Knowledge is the best guard against manipulation.

Requirements for
successful manipulation

According to Dr. George K. Simon, successful psychological manipulation primarily involves the manipulator:

• Concealing aggressive intentions and behaviors.

• Knowing the psychological vulnerabilities of the victim to determine what tactics are likely to be the most effective.

• Having a sufficient level of ruthlessness to have no qualms about causing harm to the victim.

Consequently, the manipulation is likely to be covert; relational aggressive or passive-aggressive.

More manipulation tactics

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Anti-Social Personality Disorder

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Rude people ALWAYS feel justified.

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Aggressive Nature

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14 Psychopathic Tactics

 

Learn to identify their tactics!

Dr. George Simon, author of In Sheep’s Clothing—Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People, presents this list of 14 tactics that manipulators use to get you to do what they want. He points out the importance of recognizing that these tactics are offensive moves employed by the covert-aggressive to either maintain a position of power, gain power, or remove an obstacle from getting what he wants. You’ll be better equipped to deal with manipulators if you are familiar with this list of tactics and able to identify them when you encounter them:

1. Denial – playing innocent, refusing to admit they have done something harmful.
2. Selective inattention – playing dumb, or acting oblivious; refusing to pay attention to anything that might divert them from achieving their goal.
3. Rationalization – making excuses or justifying their behavior, often in very convincing ways.
4. Diversion – changing the subject, dodging the issue, distracting us from the real problem.
5. Lying – deliberately telling untruths, concealing the truth, lying by omission.
6. Covert Intimidation – intimidation through veiled threats.
7. Guilt-tripping – using the conscientiousness of their victim against them to keep them self-doubting and anxious.
8. Shaming – using subtle sarcasm and put-downs to make the victim feel inadequate, unworthy, and anxious.
9. Playing the Victim role – playing the innocent victim to elicit compassion.
10. Vilifying the Victim – making the victim the “bad guy”; pretending he’s only defending himself.
11. Playing the servant role – disguising their personal agendas as service to a nobler cause.
12. Seduction – flattering and overtly supporting others to get them to lower their defenses and be trusting.
13. Projecting the blame (blaming others) – shifting the blame, scapegoating.
14. Minimization – a combination of denial and rationalization, “making a molehill out of a mountain”.

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Playing the Victim

• Video interviews with Dr George Simon
  (cryingoutforjustice.wordpress.com)
• 7 Social Hacks For Manipulating People—
  PsychTronics (250ideationstation.wordpress.com)
• George Simon—workshops on manipulators and character disorders (cryingoutforjustice.wordpress.com)

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Using Aggression

Dealing with Manipulative People

Dr. George Simon, author of In Sheep’s Clothing—Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People (See book cover in the sidebar!)

“A manipulative person … is a covertly aggressive personality.”
“You ask a manipulator a direct question, you rarely get a direct answer.”