To manipulate means to control or influence a person in a clever way. Manipulation aims to influence the perceptions of others through deceptive tactics to fulfill a selfish motive. Manipulation is exploitive as, through it, manipulators exploit others with their clever tactics. They play with their minds and make them do their work.
Manipulators use various tactics ranging from emotional to mind games. We can spot manipulation if we give attention to some minute activities of the manipulator. We can foresee if we detect their tactics early on. Here are some common tactics used by manipulators.
1. They Don’t Tell You The Whole Thing
To keep you at a disadvantage, the manipulator will not disclose the whole story. They will leave you on a cliffhanger to profit from you.
2. Plain White Lies
Manipulators lie all the time. They lie about almost everything they do.
3. Flattery And Badmouthing
When they are around you, they will flatter you with their sugar-coated words. They will go to any extent to make you do their work or help them reach their motive. But the flattery is of course, fake as when you are not around they will surely speak ill of you.
4. Ruthless Aggression
The more confident and dominating ones will show rage. They will threaten you and force you to do their work. They will fill your heart with fear to do a thing through you. Such manipulators use no other tactics and manipulate you in plain sight.
5. Fake Love
I’m so sorry but it’s fake love, fake love, fake love! Yes, they will fake love to you and make you do their work. They will tell you all the things a lover would tell you but would make you their puppet controlled by their fingers.
6. Torture
This tactic has various implications. The torture can be in the form of annoying continuous nagging or even physical abuse. Either way, the manipulator does it intimidate you to fulfill their motive.
7. Denial
They will deny the fact that they are not the ones who are to blame. They’ll never admit it that they have been manipulating you even if the milk has already been spilled.
8. The Blame Game
“It’s never me, it’s always you.” They will keep repeating this phrase to confuse you and others. It’s just another trick in the book for the manipulators.
9. Breaking Your Confidence
Manipulators aim for your self-esteem. They will break your confidence and lower your self-esteem to make you feel worthless. After doing so they will take advantage of your vulnerability and manipulate you.
10. False Hope And Bribery
They will give you false hopes or bribe you to reach their motive.
Also read: Why Mental Health Is Not A Real Thing?
Nevertheless, the truth is, we all have used these tactics once in our life to manipulate others. Parents use manipulation to make their children eat and complete school work. Coaches manipulate players to make sure each player gives their hundred percent on the ground. Thus, it’s safe to say manipulation to some extent is beneficial. But too much of anything is bad, manipulation beyond a limit is nothing but exploitation.