How to Protect Yourself from Psychological Pressure

It might seem like nothing special—going to your boss with your own opinion and leaving with theirs. Or having a heated conversation with your spouse and then ending up doing something you know is wrong. You might 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 person can be manipulated, creating the motivation the manipulator wants.

How can 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 tool for manipulation. 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 this decision based on… I coordinated it… I expected these results… and now I expect…” Sometimes, this can pull 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 the 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 all subordinates with gathering information about his acquaintances. Since he held a high position, we got a lot of data, including mutual contacts. We asked everyone to help, and the calls began. His college and army friends, former colleagues, officials from related agencies, and even a couple of his superiors called him 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 multiple people call the decision-maker. Sometimes, it annoys the person so much that they’ll agree to anything just to be left alone. 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 “prep” the boss by saying it’s time to give Ivanov a raise, making the conversation with Ivanov more productive.

However, there’s a risk the person will get offended and act out of spite. Honestly, I haven’t experienced this myself.

How do you defend against a mass psychological attack? There are only two ways: stand your ground and politely explain to all influencers that they’re meddling in your business, or negotiate directly with the person pressuring you and defend your position.

Psychological Pressure Through Direct Threats

I most often encountered this right after the 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 capable of decisive action, they’ll act, not threaten. So, it’s best to ignore threats and continue negotiations 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 assaulted, 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 own turf.

General Methods of Protection Against Psychological Pressure

When you’re under intense pressure, it’s not always easy to think clearly, analyze what’s happening, and control the conversation. Emotions get in the way. To neutralize them, here are a few simple psychological techniques to resist manipulation:

1. 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.
2. Place 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 eye level to shield your face.
3. Create mental barriers between you and your opponent. Imagine a wall of fire, glass, or water. Picture yourself in a spacesuit or force field. Try different options to see what works best. Some suggest choosing an element for your mental wall based on your zodiac sign.
4. Mentally change your opponent’s image. Imagine them naked, in their underwear, or in funny clothes—anything that makes their psychological pressure seem less serious.
5. 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 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 negotiate with you.” These are usually said by unsuccessful manipulators.