotion of vulgarity and bad manners.
7. Depreciation of the mental abilities of the people. A person who feels stupid and uneducated will never dare to resist or strike.

How to understand that you are being manipulated in a relationship? Read about it here.

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.

How does psychological influence work?

To achieve the desired result, you need to influence a person constantly and persistently. The best example of such an influence on consciousness is advertising. In the 20th century, its means were posters and signs, which were easy to ignore. But with the development of television and other media, advertising has become a separate art form.

Commercials not only demonstrate the qualities of a product, they shape people’s worldview and attitude towards a certain situation. Through a short video you can shape public opinion, cause joy, anger, and mistrust. These types of advertising include political and social. They influence the subconscious, appealing to emotions. Repeated repetition of commercials makes viewers doubt their own opinions and act as the advertisement suggests. Manipulation of public opinion allows you to gain the support of people in a non-violent way, simply by presenting information in such a way that they see benefit in it for themselves.

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.

Psychological influence tools

It’s one thing when a person is nearby and you can convince him with words, looks, movements, intonation. But what to do if the goal is the consciousness of an audience of people located in different cities and even countries.

For this purpose, psychological influence tools are used:

Military means. Trade and financial sanctions. Political means. Fine and musical arts. MASS MEDIA. Internet.

Controlling the masses with the help of these tools leads to stunning results. We are used to believing what we read on the Internet and see on TV, and it never occurs to us that this is just another method of psychological influence. Let's take as an example the canons of beauty that existed 50 years ago and those that exist now. Both were dictated by fashion using the media to sell their products.

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

Means of psychological influence on humans

Using the example of one of the means of psychological influence on the masses, we can consider advertising, which has become commonplace. Relatively recently, advertising existed as signs in shops, cafes or catering establishments. These were ordinary posters recommending film screenings or concerts of pop stars.

Today, advertising has turned into large-scale, high-quality videos that not only inform people about a product, presentation or announcement, they force them to make a choice in favor of a particular product, form the formation of values ​​and direct a person’s thoughts and actions in the right direction. It is important to pay attention to what your children watch, as there are influences that have a destructive effect on the individual.

Many believe that the psychological impact of advertising is the engine of trade (a hackneyed phrase, but it is true), others believe that demand implies the release of new products, the struggle for primacy between which is resolved through advertising. This is one of the most effective means that influences a lot of people and forces them to act under dictation.

Under the influence of advertising, many girls walk in uncomfortable high heels

This applies not only to a particular product or singer; advertising can sway public opinion in favor of a particular candidate for government elections. This method is also called “manipulation of public opinion” or “the dark art of influencing people.” Moreover, the manipulation is not carried out by force, but by methods of correctly constructing the candidate’s advertising program. It turns out what the electorate needs at this stage of the formation and development of society and general phrases and promises are adjusted. Each person “sees” a benefit for himself in these promises and votes for this particular chosen one.

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.

Minor types of psychological influence

One of the frequently used methods of influence is rumors. These are messages that come from a specific person. They are usually false and used to humiliate another individual. Often they are not supported by any facts. People perceive rumors because they want to quickly get the information they need.

Building Favor

This technique is often used by traders and sellers to sell their goods. They make favorable judgments about a person, especially about his appearance. They can additionally use imitation, copying a person’s behavior, his gestures, facial expressions, and manner of communication.

The communicator does this to create a positive impression of himself. In the process of forming favor, the following techniques are used:

• attention;
• compliments;
• seeking advice;
• playing along with identified complexes, etc.

The success of this type of influence depends on the first impression. The second important key to success is self-presentation.

In order for the formation of favor to have the desired effect, you need to have excellent communication skills. You need to be able to find an approach to a person, see his weaknesses and put moral pressure on them.

Request

A situation where a communicator makes a request to someone. He can do this calmly or obsessively. The result of influence depends on the relationship between individuals.

Often this is an appeal with a desire to satisfy the needs of the communicator. The secret weapons are a gentle voice, a calm tone, a smile and maximum sincerity and openness.

The ability to say “no” is important. Having this ability will help avoid conflict situations and relieve a person from having to justify his choice. There will be no shouting at each other either.

Self-promotion

This is an open type of influence. Designed to show your best qualities, professional skills and abilities. This method is used by people with a sense of self-worth. In the process of influence there is an open demonstration of professionalism and qualifications.

A common goal of self-promotion is to gain the competitive advantage necessary to achieve one's own goals. It can happen voluntarily or involuntarily.

Self-promotion is often implemented on:

• conferences;
• meetings;
• negotiations;
• interviews;
• public speaking.

This influence technique is often used by politicians when running for a certain position. Their goal is to gain recognition from citizens.

Compulsion

This type of influence is needed to force people to work or perform certain actions. Forms of coercion may include threats, blackmail, and imprisonment. The most brutal forms are physical harm, violence, restriction of freedom of action.

In addition to physical means, moral ones can be used. These are humiliations, insults, subjective criticism in a rude form.

The victim perceives coercion as strong psychological pressure and the taking away of necessary goods for a normal life. The threat can be deadly or precautionary. This implies the possibility of social sanctions or physical beatings.

Attack

One of the forms of releasing emotional tension. A sudden, deliberate attack is carried out on a person's psyche to make him irritable, nervous and aggressive.

This type of influence is often used by athletes, especially when the sport involves physical contact between 2 or more people. Speaking of attack, it should be said that resistance to other people's influence is resistance to the influence of suggestion.

The main tools of influence during an attack:

• negative statements;
• rude, offensive judgments;
• ridicule of life or certain qualities;
• a reminder of defeats or shameful incidents from the biography.

The person using the attack may impose his opinion on the communicator or give him advice. Often such an individual gets pleasure because he hurt another.

Argumentation

Usually used to convince a person that his thoughts are wrong. The speaker, by presenting specific arguments, tries to convince a person to change his decision.

Main requirements for argumentation:

• accuracy;
• correctness;
• reinforcement with proven and recognized facts;
• brevity.

This type of influence is often used by teachers in educational institutions. Trying to convince a student of his mistake, they begin to make a lot of arguments. The right to answer is usually given when a person has already thought about everything and is ready to voice a counterargument.

Another option for using argumentation is in the field of advertising. It is carried out together with persuasion. Initially, advertisers describe a product or service, and the need for its purchase is proven using arguments. They are a detailed description of the advantages of the advertised object.

Manipulation

One of the most frequently used influence techniques in everyday life. Manipulations are hidden incentives to experience certain states.

With the help of certain phrases, the communicator tries to influence the choice and decision-making of another person. He does this for selfish reasons to achieve his own goals.

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 of psychological influence on a person

Mental influence on a person has its goal - the desire to force a person to consciously or unconsciously obey certain guidelines, norms, laws or requirements.

The director in a team of subordinates, using psychological techniques to influence his interlocutor, has his goal - to unite people or give them food for thought and action for the benefit of the company in which they work.

The psychological influence of parents on their children implies the goal of raising them to be good, well-mannered and law-abiding citizens.

Parents know how to psychologically influence their child, for example, to make him laugh

The psychological impact of advertising is aimed at making people buy one or another advertised product, vote for the right candidate, or watch a movie on which a lot of money has been spent, and they need to be returned as soon as possible.

Techniques for influencing people do not always involve following a good idea. This can be seen in the example of suicide bombers. After all, these people were subjected to suggestion, processing and hypnosis in order to destroy their own kind. Together with the mass of people they kill, they themselves die. And this is contrary to human nature. Consequently, with the help of psychological influence, you can radically change a person’s worldview, make him a puppet in the wrong hands and force him to act contrary to common sense.

As already mentioned, any psychological impact fully affects people who are insecure. Literate, educated and self-confident individuals are difficult to suggest, infect and persuade.

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”.

Methods of psychological influence

Methods of psychological influence are varied. Politicians and dictators are fluent in each of them:

Belief. Influence through arguments. Self-promotion. Demonstrating your advantages over other people to gain the trust of others. Suggestion. Impact without arguments. Infection. Transferring your feelings and emotions to other people. Arousing the desire to imitate. Through words and actions, awaken people to imitate you. Evoking favor. Belief in your good intentions and goals. Request. Expressing your desires and asking for their satisfaction. Compulsion. Pressure and intimidation with threats. Destructive criticism. Suppression of a person's personality, ridicule and insult to personality. Manipulation. Indirect awakening to action or judgment.

Types of psychological influence have similar and different features, some are suitable for achieving quick results, others for influencing a person over a long time.

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.

The essence and features of psychological impact

Psychological influence is a concept often used in psychology and sociology. It is a process during which the behavior, attitudes, intentions, desires and ideas of an outsider change. With the help of mechanisms of psychological influence, the potential of intragroup or mass interaction is more fully realized. This category involves the use of methods of disintegration or group differentiation.

As features of psychological influence, it is necessary to highlight:

• Unconscious (spontaneous) character;
• Lack of social control;
• Use for a specific purpose (positive or negative);
• The intermediate state of man.

The topic of psychological influence is especially interesting for entrepreneurs, advertisers, marketers and businessmen. By using influence mechanisms, they can sell their products (sell their services) more quickly. The results of work of representatives of these professions will largely depend on the ability to use tools of psychological influence.

The category “psychologically constructive impact” is characterized by the fact that it should not have a negative impact on the individual. Psychological literacy and correctness must be among the mandatory requirements.

Influencing people is often used in everyday life. Modern conditions show that this often began to happen for the sake of selfish intentions or to obtain a certain benefit. If you know well the characteristics of your interlocutor, then achieving the desired result cannot be difficult.

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!

Increasing feelings of self-guilt

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To make a person believe that only he is to blame for his own misfortunes, which occur due to a lack of his mental capabilities, abilities or efforts. As a result, instead of rebelling against the economic system, a person begins to engage in self-deprecation, blaming himself for everything, which causes a depressed state, leading, among other things, to inaction. And without action there can be no talk of any revolution!

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?

Care.

Yes Yes Yes. I washed the dishes instead of my wife and even made the bed. Then he kissed her and said that I loved her. I carried him around the apartment in my arms a couple of times and said: “Zai, I’ll go with the boys today and drink beer in the sauna?”

Second example. Again on the box: “Pensions will be increased by 500 rubles.” People: “Hurray, what a good state we have.” And on another channel: “We are raising the transport tax...”. People: “Goats, goats. Okay, at least they raised pensions.” I, of course, have been too specific here, but this is even better, since it’s closer to reality.

Attention! If they start caring about you, keep your eyes peeled! In reality, in most cases they are trying to manipulate you. And if it is easy to recognize the manipulation of people who have never cared about you, but then suddenly started, then it is much more difficult to recognize when this is done by a loved one or even a person who loves you.

You can also recall the famous advertising slogans: “We care about you.” And between the lines there is scribbled: “the main thing is, buy, buy.”

A significant advantage of this method is that, even after realizing that you manipulated him, a person is still in a positive mood in most cases, since he is already softened by the care that you showed before. But there are exceptions here, too, so you shouldn’t obviously rely on mercy in case of an error.

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.

Methods of influence

Sometimes an individual can feel how someone is influencing him. These could be advertisers, sales managers, authorities, politicians and even close people. The influence can be exerted both consciously and on an unconscious level. The method of influence is based on the ability to program the psyche, turning off the mind, using certain approaches.

1. Psychological attack. A situation when the psyche is actively influenced, and various techniques are used that quickly change. The rapidity of actions, which includes: changeable body position, speech becomes verbose, energetic gestures.
2. Programming. Directed at one person, the words are unambiguous, the position is passive, and immobility is characteristic. This method contributes to the formation of a specific sequence of emerging thoughts, the opinion becomes imposed, and the behavior becomes stereotypical for a specific situation.
3. Manipulation. Characterized by ambiguous speech and well-thought-out body position. A person has dual images that put him in a position of choice. They force him to change in favor of the manipulator. Used by politicians and ideologists.
4. Psychological pressure. This is an impact of great intensity, based on a representative image. Speech becomes affirmative, objections are unacceptable, instructions are like orders, the body position is stable and stable. This method promotes forced performance of certain actions, the person is belittled. Can be used by managers, authorities, and is typical for the army.

I bring to your attention methods that you can use when communicating with other people, and also understand that you are being manipulated.

Infection. A method based on transferring the emotional mood of one person to another. For example, a case when one irritated individual in a bad mood spoils it for his loved ones. Or in a situation where three people are riding in an elevator that gets stuck, and only one begins to panic, followed by the others having panic attacks. Don’t think that you can only become infected with negative emotions. The same situation can be observed if, in a company of friends, when a funny story is being told, one person begins to laugh, and the others also pick up his laughter. Suggestion. It is no longer the emotional level that is involved here. The main role is played by authority, correctly chosen phrases, visual contact, and special intonation of voice. That is, one person, having his own goals, convinces another to act in a way that is beneficial to him. It is worth noting that actions will definitely fail if the manipulator has an uncertain voice. This technique can have a tremendous impact on children under 12 years of age, as well as on insecure individuals and those prone to neuroses. Belief. This method is based on logic; a person turns to the mind of another individual. It is worth considering that the reception will be a failure if communication is with an underdeveloped personality. You need to understand that it is stupid to prove something to someone if he is of low intelligence

When resorting to this technique, it is necessary to take into account the following features: there should be no falsehood in the speech, otherwise trust will be lost, it is important that the statements fully correspond to the image of the speaker, the conviction must be built according to the thesis plan, followed by an argument, and then a proof. Imitation

Most of all, it affects the child’s psyche and influences the formation of personality. It represents both a conscious and unconscious desire to copy another person, his behavior, actions, appearance, way of thinking. The problem is that good people are not always imitated. The object being imitated must meet the ideals of the imitator in all situations, then his desire to imitate will be constant.

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.

Secrets, methods and techniques

NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming. It implies a hidden impact on each person individually and on society as a whole.

This direction of practical psychology was founded in the mid-20th century by Californian scientists Grinder and Bandler .

NLP is a set of psychotechnical techniques that, at the verbal and non-verbal level, lay certain attitudes in a person’s consciousness.

With the help of these techniques, an individual can influence opponents , achieve his goals in personal relationships, successfully negotiate, win over his boss, etc.

Some techniques are very complex and are taught in special schools. But there are very simple manipulation techniques that every individual uses throughout his life, without even realizing it.

The main techniques that manipulators use:

1. Accession (adjustment).
   This technique is often used by scammers. To win over your interlocutor, you need to start copying his behavior (facial expressions, gestures).
2. Rapport technique. After establishing contact with the interlocutor, the manipulator creates a trusting atmosphere. For example, he says that he can solve a problem, give directions, etc.
3. Reception of "Three YES", . After creating a trust space, the manipulator begins to solve the main problem. To do this, he asks three questions to which the interlocutor must answer positively. For example: “Do you live in this city?” After a series of such questions, he moves on to the main thing: “Could you lend me money?” To this question he usually also receives the answer “yes.”
4. Template breaking technique . It involves doing the opposite of what the opponent expects. This technique works great in personal relationships. For example, on a first date a girl is invited not to a restaurant, but to some unusual place.
5. Switching attention. This technique is based on the ability of a person’s consciousness to focus on only one area. This technique is used by magicians and scammers.
6. Technique of conducting. After completely taking over a person’s consciousness, the manipulator can do whatever he wants with him.
   For example, scammers on the street ask you to guard their belongings, and at that moment they themselves steal valuables and money from their interlocutor. Gypsies are proficient in these techniques, this explains the fact that deceived people do not understand how they gave them everything they had.

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.

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The essence of psychological influence By definition, psychological influence is the influence on a person’s state, his actions, thoughts and feelings exclusively by psychological means, with the provision of the right and time to respond to the influence. True, with some types of influence (for example, during manipulation and attack), they try not to provide the right and time to respond to the influence. At its core, psychological influence is “penetration” into someone else’s psyche. The goal and, at the same time, the result of this “penetration” are: change, restructuring of views, relationships, motives, attitudes, human states, etc. The influence process involves two parties, the initiator and the addressee. The initiator of influence is the one who initially seeks to influence the other party (the addressee). The initiator and recipient can be represented by both individuals and groups. For example, in pop hypnosis, the audience in the audience is the recipient, and the hypnotist is the initiator. There may also be a situation where several initiators influence one person at once. Usually, the initiator has significant advantages, since he initiates the impact and initially the initiative is on his side. He has the opportunity to prepare for contact, which creates an even greater advantage in the possibilities of influence. Types of psychological influence Psychological influence is not only manipulation or suggestion. It also includes: persuasion, self-promotion, request, coercion, ignoring, attack, infection, imitation, gaining sympathy, control, rumors and NLP.

• Persuasion (argumentation) is a logically reasoned influence on people’s consciousness. The purpose of persuasion is to create, strengthen or change the views, opinions, attitudes, and assessments of the recipient of the influence so that he accepts a different point of view and follows it in his activities and behavior.

How does the persuasion process work? Every day we receive a lot of information that convinces us of something. No matter how convincing the facts offered are, we do not believe absolutely everything. The fact is that in order to make sure you need to go through several stages and at the same time the proposed information must coincide with our settings. The stages are as follows: presenting information, paying attention, understanding, accepting the proposed conclusion, consolidating the attitude, translating the attitude into behavior. First, the persuader presents information and tries to attract attention to it. The main thing here is our attitudes and the “dosage” of information. Since attention is selective, we are more attracted to information that matches our attitudes. Conversely, we can easily reject what contradicts life principles. Attention can only focus on a limited amount of information. If there is too much of it, the consciousness will simply reject most of the information. To persuade, it is necessary not only to understand the proposed message, but also to accept the conclusion that follows from it. Therefore, information conveyed clearly and clearly argued will be more persuasive than a long message with many unclear terms conveyed in a noisy environment. It’s not for nothing that they say: “Brevity is the sister of talent”, “Everything ingenious is simple.” Information that is easy to understand is well absorbed. Understanding does not always lead to acceptance. If a person listens to long-known and understood arguments several times, this will not change his attitude. The information presented must be new and not previously announced. In addition, any information evokes certain feelings and memories. Therefore, when a message evokes positive feelings and thoughts (such as dreams of wealth), we agree with it. Different people have different knowledge and view the world differently. It is easier to convince if you speak to a person in a language he understands (for example, in a conversation with an accountant, use the terms “balance”, “amounts”, etc.) and about what worries him. Among other things, we tend to believe recognized authorities, attractive people, and what the majority agrees with. Resistance to persuasion Sometimes we don’t believe something at first, but after listening to the arguments, we accept someone else’s point of view. And this does not mean at all that we have adopted the correct point of view. They just convinced us. To increase resistance to persuasion, you need to: a) be committed to existing beliefs; b) strive for knowledge; c) learn to challenge other people’s arguments; d) be prepared for attacks on our lifestyle and attitudes. Commitment to one's own beliefs and a willingness to state one's position greatly increases one's resistance to persuasion. Thus, a person will challenge arguments that contradict his attitudes, especially when they affect his personal values. It is very difficult to convince a person if his attitudes are based on knowledge about the subject or problem being discussed. The more knowledge there is, the stronger and clearer the installation. When you have knowledge, it is easier to put forward counterarguments. Without a knowledge base, the recipient becomes very vulnerable to persuasive attacks. In any society there are opinions that are shared by all its members and therefore cannot be questioned. They are simply assumed to be true and not given much thought. Such opinions are called cultural truisms (for example, “you should brush your teeth after eating”). These opinions are easy to refute, usually because people have weak defenses. The attitude is so weak that it is impossible to effectively challenge a persuasive message. To increase resistance and ability to defend cultural truisms, it is necessary to provide people with information and arguments that support these truisms. For example, you might say, “Research shows that if you brush your teeth regularly, you are less likely to get cavities.” Now that people hear arguments against brushing their teeth regularly, they will be less likely to change their attitudes. The ability to challenge other people's arguments can be “instilled.” To do this, any opinion is subjected to weak criticism so that a person defends his point of view on his own. If he fails, you can suggest counterarguments and invite him to think about his own arguments to repel criticism. Having dealt with a weak attack, he will be able to defend his position even under strong influence. Persuasion is stronger when it is unexpected. If a person has had time to prepare, think about it, draw up counterarguments and is motivated, he will successfully defend his position. Following the perception of information, its understanding and acceptance, there is a decrease in the critical attitude towards the proposed arguments and conclusions. In other words, we become convinced that we are beginning to understand. People with high educational levels exhibit more intense resistance to persuasion. A critical attitude to a message may arise if it has many details, contains logical errors and arguments that contradict group norms.

• Self-promotion - self-promotion. It is realized by demonstrating competence, high status and power, associating oneself with highly significant individuals.

• Suggestion is an influence on the psyche that involves uncritical perception of information. It represents verbal constructions composed in a certain way.

Suggestion and its types Suggestion is the introduction of any ideas, feelings, emotions without the possibility of critical evaluation and logical processing, i.e. bypassing consciousness. With suggestion, all transmitted ideas are perceived and executed “blindly”. Suggestion is used to block a person’s unwanted behavior or thinking, to persuade a person to do a desired action or behavior, and to spread useful information and rumors. Suggestions gain strength through repetition. A person can reject an offer made once, but if he listens to the same one for a while, he will accept it. In addition, the suggestion may not produce a noticeable effect immediately, but may appear after a certain time. When the conscious mind is interested and distracted, the subconscious mind is left unprotected and absorbs everything that is told to it. The main tool of suggestion is the word, and the gaze also has the effect of suggestion. Suggestion (from Latin suggestio – suggestion) leads to the appearance, in addition to will and consciousness, of a certain state, feeling, attitude; to commit an act that does not coincide with the norms, guidelines and principles of human activity. A suggestor, a source of suggestion or a suggestive subject can be an individual, a group, or the media. The suggester, the object of suggestion, can be an individual, a group, or a social stratum. Types of suggestion: Direct - influence with words. a) commands and orders. They are authoritarian and directive in nature. These are sharp, short phrases, accompanied by appropriate facial expressions, gestures, and intonation. Usually phrases are repeated several times. b) instructions that influence emotions, attitudes and motives of behavior. These are soft soothing phrases, they are repeated several times in a calm tone.

Indirect - hidden, disguised suggestion. An intermediate effect or stimulus is used to enhance the effect, for example, a pill that has no medicinal properties (“placebo effect”). Indirect suggestion is learned unconsciously, involuntarily, imperceptibly. Suggestion can occur either intentionally or unintentionally. Suggestion is intentional when the suggestor tries to achieve a specific goal, knows what and to whom he wants to suggest, and makes efforts to achieve his goals. Suggestion is unintentional when the suggestor does not set a goal to suggest something to the suggestor and does not make any effort. Such suggestion is possible if the suggerend is predisposed to what is being suggested. Those. The suggestion “You won’t succeed!” will only work if it is expressed at a time when something has not worked out for the suggester. The content of the suggestion can be positive or negative. Positive instills positive psychological properties, qualities, states (self-confidence, faith in recovery). Negative instills negative psychological properties, qualities, states (laziness, lack of self-confidence, dishonesty).

• A request is an appeal calling for the satisfaction of some needs, needs, desires. To ask is to persuade someone to fulfill their desires.

• Coercion is an influence for the purpose of a person performing any action against his will.

• Ignoring is deliberate inattention, neglect. It is used as a means of influence and as a means of protection from dangerous influences.

• Aggression (attack) is behavior that causes harm, physical damage to any person or causes psychological discomfort (negative experiences, a state of tension).

Aggression (attack) Aggression (from the Latin aggressio - attack) is destructive behavior that contradicts the rules of coexistence of people in society. Aggressive behavior involves causing physical harm or creating psychological discomfort (fear, tension, etc.). Violence has long accompanied human relationships. Sometimes with its help order is maintained in organizations and the state. In the history of mankind there are many examples of struggle for power using violence (force). Every day on TV screens we see cruelty, robberies, murders. Violence is an integral part of sports: it exists in boxing, wrestling, football, etc. However, violence is not limited to humans. This is one of the principles of nature: either you eat or you are eaten. Violence is a natural human tendency, an integral part of being human. There is physical violence (bodily violence, bullying others, causing pain) and psychological. You can torture a person psychologically as well as physically. Of course, the question arises: why do people - intelligent beings - behave so irrationally? The fact is that people's social behavior is determined not only by reason and cultural customs, but also by instincts. Aggression is a genuine instinct aimed at preserving the species. It is spontaneous and is not a simple reaction to external conditions. Therefore, it is not enough to simply exclude the factors that cause it, and thus avoid its manifestation. The development of aggressive behavior The development of aggressive behavior is a very complex process in which many factors operate. Aggressive behavior arises under the influence of the example shown by family members, friends and other people around, as well as the media. By observing the aggression of others, children themselves learn to show aggression. It does not matter whether others show aggression towards someone outside or towards the child himself. Observing other people's aggression is the main way to learn aggressive behavior. When encountering violence at home and towards oneself, observing the aggressive behavior of other children, the child also begins to behave aggressively. Children who are too aggressive, as a rule, are rejected by others, and therefore find friends among similarly aggressive peers. This contributes to even greater negative consequences, since in an aggressive company, children’s aggression intensifies. The development of aggressive behavior is influenced by the style of family education (authoritarian, overprotective, etc.), the degree of closeness between parents and child, and the characteristics of the relationship between brothers and sisters. Thus, children whose parents are cold and aloof are more prone to aggression. Parents who punish their children too much or do not control their children at all can also provoke aggressiveness and disobedience in the child. Punishment can be effective and will have a positive impact only if used correctly. The media plays an important role in the development of aggression. Today, even children's cartoons contain many scenes of violence, sometimes in a rather veiled form. Cinema, cartoons, computer games, books - everything is riddled with vivid examples of aggression. The development of aggressive behavior is not a momentary process, it occurs gradually. Having learned to show aggression at an early age, as an adult a person will also be aggressive, so it is important to prevent negative behavior in time.

• Contagion is the transfer of an emotional state from one subject to another. Occurs unconsciously or with a deliberate purpose.

• Inducement to imitation (similarity) is the use of a person’s desire to imitate someone. Imitation is conscious or unconscious following of an example, standard, model, behavior. Manifests itself in the acceptance, borrowing or reproduction of behavioral or psychological characteristics of other people.

• Formation of favor (winning sympathy, location) - establishing friendly relations, sympathy, trust.

• Manipulation is hidden control for selfish purposes.

How to avoid manipulation? People who are insecure, shy and overly trusting often become victims of manipulators and swindlers. However, people who want to appear strong, noble or generous can also fall for the trick. To protect yourself from manipulation, you can use Passive protection against manipulation and Active protection against manipulation. To avoid manipulation you need to follow a few simple rules. Don't be afraid to say no. A person who is embarrassed to say the word “no” is the easiest prey for a manipulator. You need to understand that everyone has the right to refuse, everyone has the right to say “no”. “No” must be said decisively. Keep your distance. Manipulators easily obtain information about “victims” that is useful to them, not thanks to their skills, but thanks to people’s excessive gullibility and disdain.

Be unpredictable. Unpredictability in communication with a manipulator guarantees a person’s invulnerability. When the manipulator cannot “calculate” the victim, he cannot influence him. It is impossible to win if the rules of the game are constantly changing. However, if the manipulator is a close person, then you should not overdo it.

Don't brag. Bragging is the best way to make others jealous, and for a manipulator it is a clear demonstration of the weaknesses of a potential victim - an indication of the target of influence. Those who know about this are deliberately modest. Don't show your weaknesses. Taking advantage of your interlocutor's weaknesses is the basis of any manipulation. Who wants to look greedy, indecisive, stupid, cowardly? Nobody. On the contrary, everyone wants to appear worthy, approved, noble, significant, superior in some way, have a good image, etc. Desires and aspirations can become targets. Therefore, it is worth remembering that all scams use:

• greed;
• desire to get rich quickly;
• curiosity, in particular, the desire to know one’s future, destiny;
• thirst for thrills;
• the desire to impress, to show off;
• indecision.

Compliance with these rules is a good prevention against manipulation, but you should not exaggerate and see a manipulator in everyone you meet. Active protection against manipulation When it is impossible to avoid communicating with the manipulator, and there is an opportunity not to be afraid of conflict, you can resort to active protection: declassify and launch a counterattack. The main thing is attitude. Don't be shy to say whatever you think. If the manipulator is not your boss or you do not depend on him in any other way, you can confidently repay him in the same coin - as if to mirror his actions. To do this, you can use the following techniques.

1. Dot the i's. Tell the manipulator everything that you don’t like and force him to explain: “What exactly do you need?”, “Where are you going with this?”, “And then what?”, “Tell me straight - ...”. The most important thing is to declassify his thoughts.
2. Retaliation (countermanipulation) . Pretend that you don’t understand that they are trying to manipulate you and start your game. Your goal is to respond to the manipulator with his own techniques, to show your psychological superiority.

For example, an unfamiliar interlocutor in a conversation uses diminutive forms of addressing you: “Kitty”, “Darling”, “Igorechek”. In this way, he tries to establish psychological superiority, making the so-called “extension from above.” In this case, you need to start addressing your interlocutor in a similar way until he understands that he cannot “pressure”. In general, neutralization techniques look like this:

• Openly discuss not using tricks.
• Declassify the tricks, i.e. reveal their essence.
• Remind again about the inadmissibility of using tricks.
• Use the trick-to-trick technique.

When protecting yourself from manipulation, it is worth remembering that the most important weapon is peace. You shouldn't attack first. The aggressor simply needs to be made clear that he will not achieve his goals.

Passive protection against manipulation Passive protection is the most harmless way to protect against manipulation . It can be used when you don’t know what to do, what to do, how to respond to a manipulator, or when you don’t want to spoil your relationship with him or just get involved. The following methods will help with this:

• Do not react to the words of the manipulator, remain silent, pretending that you did not hear or notice.
• Pretend to be a “fool”, pretend that you don’t understand what you’re talking about.
• Change the conversation to another topic.
• When “agreeing” with the manipulator’s proposal, be sure to stipulate that the final decision or execution depends on you - this makes it possible to “play back” if you wish.
• Repeat the manipulator’s request, but in the form of a question, thereby encouraging him to continue speaking. If action manipulation is used, then simply repeat this action (this will shift the danger that threatens you to the manipulating one).
• Show self-control, maintain restraint. The following ways will help you do this:

Looking. Negative information has an impact through hearing. Therefore, in an acute situation, you should concentrate your attention not on what and how your interlocutors say, but on what you can see in their appearance and in the surrounding environment.

Let the one who gets on your nerves continue to say whatever he wants. You carefully examine and remember the details of the situation and the face of your interlocutor, as if you were going to paint a picture later. Sudden silence will weaken the pressure of the manipulator. Visualization. The human imagination can create miracles.

• Imagine that the manipulator has something that pleases you (elf ears, butterfly wings have grown, or he has grown hair and looks like a kitten).
• mentally reduce the height of the person who gets on your nerves - let him be a midget, a gnome or a cockroach;
• try to imagine this person in a comical form (for example, in “family” shorts and a hat with earflaps);
• imagine a scene of imaginary revenge against your offender and mentally enjoy “revenge”.

Keep calm . Bustling around, running around the room, you get even more nervous. Better sit down and concentrate. Breathe as deeply as possible. Drink cold water. Take your time to answer. Take a break. This allows you to calm down and, with better concentration, choose the best answer. You can train yourself to answer only after you mentally count to ten. This, by the way, will speak of you as a respectable person who knows the value of his word. Physical state . It is very important to take care of your appearance. It would never occur to anyone to use a stressful situation to manipulate you if you demonstrate a straight back, even breathing and a firm gaze directed between the interlocutor’s eyes. If you still cannot resolve the situation peacefully, use active protection against manipulation.

Types of influence also include people management, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and rumors.

• Rumors are a specific type of information that arises spontaneously and becomes available to a wide audience. It may be deliberately distributed with the aim of influencing the public consciousness of people. Rumors are a very powerful tool of influence, therefore they are widely used in politics and marketing.

• NLP is a set of techniques and models. Gives the initiator of influence greater power over the addressee. It is manipulative if the initiator achieves a win only for himself, and the addressee is a loser. If the initiator's goal is noble in relation to the addressee, this is positive hidden control. For example, when NLP is used in psychotherapy.

• Management - presupposes the presence of appropriate status, certain powers, and power. To manage means to lead, to direct the activities of someone. For example, a manager manages subordinates; parents, educators, teachers guide children.

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.

Sarcasm.

Sarcasm hurts. This is, in principle, its main purpose - to “hurt”. Several times he “hurt” and made the person angry.

Sarcasm is easy to spot. It is much more difficult to understand his goals.

Leaders, for example, very often use sarcasm to raise their self-esteem at the expense of others, especially if they cannot respond adequately. As a result, those around you, oddly enough, believe the leaders (a person who has convinced you many times about little things, even indirectly, for some reason inspires trust. Should he?).

Very often, sarcasm is used to make a person change his mind. You can say: “There is a risk of killing this patient,” or you can: “There is a risk that if something goes wrong, your drug will eat the patient from the inside, eating all his organs.”

This is an example of crude sarcasm. Alternatively, you can say it another way: “Ha. What a cool reputation you’ll have later: a doctor who killed a patient with aspirin.”

I will also add that sarcasm is a kind of art that needs to be honed in practice. It’s better to start with light irony that won’t offend anyone. Further more.

Another everyday example. Let's say you quit drinking. You came to some feast, and someone said to you: “Why are you so sober, like a fool?” or “Let’s drink, why are you like a woman?” Many people easily succumb to such manipulations. (weaklings, really)

The disadvantage of this method is that it is, in principle, quite difficult to learn.

The plus is the powerful effect. Sometimes people simply have nothing to answer and they have to do as you directed them.

I'll repeat it again. To learn, you need to practice and try.

Types of manipulation in psychology - 14 Methods

The range of manipulator techniques is quite wide and it is almost impossible to list everything. The use of each is determined by the personality of the manipulator himself and the person being directly manipulated.

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a way of controlling a person's will. It calls into question the correctness of the partner’s thoughts. This directly affects his confidence in himself and in his actions. The goal of the manipulator in this case is to convince the other that his perception of the current situation is incorrect. This may be accompanied by instilling a false sense of guilt.

An example of gaslighting would be a situation where your partner constantly convinces you that your problems are imaginary and insignificant. At the same time, he will question the adequacy of your behavior, pointing to a violation of mental health. Such manipulations can be accompanied by phrases:

• "You imagined it"
• "You have mental problems"
• “It’s all in your head”, etc.

When gaslighting, do not let the manipulator make you believe that he is biased and wrong.

The art of manipulating people in the form of gaslighting

Projection

Projection is a method of manipulation when a person shifts the blame onto another, constantly looking for justification for his actions. In this case, the manipulator perceives the partner as a “victim” who is constantly being blamed.

For example, a pathological liar may accuse his partner of lying. An employee who does not put in the necessary effort to complete his or her tasks may perceive the boss as ineffective. This is necessary to disagree with the fact that there is not enough effort to get the job done.

Let's figure out why people's minds can be manipulated

Pointless conversation

This method of manipulation is typical for selfish and destructive individuals. The goal of the manipulator is to focus the partner’s attention on himself.

Pointless conversation can also be expressed in conflicts “from scratch.” That is, when the techniques of gaslighting, projection, and substitution of concepts are used in combination. When using this method, the manipulated person does not understand exactly how he got involved in the conversation and why he continues it for so long.

What can you do to prevent this manipulation from working for you? Stay away from open and heated discussions with the provocateur.

The art of manipulating people can also be expressed in meaningless conversations

Unsubstantiated statements

Unsubstantiated statements represent the manipulator’s reluctance to understand the details of your argument. For example, in a generalization based on individual words taken out of context. The goal of the manipulator is to devalue the phenomena and opinions of another person.

With unfounded statements, any aspect of the problem can be exaggerated so much that a serious conversation becomes impossible. For example, you tell a person that their behavior is unacceptable. In response, he immediately makes an unfounded statement about your hypersensitivity.

“You are always dissatisfied with everything” or “Nothing suits you at all.”

We answer what it means to manipulate a person

Substitution of concepts

Such manipulation is based on turning facts from head to toe. That is, using loud expressions and phrases, taking words out of the context of the conversation. The manipulator in this case makes hasty conclusions. That is, he is based on his own emotional reactions, without listening to you in the conversation to the end.

This manipulation is most often characteristic of conflict situations. For example, you express to your partner your worries that he raised his voice at you. Without listening to your arguments to the end, the manipulator begins to say similar phrases: “Does that mean I’m bad for you?”, “Are you ideal?”, “Well, since I’m so disgusting to you.”

Protection against substitution of concepts lies in building clear boundaries with such a person by being confident in your own position. Also the possibility of proving it and stopping the conversation with the manipulator. After all, as a rule, he never stops accusing you for no reason of what you didn’t say.

The highest art of manipulating people is professionally replacing concepts

Changing the topic

This method is used to retreat from the topic being discussed. It is undesirable for the manipulator and his goal is to transfer your attention to a completely different issue.

To prevent this from working for you, repeat your question or statement and don't stray from the original topic.

What does it mean to manipulate a person? Let’s find out

Threats

Such manipulation is typical of active manipulators who use ultimatums and threats. The goal of the manipulator is to conditionally punish the partner for disagreeing with him. This type of manipulator does not accept compromises and can sometimes make threats in the form of a joke.

To protect against such manipulation, respond to the threat by refusing to comply in a similar humorous form. If the manipulator continues to threaten and set conditions, end the conversation.

Why is it possible to manipulate people's minds?

Insults

The most common manipulation using words is insults. It is also typical for active manipulators. Their goal is to provoke a response from their partner through insults and unjustified criticism.

The main thing when using this method against you is not to react to insults.

Why is it possible to manipulate people's minds - Answer

Training

Training is used by a manipulator to subjugate a person, devaluing his desires and opinions. The goal of the manipulator is complete control over the actions of the other by developing the behavior necessary for the manipulator in the partner.

Why is it possible to manipulate people's consciousness - a complex question

Gossip

Vulnerable people, dependent on the opinions of others, are most often subject to such manipulation. The goal of the manipulator is to destroy the partner’s reputation and self-esteem through gossip, slander and rumors.

How to understand that a person is manipulating you - it’s simple!

From love to hate

This method is based on the zoom-out technique. The goal of the manipulator is to erase the personal boundaries of the victim, causing the manipulated person to become dependent on the relationship.

It is quite easy to recognize it. The manipulator demonstrates contradictory behavior: from boundless love to complete hatred and ignorance.

With this type of manipulation, the main way to protect yourself is to stop any contact with such a person.

Let's see how to properly manipulate people with words

Triangulation

Manipulation is based on confirming that one is right by involving an outsider in the dispute. The manipulator has one goal - to provoke the partner’s uncertainty in his own opinion.

To counter triangulation, respond to the manipulator with a “triangulation” of your own. Find support from a third party outside of his control. And don't forget that your position has value too.

What does it mean to manipulate a person?

Shame manipulation

The method is based on emphasizing your shortcomings and instilling a feeling of guilt for them.

This pattern of behavior is often found in parent-child relationships. When scolding a child for an offense, a parent uses the phrases “Aren’t you ashamed?”

The result of this technique is a decrease in the self-esteem of the person who is being manipulated.

How to learn to manipulate people - know the theory of manipulation

Excessive control

Control as a type of manipulation can be material, emotional, social. The goal of the manipulator is to completely take over a person’s feelings, life, and emotions. This is a form of psychological abuse.

To resist the manipulator, maintain control over yourself and the right to privacy.

How to learn to manipulate people - give preventive measures to ordinary manipulation

Terminology

Because
I'm trying to understand how these manipulations work, then I had to introduce some concepts and consider some patterns. AAVD

=
A
absolutely
A
adequate
B
perception
of
reality This is a hypothetical state that is an infinite approximation of adequacy.
The concept is introduced to illustrate certain patterns and connections. A sufficient condition for AAVD is absolute IML. Explanation
AAVD is error tolerant. So, if you remove, distort or add a certain number of facts, then AAVD allows you to detect errors and restore the true picture of the world. Because all facts and events are what happened in the past, then we can say that AAVD allows

• restore a picture of the past

If we talk about the future, it is obvious that AAVD allows

• predict the future

Indeed, if you accurately understand all the relationships, understand in which direction the situation is developing, then you can predict the future.

Note
It is not clear how accurately you can predict the future even with an AAVD. So, if we assume that there is still freedom of choice, then we cannot accurately predict events. The question is whether we can (given freedom of choice) accurately predict the probability

possible events also has no answer, because the probabilistic characteristics of “freedom of choice” have not been studied. But it still seems clear that the closer your perception of reality is to the AAVD, the more accurately you can predict the future.

Absolute IML
(
IML
=
Information
,
Thinking
abilities,
Logic
)

Explanation

If we hypothetically assume that someone has

• complete and accurate information (an endless amount of information)
• infinite thinking abilities (in computer terminology - infinite computing power)
• has impeccable logic (in computer terminology - to have a correct calculation algorithm without errors)

then this subject (with the capabilities of God) has complete and accurate information on all facts and their relationships, that is, his picture of the world accurately describes reality, and he has AAVD. We will call this triad absolute IML. AED
=
Adequate

perception
of
reality
_ _

Explanation

Adequacy is a relative concept. It is impossible to accurately set a boundary and say that before this boundary you have adequate perception, but after that you do not. But more or less we can say that this picture of the world is more adequate, and this one less so. Two criteria can be used to compare the degree of adequacy:

• How well do the facts of the past fit into the individual’s picture of the world?
• how well can he predict the course of events?

Note
In reality, it is often impossible to mathematically accurately compare the adequacy of two pictures of the world. For example, if one picture of the world predicts events A, B, and another picture of the world predicts C, D, but in reality A, C happens, then which picture of the world is more adequate? Mathematically, it would be correct to rely on the amount of information contained in predictions A, B, C, D, which is associated with the probability of these events, but the problem is that in real life it is often impossible to find the exact value of these probabilities. But still, sometimes it's quite obvious. Let's compare, for example, the perceptions of the child and the parents. Parents are much better at predicting developments.

The picture of the world
is our interpretation of reality.

Explanation

Due to the strong limitations of the IML, when we talk about the “picture of the world” of an ordinary person, it is obvious that this picture may contain a lot of inaccurate, secondary information, opinions of other people, rough generalizations, erroneous logical constructions, and all this is richly intertwined with emotions . A person cannot take in everything with a single glance; his perception and his picture of the world are fragmentary. The question may arise: does it make sense to talk about adequacy at all? Perhaps in all situations everyone is always mistaken, but each in their own way?

Yes, it is obvious that a person cannot understand the situation in all details.
But despite all the limitations, it can be argued that a person is able to understand the essence. Based on this understanding, he can make both correct predictions and correctly filter out false information. The small regeneration cycle
is a cycle that allows, on the one hand, to build a correct picture of the world from true facts, and on the other, a correct picture of the world allows you to filter out false ones, correct erroneous ones, and add missing facts. In this way, self-tuning to the truth occurs.

Explanation

The ability to restore the true picture of the past gives rise to the possibility of “self-tuning to the truth.” Let's call this a “small regeneration cycle”. The point is that some amount of false information can be filtered out because the information is inconsistent with other facts.

Note
A small cycle means that this is “internal” work. The word regeneration means that this work is aimed at reproducing the picture of the world.

It reflects the fact that, on the one hand, the true picture of the world is supported by a sufficient amount of true data, but on the other hand, the picture of the world allows errors in the data to be corrected.

The large cycle of regeneration (cycle of experience)
is a cycle that allows, on the one hand, to predict the development of events based on the true picture of the world and take actions based on this, and on the other hand, by analyzing the result of these actions, to correct the picture of the world. In this way, self-tuning to the truth occurs.

Explanation

The ability to predict also leads to "self-tuning to truth." Let's call this the “cycle of experience” or the “great cycle of regeneration”.

Note
The Big Cycle means that it is an “external” activity consisting in the relationship between the individual and reality.

The essence is that, based on his picture of the world, an individual makes a prediction of the development of events and acts in accordance with this prediction. If for some reason an error has crept into his worldview, then the situation may begin to develop differently than he expected. Analyzing this, the individual realizes that his picture of the world is false and corrects his vision.

In principle, it is not necessary to act on your own; it is enough to make predictions and observe.
This also speaks to error tolerance.
As a result of his activity, a person receives additional facts, and these facts allow him to correct his picture of the world. False minor regeneration cycle
- in the case of weak IML, a false picture of the world may begin to incorrectly filter out facts, leaving or adding false ones and ignoring true ones, while this set of facts (along with erroneous data) will support this false picture of the world. This is how the illusion is maintained.

Explanation

This can be represented by the following chain.

• Distorted facts create a distorted picture of the world. This process is aggravated by logical errors and insufficient thinking abilities.
• Distorted perception “completes” missing facts in accordance with a false picture of the world.
• Thus, we get a self-sustaining process of “tuning” to a false picture of the world.

False large cycle of regeneration (false cycle of experience)
- in the case of weak IML, based on a false picture of the world, the individual makes incorrect predictions and takes appropriate actions, while the result of these actions (not positive) is interpreted incorrectly (as positive), which supports this false picture of the world . This is how the illusion is maintained.

Explanation

Also, in the process of a false cycle of experience, the individual will change reality so that it corresponds to his picture of the world.
For example, he will gravitate towards an environment that supports his false picture of the world and avoid an environment with a disharmonious worldview. Compensation mechanisms
The main mechanisms that give adequacy to the picture of the world and ensure “self-cleaning” of errors are the large and small regeneration cycles. But a person, also due to the weakness of the IML, is forced to use certain compensatory techniques that impose restrictions on the effectiveness of these cycles. Four such mechanisms can be distinguished: generalization, emotional charge, the opinions of surrounding people and meaning. Each of them has a “cementing” property, depriving us of flexibility and “preserving” our worldview.

Generalization

Let's say you know someone well. You have a certain idea about this person. What is this, this show? Due to the very limited human thinking abilities (computing power), you cannot constantly operate with all this huge amount of facts associated with this person. When you think about this person, and, for example, try to understand whether the new information that you learned about him is true or false (small regeneration cycle), you are not actually trying to remember, you are operating with some generalizations and abstractions that you associate with by this person.

For example, you may have a general feeling that this person is good, honest, decent, or, conversely, that he is not worthy of trust, that he can deceive, that he is cunning and selfish... This is a generalized mental perception (expressed in the abstractions good/bad, honest/lying, ...) is a kind of integral perception based on your experience of communicating with him and the information that you have.

In principle, without emotional support, generalizations themselves do not have a strong “cementing” property, but still, even purely logically, I can assume that they still contribute to fixing the picture of the world (making your perception less flexible). I can give 2 reasons:

• generalizations (and emotions, about which a little later) are quite discrete. Therefore, it is even purely logically clear that such discrete averaging is stable
• we use generalizations to avoid thinking about the details, so something significant must happen for us to pay attention and reconsider our previous conclusions

But still, just a generalization is a fairly rational action and therefore I don’t think that it greatly “cements” perception.
But if an emotion is “attached” to this generalization, then this can really “cement” the picture of the world. Emotional charge

Note:
I don't understand where the exact line between feelings and emotions is, or if there is one. Therefore, despite the fact that in this article I do not talk about feelings anywhere, I admit that somewhere the terminology is not entirely correct and we need to talk more about feelings.

We are often prone to a good/bad dichotomy (“from love to hate there is one step”).
This creates a strong level of discreteness in our emotional perception. And in this case, as in the case of generalization, it is mathematically clear that the averaged (and emotion is also an averaging, since it is a kind of integral perception of a person) discrete value becomes weakly sensitive to individual facts.

Perhaps there are other reasons related to the fact that emotions are largely in the realm of the unconscious, and reasonable arguments do not always have the desired impact.

But, I think it is obvious that in the case of our example, if you, for example, have a strong negative (or positive) attitude towards a person, then this attitude (this picture of the world) is quite stable and difficult to change with individual facts. Even if you are wrong and think bad (or good) about a person undeservedly, a false small regeneration cycle will discard facts that do not correspond to your “fixed” picture of the world.

Opinions of surrounding people

Using the knowledge and conclusions of other people is certainly also a compensation for weak IML. We don't have all the facts, and we can't verify everything ourselves. We have to trust other people and rely on information from them, their calculations and conclusions. An important factor is not only the quantity, but also the degree of trust. So, if the information comes from a person you trust, then the degree of trust in this information increases. If this person is an authority for you, then you are more likely to believe his picture of the world than your own observations and conclusions.

The “cementing” factor here is that if the people around you who you like share your point of view, then this gives strong stability to this picture of the world. You perceive the opinions of the people around you as facts (if you like them, with greater weight).

Note 1
In the case of authoritarian regimes, this factor is used together with an emotion, usually fear. A typical situation is that people try to “think like everyone else.”

Note 2
In the modern world, the world of social networks and the ability to shape our environment in accordance with our idea of ​​life, the power of this factor is increasing. We can have different points of view and choose an environment with a similar worldview. This gives rise, for example, to such strange phenomena as the society of followers of the flat earth theory.

Meaning

If the previous 3 “cementing” elements affected the small regeneration cycle, then the meaning is associated with the large regeneration cycle. Meaning is used as a kind of parameter by which we could measure how adequate our picture of the world is in the cycle of experience.

In fact, in specific situations it is often more reasonable to talk not about the meaning, but about the goal, but the goal, if it is set consciously, must be meaningful.

Note 1
The imposed goal is not always false. For example, the entire process of teaching young children is usually about imposed goals. The task of parents and teachers is to understand what is really important and interesting (makes sense) for the child.

A false imposed goal is always associated with a myth. In this case, by myth I mean a false picture of the world that is used to explain the imposed goal.

Example
If you are forced by brute force to do something, without any explanation (without a myth), and in the end you become forced to somehow live with it and “accept” this picture of the world (resigned), then you yourself will create a myth why this needs to be done. An example is Stockholm Syndrome.

The emotional perception of the situation is determined by this factor. You are annoyed by what prevents you from achieving your goals, and you are attracted by what helps. This seems to be the most powerful "cementing" factor. Therefore, in the modern world the battle is fought primarily for minds. This diagram displays the concepts introduced above in their relationships:

Now we have a sufficient number of tools for analysis.

Reasons for inadequate perception

The reason for the decrease in the degree of adequacy is the weakness of the IML, namely:

• blocked, distorted or false information
• limited thinking abilities (in computer terminology - insufficient computing power)
• logical errors (in computer terminology - an error in the calculation algorithm, bugs)

All this is a field for attacks on our attitude to reality with the aim of manipulating consciousness. Let's look at each of these aspects.

Insufficient, distorted or false information

This is the most obvious cause of distortion in perception.
She's completely natural. It is clear that if you do not have sufficient information, it is difficult for you to get an idea of ​​the situation. This is also one of the most common methods of manipulation. Essentially, when we talk about distortion or false information, we are talking about deception. In the case of simple deception, the picture of the world can be easily restored by providing the true facts. But modern realities show that with certain types of manipulation, a false picture of the world has amazing stability, and “true data,” even if available, often cannot win in the competition for the status of truth with outright lies and fakes. This effect can be called “brainwashing”, and all our examples will concern precisely such situations.

Manipulation 1. Othello

This is manipulation aimed at a specific person, taking into account the specifics of his character and perception in order to discredit another person or in order to influence his attitude towards a certain situation.
Let's look at the famous story of the relationship between Othello and Desdemona from the point of view of the new concepts introduced and the patterns described. Then, using the dry language of analysis, Othello's attitude towards Desdemona was changed with the help of false information. This information was presented in such a way as to give Othello a certain view of the situation. A jealous character gave this new picture of the world a strong negative emotional charge, which created a kind of potential minimum for such an interpretation and deprived Othello (strong negative emotion) of the ability to think logically. When a false picture of the world was formed, a false small cycle of regeneration began to work, which supplanted the true facts, ceasing to take them into account. A cycle of false experience also began. A false goal appeared - revenge, which guided his actions.

Manipulation 2. Fake news

An interesting (and unexpectedly effective) technique is to create a fake news cycle. Each such news, being in the wake of a certain (false) point of view, fits into a small cycle of false regeneration and “feeds” the negative emotion associated with this inspired picture of the world. And despite the fact that this news is refuted after some time, it acts as fuel for this emotion, which in turn “cements” the false picture. This leads to the fact that even realizing that this news was false, the person who fell under the influence of this manipulation continues to maintain this false picture of the world. Also, as already mentioned, negative emotion affects the second and third elements of the IML, narrowing the individual’s analytical abilities.

Manipulation 3. Denigration

The next common, simple but very effective technique is denigration. Essentially similar to the previous two. A (false) negative image of a person is created. The information may contain a large percentage of lies. It doesn’t matter that after some time it turns out that this is a lie. The main thing is that the emotion will be “glued” to this person. Then you can “work” on this image, process this “reality” with a sequence of fake news, which will be “fuel” for this emotion. The difference from the example with Othello is that here, along with emotion, the “opinion of surrounding people” is used to give stability to a false picture of the world. The media is used for this.

Manipulation 4. On the blue eye

“A white lie” means that a person deliberately lies, but at the same time skillfully creates the feeling that he is telling the truth. The essence of this manipulation is that the attacker, through his behavior, tries to win over and thus increase the degree of trust in this information. In the case of using the media with good artistic skills or training, this attack on the minds is most likely successful, at least for a certain target group, which can then quickly “unite” through social networks, thus creating a “fixation” of the picture of the world in accordance with factor “opinion of surrounding people”.

Manipulation 5. Propaganda

This is an aggressive, persistent and long-lasting distortion of the worldview.
This is a direct, massive attack on the minds. The more power used, the more efficient it is. In fact, a certain myth is created, and this myth is instilled in others. In this case, the emotion of fear is often used. To do this, it is demonstrated that if someone actively disagrees with this picture of the world, then this person will have problems - from inconvenience to real danger to life (deterrence). This is a favorite technique of totalitarian regimes, but it can also be a less bloodthirsty situation, for example, in the case of sects, or some companies (which sometimes resemble cults) or some groups. This attack, using fear, first hits the second and third elements of the IML of the target group (accordingly, for which this is the weak link). Further, as this group grows, the factor “opinion of surrounding people” becomes increasingly important.

In the case of sectarianism and some ideologies, this may not be fear, but “bright feelings” associated with a sense of brotherhood, meaningfulness of existence, or it may be the result of various psychophysical techniques elevated to the category of a cult. But still, the good/evil dichotomy underlying these myths always has fear as the other side of the coin.

Manipulation 6. The Godfather

This attack is based on a dichotomy - cruel / kind, angry towards enemies, but kind to friends. Similar to the previous attack. Fear and myth are also used (see the next chapter) in the form of a kind of idea of ​​\u200b\u200bgood and evil (which can even be formalized in the form of an ethical code). In this case, unlike the previous attack, the media are not used, and the action is limited to a narrow circle of “friends.” In principle, this is in many ways similar to the previous two cases (even down to the elements of sectarianism).

Limited thinking abilities

All four compensation mechanisms described earlier are also a consequence of the weak second element of IML, which means that any “brainwashing” using “cementation” is an attack based, among other things, on limiting mental abilities.
It's easy to see that all the previous examples fall into this category. But we can identify a group of special manipulations aimed at attacking this particular element.

Manipulation 7. Insult

In reality it is a primitive form of denigration.
This is a very common type of manipulation. Insult or name-calling is a kind of generalization, it is a kind of box into which a certain set of negative characteristics (and, accordingly, emotions) has been carefully placed in advance. But not only that, there are also instructions about what to expect from this person, about how he will behave. This is a way to “erase” a personality by classifying it. You can no longer pay attention to it. If we compare an insult with a regular classification, the difference lies in the presence of a negative emotion. The stronger this emotion, the more “cemented” the perception is.

Manipulation 8. Corruption

The essence of this manipulation is that a person is made a beneficiary of a false cycle of experience based on a false picture of the world (myth). There are two possible options

• conscious complicity (when a person realizes the falsity of the myth)
• participation with faith

We are considering the second option.
In this case, the fact that a person is a beneficiary “cements” a false picture of the world. For example, in caste societies, the upper castes sincerely consider themselves elite, despise ordinary people and believe that they have a deserved right to violence and exploitation. They are certainly the beneficiaries of this system of relationships, and their false small cycle of regeneration carefully protects them from all doubts. It is interesting to observe, and I think everyone knows about such examples, how some people change their views to completely opposite ones, becoming beneficiaries of a myth that they fought with some time ago.

Manipulation 9. Creating a myth

We have already discussed the meaning of myth in the chapter “The Picture of the World and Its Stability.”
Using the media, playing on already formed emotions (for example, resentment, hatred), and using authorities can really make a myth a powerful weapon. In fact, this is the direct introduction of a false picture of the world into consciousness. The danger also lies in the fact that these myths are often imposed in childhood and adolescence, when we are almost defenseless to such attacks. In the future, the myth may “die”, or you may independently realize the falsity of this worldview. But this worldview is not erased without a trace; its fragments, like fragments of a broken mirror, continue to live in us. Some of them fit harmoniously into the new myth, which carefully selects them, while others are stored in an inactivated state, thus creating a “backdoor” into our consciousness.

Manipulation 10. Emphasis

The essence of this manipulation is that you emphasize the events that confirm the myth, giving them great importance, and downplay or try not to mention, reducing the weight to zero, other events that do not fit into the proposed picture of the world.
Thus, even without explicitly deceiving, this attack allows you to introduce and maintain a false small regeneration cycle.

Usually reality contains a whole range of events. For example, a person can sometimes be kind, sometimes aggressive, sometimes depressed. In some situations he may look great, in others he may feel stupid... This applies to almost everything. There is always a spectrum. And if the weights of phenomena in this spectrum are placed incorrectly, then this forms a false picture of perception.

So, for example, when it comes to discrediting a person, the public’s attention is focused on those situations when the person did not look his best. These, for example, may not be the best deeds in his life or simply unsightly photographs obtained by the paparazzi.

Logical errors

Let's start with the fact that the lower a person's IQ, the easier it is to manipulate this kind of person. A narrow-minded person is easy to fool. But what was a discovery for me is that people with well-developed logic and IQ significantly above average still fall for these mistakes and use these manipulations themselves during disputes. Such is the power of the desire to defend one’s “picture of the world”, such is the power of the small and large cycles of regeneration.

Manipulation 11. Direct attack

The most primitive and yet one of the most effective attacks is direct insults or even physical attacks on an opponent. This throws you out of emotional balance and disrupts the process of logical thinking, which requires a certain degree of calm and comfort.

Manipulation 12. Trolling

A variation of the previous attack is trolling.
This is a more sophisticated attack. There may not be any direct insults. This is more of a form of bullying, but the essence and purpose remains the same - to unbalance. The effectiveness of this attack can be enhanced by creating a group of trolls.

Note
Both direct attack and trolling are slightly different from the other attacks listed here. At first glance, it seems that these manipulations are not part of a series of “brainwashing”. It is unlikely that the victim, after such behavior on the part of the opponent, will be more interested in his ideas. But let's remember the “propaganda” attack and the intimidation factor of dissenters. Typically, trolling occurs in a public space and is intended not for the opponent, but for the audience. They see how easily, cheerfully and sometimes cruelly they “trample” the victim. At least for some psychotypes, this is undoubtedly a powerful cementing factor and a “washing” manipulation.

Manipulation 13. Cutting the cause-and-effect chain

A very common manipulation. Similar to the “emphasis” manipulation. The point is that in the chain of cause and effect, a certain point is taken that is beneficial for the attacker and then it is considered as the original cause. The entire previous chain is ignored. A technique often used in the criminal world, when the victim’s natural reaction to provocation, in an attempt to protect himself and his dignity, is presented as the cause of the conflict, thus demoralizing the victim and instilling in him that he is to blame and must “responsible for ...”

Manipulation 14. Associative thinking

- Why did you call Marya Ivanovna names?
- And Vasya did the same. This is usually followed by the question: “And if Vasya jumped out the window, would you jump too?” This question should explain to the child that he needs to be responsible for his actions himself and not follow the herd reflex. I can understand why a child with an immature mind answers this way, but why do I constantly encounter similar arguments from adults, smart people?

They probably want to say something more. I can even assume that they just shortened their logical chain. But please unfold it. Explain to me what all these examples and comparisons have to do with it? The question was why YOU did it, and not Vasya (or why does this happen HERE and not THERE).

In reality, this is again manipulation. At the same time, our weak points associated with our past (for example, fragments of old myths that we were sick with) can be exploited.