MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES | PART -2 |

Good day Readers, We will Continue discussing about Types of Manipulation as we have discussed in our Part-1. 
Part-2 We will See and Learn how World of Manipulation Works in our Daily Lives.
So Lets Start

POWER | PLAY AND DOMINANCE

Power plays and shows of Dominance are often utilized in Organizations where the Manipulator must have the allegiance of his Followers, Employees, or Colleagues. The Arenas where this form of manipulation comes into play range from the Parent-Child Dynamic to the Dating scene at a Dance Club. Or, it could be in a team meeting at work with the person wanting to show his boss that he is the most Intelligent and Hardworking and that he has the most leadership Potential through the subjugation of the people he is working with.

Power plays and shows of Dominance can be utilized in the form of simple Gestures and Behavior’s, such as the handshake where the Dark Psychology user`s hand takes the palm-downward position.

They can also be utilized as a part of Grand Schemes and Long-Term Plans that work in influence and earn the Respect and admiration of Groups of People, one Person at a Time.

The Oldest and most Primitive Techniques aligned with this tactic involves Physical Presence and shows of Strength. Put Simply, the Man with the strongest Muscles and most Intimidating Stature might get a free pass to the Competition for Dominance as the Male “Alpha” of the group. 

This is a longstanding instinct, which had much use in the Past when it was essential for people to stick together and also follow the same rules in order to get along and survive in a society. The same drives remain today; it is just the arenas that look a bit different.

Nowadays, you might see the example of Dominance in a group of Young kids who hang around each other, causing trouble and who tend to gravitate to the tallest boy, the best-looking boy, or the most charismatic. When there is a Female or Group of Females around, it might be an unspoken assumption that the Alpha gets to have the first choice before the others can make a move. This individual goes to great lengths in Public to show and maintain his status among them, perhaps opting to encourage a fight that he can win in order to demand respect from anyone else who might challenge him.

But the Dominance Tactic can also be Practiced in a much more nuanced way, such as in the corporate where different individuals vie for Power and Prominence. These people usually develop shrewd social skills that utilize manipulation in order to Garner Respect or even intimidation from their intended subjects. We will get into this in more detail in our chapter on Workplace Manipulation.

CHARM AND FLATTERY/MIRRORING

Another major Strategy we will introduce here involves playing on People`s Sense of Vanity and Self-Awareness through the use of Flattery, Charm, and Personality Mirroring.

The saying “Flattery will get you Anywhere” is a pretty good summation of what`s going on when a person decides to manipulate another through the use of well-timed and effective flattery. The goal is not to overwhelm the victim, who might be suspicious of the motive. The goal is to be convincing and sincere so that she believes that the manipulator is truly taken with her in some way, be it purely physical or based on Intelligence. The most basic and simple Form of Flattery might be to compliment a Woman`s Smile, her dress, her makeup, and things like that. 

This might be used as one of the initial Approach statements in order to warm up a victim for what is coming next. Granted, the manipulator has to be aware of his victims and be pretty good at gauging whether he will be successful with a certain victim or not.

Some people, usually the more experienced and cynical types, will immediately turn to suspicion when someone begins using flattery on them. This is probably because they`ve been taken advantage of before.

This is where we can impress the Importance of the Manipulator`s first steps of Observation of Potential Victims again. He is going to zero in on the young, naïve individual before the stem-looking hard-ass in the corner by herself. At a party or in a Public setting where there is alcohol, the abuser may pick up on the presence of young women who are having a good time flirting with lots of different men.

These women may be the most susceptible to manipulation and the most affected by tactics of flattery and charm in order to get into a conversation with the Dark Psychology user, who may then be able to move forward with his intents.

Charm is all about apparent Sincerity and Entertainment. A man with a good sense of humor and conversation skills will be more capable of entertaining a victim, and the longer the abuser can keep a person engaged the more likely he is to be successful in moving toward getting what he wants. The Individual with a High Degree of skill in the charm and Flattery categories may be able to conjure attraction to him within the victim, further conditioning her to his will.

Lastly, “Mirroring” comes into play when Manipulator is trying to make a target feel comfortable enough to Release Information that might be useful to the Abuser. This often occurs in situations where an individual is trying to ingratiate himself to another who is in a position of power over him.

The Intent behind this behavior might be get “in” with the people who make the decisions in order to move up the ladder, or else he might be trying to protect himself from getting on this person`s bad side. 

This type of situation is often parodied in movies where the detective or investigator needs to infiltrate a building or a hideout, and he must work to mirror the people he comes into contact with in order to avoid arousing suspicion.

Mirroring involves simply observing the Target closely and Mirroring back the little mannerisms and Aspects of the Target`s Personality back to him so that he feels comfortable. This is one way in which Dark Psychology takes into account the Basic Human Behaviors and Tendencies, which underlie the way we all Interact and form Impressions of one another. A lot of these mechanisms in action happen under the Radar, in the Subconscious. 

We all react more Positively in situations where we are dealing with people who are similar to us compared to the people who seem different in some way. And it is often not just the feeling of comfort that is being affected but the established prejudices or formed opinions, having been established through our families or other experiences, which are triggered when we meet someone new. 

For Example, if we had been brought up in a Family of very Devout Catholics and, for the first time, we meet someone from a different country who worships a different god, we may feel much more uneasy and unsure of the interaction compared to meeting someone from our own Church, For Example.

This is an automatic sensation in most cases and is rooted in the evolutionary Imperative that “different” often means danger, and “similar” signals Comfort and Safety.

In our Next Chapter, we will dig a little bit deeper into the Mechanisms and strategies that play out in situations of Emotional Manipulation at Work.