Manipulation Dark Psychology

Description

It of primary importance to establish a clear definition of manipulation for the purposes of this book. Without understanding exactly what constitutes manipulation, there will be a great deal of difficulty in separating instances of manipulation and other forms of influence.

While you probably have your own idea of what counts as manipulation, it is important that you adopt these terms might seem diametrically opposed, with persuasion acting as the “honest” form of manipulation, where the actor is upfront about their goals and opinions. However, for the purposes of this book, it will be more useful to consider persuasion as a tier below manipulation.

Persuasion, then, becomes a method of manipulation, which is a form of influence. Persuasion also happens to be one of the less effective methods of manipulation. How often have you been in a debate with someone else, only for them to hold up their hands and say “I concede, you are absolutely right”? It is probably possible for you to count these instances on one hand.