Human Manipulation A Handbook [Paperback]

Have you ever bought something you didn't really want, agreed to do something you didnt really didn't want to do, or lost an argument because you let your words be twisted and used against you? Have you ever felt that those faces on TV, those in authority in politics and industry, might be not quite telling you the whole truth, that they could be holding something back? It might be the government, your boss, a politician, a colleague at work, a family member or a slick advertising campaign. Manipulation as a means of controlling or influencing human behaviour is now a constant at all levels of modern life - it is everywhere. We all know that sometimes we are being manipulated by someone. Mostly we do nothing about it because we can't or we just don't know how. Occasionally, when we get so frustrated that we just have to act, we often end up in a costly mess, regretting that we ever challenged the manipulator in the first place. Most of us are as innocent as lambs to the slaughter when it comes to the professional manipulator. But there are ways to understand and manage a manipulator, whether it's an individual, a group, or a government. Firstly, we need to be able to recognise and understand a manipulative act, how it works, the motives for it and why we, in particular, are its victims. To this end, the author seeks to illuminate Human Manipulation at all levels. This handbook provides the reader with a detailed definition of human manipulation, an understanding of the history and morality of manipulation, and the psychology of the manipulative and manipulated personalities. Then, one by one, the book identifies and examines each of the 450 manipulative techniques that are described in detail, how they are executed and what a victim can do to recognise, avoid and counteract them. Manipulation is generally covert and it relies on human ignorance. We rarely recognise a manipulative action immediately and if we ever finally discover it, it may be just too late to l3!