by Diana Brain
Manipulating the Teacher
If you want to manipulate your teacher, you must do so professionally. Also, make sure that you have incorporated some emotions. During the specific day that you want to make a request, you should make sure that you have appeared before the teacher as a model student. Also, make sure that you have arrived in class early. Try to ensure that the teacher can notice that you have been reading a lot. In short, the teacher should note that you are taking your studies seriously. While in the classroom, make sure that you are active and you should be focused.
Always enlighten the teacher about how great they are, and you should do so casually. Tell them about how they inspire you. In some instances, also ensure that you have enlightened them about how much you love the subjects that they are teaching.
Mention some stuff about what is happening at home. Although the situation might appear to be awkward, the teacher will be able to sympathize with you since they will feel sorry and they might want to learn more about your situation.
As you discuss your personal life, ensure that you have done so in a strategic manner and your teacher will become uncomfortable eventually. If you had delayed when it comes to issuing your assignment, the teacher might have some pity on you because of your situation, and they will offer you an extension, which means you can submit your assignment later. If the teacher refuses to grant you an extension, always enlighten them that you understand that they do not extend the period when the students should hand in their assignments. Your voice should appear to be frail since you want the teacher to sympathize with you. There is a high chance that the teacher will give in to your demands.
If such a technique does not work, you can choose to cry since you must demonstrate that you are indeed emotional. You will start crying, and the teacher will become uncomfortable, and that means that they will have to heed to your commands.
Manipulating Your Parents
It is evident that your parents should always love you unconditionally. As a result, they may be more susceptible to your manipulation techniques. The main fact here is that your parents love you, and they will always support you in every way possible. You have to ensure that you are a model offspring for some time before you can make a request involving certain favors. Always make sure that you have not missed your curfew. Also, make sure that you have spent most of your time studying and assisting in handling some house chores. Afterward, you can go ahead and request a favor.
Ensure that your request is reasonable. For instance, you may want to attend a concert and the following day you should be attending school. When making such a request, make sure that you have done so casually. Always make sure that your parents can see the possibility in the situation, and they will not reject the proposal in the long run.
You can also pose a question to your parents while you are folding laundry. When handling such tasks, your parents will remember that they have a great son or a daughter, and they will always comply with your wishes.
Talk more about how you will engage in some of these activities together with your friends. When your parents hear that you will be engaging in a specific activity together with your friends, they will issue you the go-ahead to proceed.
Ensure that your parents feel guilty. For instance, you may have wanted to go to a concert. If your parents deny you the opportunity to take part in such an event, you will just tell them that it’s okay. Always make sure that your parents will feel guilty since you may be missing out on an opportunity to take part in a major event.
Chapter 8: Analyzing the Psychology of Manipulation
When discussing the psychology of manipulation, it is good to note that it entails having some influence over a person without forcing them or persuading them rationally. People may be wondering whether having some influence over an individual without coercing them is manipulation. For starters, manipulation does not occupy the whole logical space, and the element of morality often distinguish it. When a person manipulates another, their behavior is always criticized because of the acts that they have partaken. The question now arises, is manipulation usually immoral? If yes, why is manipulation immoral? In some instances, manipulation might not be immoral, but, what matters most, in this case, is, what deems manipulation immoral.
An Insight into Ordinary vs. Global Manipulation
There are different forms of manipulation. Ordinary and global manipulation is differentiated by free will. Manipulation involves reprogramming a person’s beliefs or their mental state. Global manipulation happens in an extra-ordinary method. For instance, global manipulation may be in the form of supernatural intervention or any other form of psychological conditioning. Global manipulation entails ensuring that the target victims do not have any form of free will.
Although there is a huge difference between ordinary manipulation and various forms of manipulation when it comes to denying other people of their free will, it is still good to learn more about the relationship between these forms of manipulation. If the victim is denied their free will by global manipulation, are other forms of manipulation similar.
The Applications of the Theory of Ordinary Manipulation
Manipulation has existed for a long period of time. Recently, people began to view manipulation from a psychological view. In most instances, manipulation usually undermines the validity of consent. For instance, when it comes to medical ethics, the consent of a certain condition is not supposed to be manipulated. During the early discussions about manipulation from a psychological perspective, most of the medical ethicists usually undermine the validity of consent. Nevertheless, there is no agreement concerning how people can determine whether various forms of influence are manipulative. It is also good to note that manipulation also affects a person’s decision-making process.
Learning More about Manipulation
When discussing manipulation, people are mainly interested in the identification question. The main focus is on the forms of influence that are manipulative and the ones that are not. The most satisfactory answer to this question may involve looking into the definition of manipulation. By looking into the definition of manipulation, it will be possible to also learn about the various forms of manipulative influence and what they may have in common.
When learning more about manipulation, it is also good to look into the evaluation. For instance, how should people evaluate manipulation? The answer to this question will allow us to determine whether manipulation is moral or immoral. If manipulation is immoral, we will also learn about why it is deemed immoral. Although the answer to the questions involving identification and evaluation are distinct, the answers are not independent.
When analyzing why analysis is immoral and the instances when it is immoral, it is also good to define manipulation. When you come up with an answer to the identification question, it is also possible to answer the question about evaluation.
The Relation between Manipulation and Identification
When looking into manipulation, you will realize that it has three main characteristics. For starters, manipulation bypasses deliberation. The second characteristic is that it induces some pressure. Third, manipulation is treated as a form of trickery.
Manipulation Bypassing Reason
Manipulation usually undermines a person’s reasoning. In most instances, manipulation is meant to bypass an individual’s deliberation. For starters, manipulation varies greatly from rational persuasion. It always influences a person’s behavior by not targeting their rational capacities. The best example to use in this case is when a company is advertising one of their products. The advertisement may be highly influential, and it does not affect your rational deliberation; however, you will start using the products that have been advertised without considering different factors.
Some of these advertisements are meant to influence a person’s behavioral conditioning since it is the most effective way to influence an individual. When defining manipulation as a way of bypassing rational delibe
ration, some of the examples that will be used would be exaggerated. Manipulation can be characterized in terms of bypassing deliberation altogether. When it comes to bypassing rational deliberation, you will have to introduce non-rational influences. Also, manipulation is also different from coercion, and it does not interfere with an individual’s options. It usually influences the manner in which a person makes decisions while also trying to adapt to different goals.
Although psychology is beneficial to some extent, it can also prove to be detrimental. It is also good to look into how psychology relates to human behavior so that people can choose their actions wisely. Since we are discussing the psychology of manipulation, it is good to learn that there are some people who use manipulation to control the actions of others. For example, some people believe that every individual has a stable self that is usually consistent, and it is also predicted how a person will behave in the future.
The only issue is that people cannot be sure about how they can act when they are under extreme pressure. Most of the individuals would like to believe that they can act calmly while they are under pressure. Depending on the current scenario, people believe that they can act heroically while also maintaining their beliefs, such as being nonviolent. In some cases, people always act rationally. The best example to use in this case is, what if there is a zombie apocalypse? Would it be possible to maintain your moral code? Would you be able to take care of yourself, or would you resist any orders issued by the authorities?
The main point to consider is that it is not possible to predict the manner in which you can act while you are under intense pressure. The inability to determine the manner in which you will behave is mainly because of the unpredictability that is present in such cases. When people are under intense pressure, they can experience a fight reaction that will always evolve to ensure that a person has survived a potentially dangerous encounter. When such a move is activated, the higher functioning will be activated. For example, when you are in danger, your brain activity will be higher. The main issue is that your body will also consume high amounts of blood sugar, and that is why the body conserves the flight reaction mode.
Since manipulation may come about in different forms, the flight reaction system can ensure that you gave survived any attack. Furthermore, the body requires a person to function optimally when there is a scenario that induces some stress. Also, it should be easy to access the sugar. In short, when a person is subjected to high levels of stress, they do not act in an expected manner.
There are some people who also have an overview of psychology. Various experiments have also been conducted over the years to learn more about psychology. The researchers also focused on areas such as the psychology of manipulation. When looking into manipulation, it is advisable to reference the Stanford Prison Experiment. Phillip Zimbardo conducted it. After concluding the experiment, it was evident that people usually behave in scary ways whenever they are manipulated. A group of students volunteered, and they took part in a prison simulation. There was a basement that has been modified into a prison, and it was meant to be as real as possible. Some of the individuals were assigned different roles, and they acted as guards and prisoners. The experiment was to be conducted in two weeks, but it was eventually shut down since the behavior depicted by the “prison guards” was somewhat inhumane. At the onset of the experiment, the “prison guards” were not behaving in an inhumane manner. They would treat the prisoners accordingly. Before the experiment commenced, the prisoners thought that the “prison guards” would treat them well by acting morally. However, as the experiment progressed, they began to act in an inhumane manner. The “prison guards” were also highly unpredictable, and they would act in a manner that was unpleasant during the short period that the experiment lasted.
Social psychology came about as a result of this experiment. In most cases, people have been assuming that people within a group will always agree although they may be right or wrong. The main idea behind such a form of reasoning is that the group that has the majority will always win any argument. Such a character can be termed as deindividuation. In this instance, the party that has a majority was able to manipulate the minority. The minority individuals had to change their opinion since they had to support the majority. Some of the suggested conditions include safety, authority, and comfort.
The scary part about the research that was carried out about the psychology of manipulation is that it showcased some rapid forms of change. Also, there was some rationalism that was present. Some individuals will always rationalize their behavior while also trying to convince themselves that they had actually chosen the action without being influenced in any manner. It is rare to find a person who acknowledges that they had been manipulated.
People have perceptual limitations, and it is evident that we make some of these decisions in an unconscious manner and in most instances out, attention is always diverted to other areas. When referring to some suitable experiments that would help people to learn more about the psychology of manipulation, it is good to reference a group of people who have come together to watch a certain sport whereby each person is supporting a specific team. During some of these games, mascots are present. Since most of the viewers will be fixated on the progress of the game, they may fail to notice that the mascot has appeared on the screen.
Most of the individuals will have been focusing on the instructions while also counting the scores. By looking into the manner in which the people were not observant, it would be possible to note that the mascot may not have appeared on the screen.
When conducting another experiment, the person in charge of the experiment may be asking people for directions to a certain place. During the exchange, the other individuals carrying out the experiment may have walked past each other carrying a door. The experimenters would be swapped, and the people issuing the directions may fail to notice. In this case, it is evident that a lot of manipulation has taken place. It is also possible to note that there were some inattention and rationalization that also modified the behaviors of the people who had taken part in the experiment. To influence a person’s behavior, you may use different phenomenon such as priming.
Such a phenomenon is meant to change the behavior of a person without their consent. For example, when reading a sentence, you may read it fast, whereas the other individual may read it slowly. Researchers have been claiming that people can be easily manipulated without their prior knowledge using different priming effects. However, the most common factor would be that every person would dismiss the fact that they were influenced and manipulated. Instead, they will start talking about how they had arrived at that specific decision on their own.
Many people may be shocked that some of these principles may have been applied many times throughout history. Some people may tend to assume that there were conspiracy theories present. The main point to note is that the psychology of manipulation represents the fact that human beings have the desire to be manipulated and dominated. As per the experiments that have been mentioned above, there is no individual that was forced into doing anything.
All the people that took part in these experiments did so on their own free will. What matters most is that everyone wants to achieve their own desires at the end of it all. For example, when you watch a certain advertisement, you will realize that you will have the desire to purchase the product that is being advertised. It means that you can be easily manipulated using some of these principles.
When purchasing these products, you should be sure that you have been manipulated using the principles that relate to the psychology of manipulation. When people act in a violent manner, the act of violence will be as a result of their beliefs. Also, it might be possible that these individuals may have been manipulated using social conditioning.
When discussing the psychology of manipulation, things might get scarier with time. Since technology has advanced greatly, it is good to note that there are various forms of technology that can be u
sed to alter the brain functioning of an individual using a brain scan. It is also possible to see brain activity through a screen as well as the thoughts of an individual. The current forms of technology are also set to improve. Eventually, it will be possible to implant thoughts to people using various forms of technology. Using such forms of technology, people can also induce an abnormal mental state in others using TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) or ultrasounds. The mentioned forms of technology may prove to be effective, and they might also be widespread eventually.
To some extent, people may assume that all hope is lost and the psychology of manipulation will prove to be detrimental over time. It is not possible to identify how people can act in different situations unless they can seize a chance to act it out on their own. Most of the people may not know what to experience when they are subjected to different forms of stress. Some of the scenarios involving manipulation usually take place in a manner that the victim is somewhat unconscious.
People usually pretend that their actions were as a result of their choices. It is advisable to ensure that you have learned more about your behaviors. Also, you should be disciplined and conscious about all your actions so that you may test who is in control. If you notice that you are tempted to act in a different manner, you should try and look into the matter in an in-depth manner. Try and ask yourself whether you want to act that way.
