Four Main Sources of Manipulation
Within us, in our lack of self-understanding, lies the potential for us to be manipulated.
- We are controlled by our NEEDS.
- Each of us has certain WEAKNESSES.
- Each of us is characterized by certain PREFERENCES.
- We are all used to following rules and observing RITUALS.
All of these can be (and are!) used by manipulators.
Classification of Needs
The following classification of human needs, proposed by A. Maslow, is widely recognized:
- Physiological needs (food, water, shelter, rest, health, the desire to avoid pain, sex, etc.).
- The need for safety and security about the future.
- The need to belong to a group (family, friends, like-minded people, etc.).
- The need for respect and recognition.
- The need for self-actualization.
At the same time, psychologists have established the enormous importance of positive emotions for a person’s mental health (and therefore physical health as well). Satisfying each of the above needs brings positive emotions. However, there are things and circumstances that also bring us such emotions but do not relate to any of the five types of needs. For example: good weather, a beautiful landscape, a funny scene, an interesting book or conversation, favorite activities, and so on. Therefore, it is reasonable to supplement Maslow’s classification with a sixth type:
- The need for positive emotions.
Physiological Needs
The following advertising text is probably familiar to anyone who watches TV:
Food is pleasure. The pleasure of taste. But every time you eat, your acid-base balance is disrupted and you risk cavities. “Dirol” chewing gum with xylitol and carbamide protects your teeth from morning till night!
The creators of this ad appeal to the physiological pleasure of eating and demonstrate a desire to satisfy the audience’s need for healthy teeth and protection from tooth pain.
The Need for Safety
This human need is the foundation of one of the most profitable businesses-insurance. Professional insurance agents first scare the client, then offer to insure them against all possible misfortunes.
Fear is like a guard dog, barking at the approach of danger.
Much more cleverly than insurance agents, the unforgettable Hodja Nasreddin used fear. Someone suspected their neighbors of stealing their wallet. None of them admitted guilt. Hodja gave each of them a stick of equal length and said, “Tomorrow, come to me with these sticks, and I will determine who is guilty: the one who stole the money will have a stick that grows by a quarter overnight.”
Night came. The thief couldn’t sleep, thinking in fear: “By tomorrow, my stick will grow by a quarter, and I’ll be exposed.” He calmed down only after shortening his stick by exactly the amount it was supposed to grow.
The Need to Belong
When we defend our own opinion, we take responsibility for its correctness. When we follow the crowd, we avoid responsibility.
Everyone can relate to stories from school days like this one:
A lesson was disrupted, and the whole class skipped it. The incident is being investigated.
Vice Principal: “Ivanov, why did you leave the class?”
Ivanov: “Everyone left, so I left too.”
The Need for Respect and Recognition
This need is most simply exploited by flatterers. Ivan Krylov described the power of this technique perfectly:
How many times the world has been told,
That flattery is vile, harmful,
But it’s all in vain.
There’s always a corner in the heart for a flatterer.
In most cases, the target of flattery understands they are being flattered, but the very fact of being praised is pleasant, as it indicates dependence on them, high social status, or a desire to win their favor. Satisfying the need for respect and recognition works wonders.
The Need for Self-Actualization
According to Maslow’s classification, this is the highest-level need. Its satisfaction is also used for covert control of people.
Self-actualization is expressed in achievements. These achievements are reflected in various documents: award certificates, professor and associate professor diplomas, doctoral and candidate degrees, college and technical school diplomas, high school diplomas, certificates of merit, and so on.
The importance of these symbols of success varies, as do the achievements themselves. But we keep everything that testifies to our (even very old or modest) achievements: yellowed certificates, sports badges, winner’s pennants, trophies. We love receiving any confirmation of our successes. Experienced leaders use this to manage people.
The Need for Positive Emotions
The power of positive emotions is enormous, because a good compliment lifts the “object’s” mood. The person giving compliments becomes a desirable, pleasant companion, as they satisfy the “object’s” need for positive emotions.
Women, being more emotional, do not hide their need for compliments. In fact, courtship is impossible without them. However, experience and psychologists’ opinions show that men are even more susceptible to compliments. Due to their lack of experience, they are much less demanding about the quality of compliments and can fall for even the most banal flattery.