We`ve covered quite a bit of ground regarding the Manifestations of Dark Psychology in Society and How some of these Tactics are considered to be among the malicious and psychologically damaging forms of abuse in existence. However, it is Important to Remember, as specified in our first chapters, that the use of Dark Psychology is spread over a wide spectrum of behaviors and intentions, not all of which are insidious and with the intention of inflicting harm or exploiting other people`s vulnerabilities to an unethical level.

The point at which this line can be drawn might differ from person to person, but in the chapter, we will discuss how to discern between an Abusive Manipulator and someone who is employing a low level of Manipulation with much less malicious intentions.

There is no Perfect Formula for deciphering what a person`s intentions are or whether he is knowingly employing Tactics of Dark Psychology. It is up to you to make decisions regarding how you will proceed with interaction when something feels amiss, and it is important that you follow your gut instincts when it comes to these types of feelings.

Often, the subconscious mind knows things that it cannot communicate directly to the conscious mind. So, if you feel red flags are going up, and your nerves are standing on end, even if you`re not sure why it is probably a good idea to remove yourself from the interaction or take steps to make sure things do not progress.

Tolerable Manipulation and Influence

Low-level Manipulation Tactics are those strategies that are involved in things like Sales pitches and Political Speeches. These Forms of Persuasion are employed using certain Information about the Human Psyche but are not intended to directly hurt the person or explicitly misguide them.

Even in the Realm of Politics, where the lines between ethical use and Unethical use of persuasion Tactics can be Blurry, the facts can be sorted from the non-facts, and people are left to their own devices when it comes to the ultimate decision of whether to vote for a particular Individual or Not.

However, the use of such tactics like disseminating hateful Ads or Intentionally divisive ads throughout Social Media is one Tactic that has come under Fire in recent days. Though you are not directly forcing a person to make a Personal Decision with these Tactics, you are substantially altering the psychological environment that will ultimately make the decision under the stress of having been influenced in a visually staggering way.

Again, the line here can be Blurry, as typical political ads often try to trigger those emotional responses that we talked about during our discussion on the three modes of persuasion.

Additionally, everyone is probably going to have a different opinion about where that line actually is. Should we not allow Social Media to throw targeted ads at us based on our data? Should we Report someone in a store who is trying to get us to feel bad about not donating to such and such case?

The best we can do as individuals is to safeguard ourselves being in control of the type of situations we put ourselves into and being always aware of the possibilities. Just like in our example with a salesman in a store, when a customer voluntarily walks in there, she knows that, at some point, she is probably going to be approached by someone trying to sell her something.

She walks into the store even though she knows this and makes the decision that she is willing to Tolerate this Interaction for the sake of picking up whatever she needs. When you listen to a news show or a pair of talking heads in a debate, you know that each of them is going to try to throw arguments and facts at you in an effort to convince you of their way of seeing things, but it is upto you to actually Research and make sure that what these people are saying is Accurate and to make judgements and decisions for yourself.

Protecting yourself means being aware of the possibilities while not outright turning yourself into a totally cynical person who never trusts anyone in any capacity. There may be an honest, young gentleman who crosses your Path Today needing help with a Flat Tire. The Decision is yours as to what you will do following this event.

Do you let your Guard a little to Help the Man?

Or Do you Refuse based on the Fear of the Unknown?

Well, the answers are different for each of us. It is For us to take into account the circumstances surrounding the Situation.

So, For Today we will take a Break at this Point and we will continue to discuss more about this Topic in our Next Part

” Acceptable Influence Vs Toxic Manipulation Part – 2 | Dark Psychology “