Maraaz 
What is Manipulation? Why is it done?
We hear the word manipulation when it comes to instant changes on almost any topic (money markets, dollar rate, elections, etc.). Do you know what this word really means when you hear this word so much? We did a research for you about the art of leading the masses. We are sure that advertising will also benefit our friends who study economics and political science.
What is Manipulation?
Manipulation is a social effect that aims to change the opinions, perceptions, and behaviors of others without revealing them, through deception, and by using certain tactics. Manipulation methods are cunning, exploitative, and deceptive, often in the interests of the manipulator.
Why Use Manipulation?
People who have not been able to develop themselves in many ways and who are aware of its injustice, who aim to knead the plot by keeping their needs and desires secret apply to manipulation. The people who are called manipulators are the ones who own the cruelty in the first place. Maybe we may be talking about something negative here, but this is a legal thing and many advertising companies perform serious perception management on this issue. A good manipulation undoubtedly depends on the following items; Secret desires, awareness of psychological weaknesses and being ruthless.
Manipulation Techniques
Manipulation has become a weapon that cannot be hesitated to resort to over time, and there are certain ways of using this weapon. Here are the most popular of them.
Positive Reinforcement: It is a method applied to strengthen the behavior and increase the frequency. For example; Facial expressions such as praise, expressive apology, charm, money, gifts, laughing, etc.
Negative Reinforcement: Behaviors such as yelling, intimidation, scolding, emotional blackmail, interrupting communication, crying, guilt trap, acting as a victim, and insults are examples of this technique.
Partial (Intermittent) Consolidation: Partial negative reinforcement is a method that can create an effective atmosphere of doubt and fear. Partial positive reinforcement, on the other hand, keeps the victim persistent. For example, in most gambling games the gambler seems to be winning at the beginning, but it is inevitable that he will lose money in total.
Criminal
First Small Request, Then Big Request
Increasing Requests
Unusual Request
Concept Break
Misinformation Manipulation
Noise Technique
Ego Whipping with Humiliation
Do not lie
Pure Brainwashing
Emotional Blackmail
Temptation to Wrong
Deprivation
Ego Caressing
Don’t lie in pain
Rejection (Denial)
Hiding
Rationalization
Disdain
Selective Mindfulness or Selective Inattention
Changing Subject, Confusing, Avoiding
Closed Digestion
Emotional pressure
Taking advantage of a lack of self-confidence: Every person has a number of features that he or she does not like. At this point, people tend to deny as a defense mechanism. The manipulator who notices this situation can use this situation. Insecure person means a vulnerable person. The person to be manipulated is told about his deficiencies, he is kneeling and manipulation is done.
Artificial Problem Method: In this method, the manipulator generates an artificial problem and asks the people he will manipulate to find a solution to this problem. People cannot find a full solution to this problem and they magnify it in their minds. At this point, the person producing the problem, that is, the manipulator, steps in. The manipulator that is activated can manage the solution seekers as they wish and the manipulation succeeds.
Deprivation Method: To manipulate, you can deprive people of certain things they love. The manipulator makes the individual dependent on himself by depriving him of something he loves (mother, father, child, wife). This method is in a way emotional violence.
The Technique to Demand More: This technique is often used in debt solicitation and bargaining situations. The manipulator first makes a high start. Later, when this beginning is not accepted, he pulls the proposal down and uses words like “at least this”, “at least” From this point on, manipulation can be a success.
Playing With Emotions Technique: This manipulation technique is very brutal. It is aimed to benefit from the emotional accumulation of the other party. It is painful for the person being manipulated. Kidnapped persons, threatened, are victims of this painful technique. Using this technique, the manipulator tries to force the other party to do what they want.
Scare Technique: In order to apply the scaring technique, which is the last topic of our topic of manipulation techniques, first of all, a weakness of the victim is determined. After the weakness is detected, the person starts to be frightened by this weakness. However, the one who gives both the fear and the protection is the same here. The frightened person then appears with the words “I protect you”. In this manipulation technique, the problem maker and the solver are the same person.
Personality traits of manipulative people
They want to set up a private area
Manipulative people feel comfortable in their personal space as they can be more controlling in their private spaces. For this reason, they prefer to be in their private areas such as personal office, home, car for business meetings, family meetings or relationship talks.
Thus, they believe that it is easier for them to be able to make you accept an idea or change any thought in your mind in a place where they feel in control of the environment.
They don’t prefer to be the first to speak in conversations
Manipulative people with strong observation skills want to get to know you first during a conversation or meeting. They need to spot some clues about your personality by staying quiet and listening to you in the first place. They learn about your weaknesses, fears, and anxieties and aim to use them later. It is very likely that you will witness manipulative people watching you with attentive eyes, staying silent most of the time.
They distort the truth, lie skillfully
The most successful character trait that people who want to manipulate have developed for themselves is the ability to lie. They are highly skilled at distorting the truth, making excuses, making something that didn’t happen seem like it happened. Usually, they have a style that is competent enough to make you believe even for something you didn’t do.
They can raise their voices and exhibit violent behavior
Speaking loudly during an argument in a way that interrupts the other person’s speech or suppresses his voice is an example of aggressive manipulation. Manipulative people sometimes turn to acts of intimidation and harassment to people in order to use the method of persuasion.
Not only voice tones, but body language and gestures can also be aggressive. They may even act violently, such as physical contact, shaking or hitting, by showing a tendency to violence.
They don’t give people time to think
When there is a situation that needs to be considered, manipulative people do not want to give the people the time they need to measure and weigh the event. They try to get them to make a decision or answer as soon as possible by applying constant pressure not to let them filter their thoughts through the filter of logic.
In this way, they aim to reach the desired result by taking advantage of their confusion and indecision.
They judge and make negative reviews
Another common characteristic of manipulative people is that they constantly judge and negatively criticize ideas other than their own. For them, only their own thoughts are correct, other thoughts are inaccurate or incomplete.
For this reason, they constantly try to impose their “right” thoughts without listening to the other party and make the other party feel inadequate, wrong and unhappy.
Ignore those who don’t adapt to them
One of the ways manipulative people make the other party feel worthless is the “habit of ignoring”. People who do not accept manipulation and insist on their opinions act as if they were not there or as if they had presented no ideas. With this method, they aim to damage the ego of the other party and whet their fears of lack of interest.
