Arthur Horn - Manipulation Dark Psychology to Manipulate and Control People

In a broad sense, manipulation is the effort to affect the behavior or perception of others. Most definitions extend that to include via the use of abusive, deceptive or otherwise exploitative means or something similar, as a means of differentiating between manipulation and other influencing behaviors, such as persuasion.

That raises even more questions, such as what constitutes exploitative. Deception is relatively easy to define as a willful concealment or alteration of the truth. But does deception really preclude persuasion?

At a job interview, you probably wont mention the times you came in late to work at your previous job due to hangovers; is that manipulation? You could argue that anyone hiring for a job is already operating on the understanding that people are likely to highlight their positive traits, and draw attention away from the negatives. In that sense, it isnt necessarily dishonest to omit certain information in that situation. So expectation can also play a part in determining the ethics of manipulation and where the line is drawn between manipulation and other forms of influence.

Putting ethics aside for now, there is another word, in that broad definition, worthy of attention. Defining manipulation as an effort suggests that manipulation is still manipulation regardless of success or failure the act of manipulation is defined as the attempt . Ironically, those least successful at manipulating others, who are most frequently discovered, are more likely to gain a reputation as manipulative than those who succeed.

You can probably point to someone in your orbit, a relative or co-worker perhaps, who you consider to be manipulative. Yet, consider how others view them. Are they well known as a manipulator? Does this impact their success? The answer to this, too, may be complicated. If someone is considered by their peers at work to be manipulative and yet holds sway over the boss, they might still be judged successful. When thinking about manipulating others, its important to define clear goals. This will allow you to make rational, objective decisions, which is key to success.

At this point, there are too many questions and too few answers. The remainder of this chapter will tie up some loose ends, and establish a definition that will give bearing for the rest of the book.