How to Protect Yourself from Psychological Pressure
It might seem like nothing special: you go to your boss with your own opinion and leave with theirs. Or you have a heated conversation with your spouse and end up doing something you know is wrong. You negotiate and later realize you’ve taken on unnecessary obligations. Cursing yourself, you start doing things you really don’t want to do. Not everyone realizes they’ve become a victim of psychological pressure and skillful manipulation that triggers the desired motivation. Below, we’ll discuss common methods of psychological pressure and how to resist them.
Manipulation Using Guilt
It’s important to understand that truth is subjective, and the line between truth and lies is often blurry. The same event can be perceived very differently by different people. This is the basis for manipulation through guilt. By artificially inducing guilt, a manipulator can control someone, creating the motivation they want. How do you fight this?
- First, play along with the manipulator so they don’t increase the pressure.
- Second, don’t take on any obligations. Use any method to say “no.”
As a result, you can corner the manipulator—they think you’re confused and crushed, you admit guilt, but you don’t want to do anything and avoid giving a direct answer.
Psychological Pressure with Rhetorical Questions
Rhetorical questions are a very effective manipulation tool. For example: “Do you realize how you let us down?”, “Do you even know what you’re doing?”, “How can you be such an idiot?” Answering is pointless, but staying silent can seem disrespectful or like you’re admitting guilt. I’ve found only one way to deal with this: continue the question and offer any positive scenario. For example:
- “Do you even know what you’re doing?” – “Yes, I made a decision based on… I coordinated it… I expected these results… Now I expect…”
Sometimes, this drags the other person into a debate—emotional, but at least constructive. I used to stay silent, and when asked, “Why are you quiet?” I’d say, “I have nothing to say.” But I realized this doesn’t let you control the conversation and just drags it out.
Mass Psychological Attack
If the previous techniques are usually used top-down, this one is more suitable for the opposite situation. Once, we needed a final signature from an official. All approvals were in place, procedures followed, but he refused to sign. He didn’t take bribes and wouldn’t give a clear reason, just vague answers like “I’ll consider it” or “I’ll think about it,” and snapped when asked “when.”
So, we tasked everyone to gather information about his contacts. Since he held a high position, we got a lot of data, including mutual acquaintances. We asked everyone to help, and the calls began.
He got calls from college and army friends, former colleagues, officials from related agencies, and even a couple of calls from his superiors with puzzled questions. Our person sat in his waiting room and bothered him every time he saw him. He didn’t last long. Later, I heard he flinched at the mention of our company for months.
This technique is often used in sales, where decision-makers are bombarded with calls. Sometimes, people get so fed up they’ll agree to anything just to make it stop. Collectors do the same, calling all the debtor’s friends, colleagues, and relatives.
It’s also used in salary negotiations. Before asking for a raise, several people might “prep” the boss by saying it’s time to give Ivanov a raise, making the conversation with Ivanov more productive.
It’s worth noting that this approach risks making the person angry and spiteful. Honestly, I’ve never had that happen in my experience.
How do you defend against a mass psychological attack? There are only two ways: stand your ground and politely tell all influencers they’re meddling, or negotiate directly with the person pressuring you and defend your position.
Psychological Pressure Through Direct Threats
I mostly encountered this right after a crisis, during negotiations with creditors. Many used a blunt tactic—they threatened. Psychologically, threats are often scarier than their execution. But this only works on those who don’t know that barking dogs rarely bite. Almost always, a direct threat means they want to negotiate. If people are ready for decisive action, they’ll act, not threaten. So, it’s best to ignore threats and negotiate as usual.
For example, some said they’d sue, that they had police connections, and would ruin us if we didn’t agree to their terms. Others politely offered their terms. While we were thinking, one of my subordinates was attacked, and another was put on a train and told not to return to the city. In other words, some used psychological pressure, while others took real action—moving the game to their turf.
General Methods of Protection Against Psychological Pressure
When you’re under intense pressure, it’s not always easy to think clearly, analyze the situation, and control the conversation. Emotions get in the way. Here are some simple psychological techniques to resist manipulation:
- Use closed body language—cross your arms and legs, look from under your brows, etc. This subconsciously protects your throat, heart, and groin. In this position, you’re closed off to influence.
- Put physical barriers between you and your opponent—tables, chairs, or other objects. You can pick up something like a vase, cup, or ashtray and hold it at face level to shield your face.
- Create mental barriers—imagine a wall of fire, glass, or water between you and your opponent. Picture yourself in a spacesuit or force field. Try different options to see what works best. Some suggest choosing an element that matches your zodiac sign for your mental wall or cocoon.
- Mentally change your opponent’s image—imagine them naked, in their underwear, or in funny clothes. Any scenario that makes their psychological pressure seem less serious will work.
- Distract their attention—use any method that prevents your opponent from focusing. I’ve tried opening a glossy magazine to a bright ad. Men can be distracted by a scantily clad beauty, women by stylish clothes or jewelry. Some women sit so their dress rides up or lean over to show off their lingerie. It’s very hard to pressure someone in that situation.
In conclusion, here’s how to check how easily you can be manipulated or pressured. Pay attention to phrases like “It’s useless to argue with you,” “You can’t be asked for anything,” or “It’s impossible to agree on anything with you.” These are usually said by unsuccessful manipulators.