Social and Psychological Manipulation - Dean Amory
Unlike people who are trying to influence, persuade or convince others, manipulators work with unfair means to get what they want. They do not respect the personal rights of their victims. They violate the victim's integrity, work with hidden agendas and deliberately use dishonest tricks like faulty reasoning, coercion, blackmail and lying in an attempt to control the victim's actions. Manipulation is about suiting the manipulator's advantage or purpose only, often at the expense of the victim. Yet, it is often difficult to know when you are being manipulated: manipulators do all they can to convince you that you are the one who is to benefit most from their actions and that they are acting in good faith. If we were aware that we are being manipulated, would we allow ourselves to fall victim to it - and how would we defend ourselves against it? That is where this book comes in handy: it explains the tricks manipulators use and teaches you how to best defend and
Unlike people who are trying to influence, persuade or convince others, manipulators work with unfair means to get what they want. They do not respect the personal rights of their victims. They violate the victim's integrity, work with hidden agendas and deliberately use dishonest tricks like faulty reasoning, coercion, blackmail and lying in an attempt to control the victim's actions. Manipulation is about suiting the manipulator's advantage or purpose only, often at the expense of the victim.
Yet, it is often difficult to know when you are being manipulated: manipulators do all they can to convince you that you are the one who is to benefit most from their actions and that they are acting in good faith.
If we were aware that we are being manipulated, would we allow ourselves to fall victim to it - and how would we defend ourselves against it?
That is where this book comes in handy: it explains the tricks manipulators use and teaches you how to best defend and
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2.4 What kind of person is a manipulator?<br />
Manipulators may have any of the following psychological conditions:<br />
Machiavellian personality:<br />
A person's tendency to be emotionally cool <strong>and</strong> detached, <strong>and</strong> thus more able to detach from<br />
conventional morality <strong>and</strong> to deceive <strong>and</strong> manipulate others. In the 1960s, Richard Christie <strong>and</strong><br />
Florence L. Geis developed a test for measuring a person's level of Machiavellianism. People scoring<br />
high on the scale (high Machs) tend to endorse statements such as, "Never tell anyone the real reason<br />
you did something unless it is useful to do so," (No. 1) but not ones like, "Most people are basically<br />
good <strong>and</strong> kind" (No. 4), "There is no excuse for lying to someone else," (No. 7) or "Most people who<br />
get ahead in the world lead clean, moral lives" (No. 11).<br />
Narcissistic personality disorder:<br />
(NPD) is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied<br />
with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige <strong>and</strong> vanity. This condition affects one percent of the<br />
population<br />
Symptoms of this disorder, as defined by the DSM-IV-TR include:<br />
Reacting to criticism with anger, shame, or humiliation<br />
Taking advantage of others to reach own goals<br />
Exaggerating own importance, achievements, <strong>and</strong> talents<br />
Imagining unrealistic fantasies of success, beauty, power, intelligence, or romance<br />
Requiring constant attention <strong>and</strong> positive reinforcement from others<br />
Becoming jealous easily<br />
Lacking empathy <strong>and</strong> disregarding the feelings of others<br />
Being obsessed with self<br />
Pursuing mainly selfish goals<br />
Trouble keeping healthy relationships<br />
Becoming easily hurt <strong>and</strong> rejected<br />
Setting goals that are unrealistic<br />
Wanting "the best" of everything<br />
Appearing unemotional<br />
In addition to these symptoms, the person may also display dominance, arrogance, show superiority,<br />
<strong>and</strong> seek power. The symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder can be similar to the traits of<br />
individuals with strong self-esteem <strong>and</strong> confidence; differentiation occurs when the underlying<br />
psychological structures of these traits are considered pathological. Narcissists have such an elevated<br />
sense of self-worth that they value themselves as inherently better than others. Yet, they have a fragile<br />
self-esteem <strong>and</strong> cannot h<strong>and</strong>le criticism, <strong>and</strong> will often try to compensate for this inner fragility by<br />
belittling or disparaging others in an attempt to validate their own self-worth. It is this sadistic tendency<br />
that is characteristic of narcissism as opposed to other psychological conditions affecting level of selfworth.<br />
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