Manipulations of consciousness: mechanisms, techniques, protection. However, the strongest and most severe impacts can still be identified and prevented.

The main types and methods of manipulation There are many ways to manipulate, some of the most common of them, we will consider. The threat of a gap. Sometimes, especially in the heat of a quarrel, partners may say to each other: “Filing for divorce”, “I’m leaving”, “We need

The Consequences of Manipulating Children The harm done to children is twofold. On the one hand, children are capable students and grasp manipulation techniques on the fly. This is how manipulative parents nurture new manipulators. On the other hand, deeply ingrained guilt (namely

5.1. Popular manipulation techniques False questioning method. This technique is also called Deceptive Refinements. The essence of this method is as follows. The manipulator pretends to be very interested in the object's proposal or its point of view, but something

2.1. Information as a tool of manipulation At present, there is practically no doubt that a person needs a constant influx of information to implement his social behavior in society. Constant information connection with the environment

Chapter 3

3.3. Principles of successful manipulation 1. The principle of consistency. The natural desire of people to be and be considered consistent is a very powerful means of influence. It is not uncommon for the principle of consistency to lead us to act apparently contrary to our personal interests.

Chapter 4. Organization of the manipulation process 4.1. Preparing for manipulation Just as the general prerequisites for manipulation are formed in advance, a particular manipulation event also has some prehistory of its unfolding. More-less

4.4. Management of the manipulation process From the moment contact is established between the communicating parties, a psychological space of interaction develops. Like physical space, it has its own dimensions. Every event that takes place in this space,

Chapter 3 Persuasion vs. Manipulation But wait, Bob, you say. To convince a person to take the actions we need? It's very similar to manipulation. I'm often asked to explain the difference between persuasion and manipulation. The concepts are definitely

Signs of Manipulation How do you know if someone is trying to manipulate you, and how can you prevent yourself from making the same mistake unintentionally? While persuasion and manipulation are based on similar principles, there are some things that a manipulator does often, and

Signs of emotional manipulation Pay special attention to episodes when he betrayed or hurt you, hurt your feelings, and then tries to manipulate you into forgiveness. Hearing his sworn promises and seeing tears in his eyes, you might think that

Each method of manipulation below is accompanied by a brief instruction on countering it, protecting against it.

Before proceeding to the consideration of manipulation techniques, I also immediately want to note that manipulation methods are not always used separately, often combinations of techniques and methods are used for the effectiveness of the impact.

FALSE INQUIRY

This method of manipulation is used to change the general meaning of what was said, changing its meanings to suit oneself. The manipulator, as if for the purpose of clarification, asks again, repeating what you said only at the beginning, then replaces the words and, in general, the meaning.

Listen very carefully to what is being said to you. If you hear a distorted meaning, correct it immediately.

SHOWING INDIFFERENCE AND NEGLIGENCE

When one person tries to prove his case, to convince another of something, he shows his indifference both to the interlocutor and to what he says. The manipulator relies on the opponent's aspirations to prove his significance at all costs, to use those facts, that information that he was not going to disclose before. That is, the necessary information is simply displayed.

Protection against manipulation - do not succumb to provocation.

JUMPING TO ANOTHER TOPIC

Having voiced one topic, the manipulator quickly moves on to another, thereby not giving the interlocutor the opportunity to protest the first one or somehow doubt it. This is done in order to fix this information (not always true) in the subconscious of the interlocutor. This is manipulation method can be characterized as a suggestion with further use.

You should be attentive to what you hear and subject everything to analysis.

QUOTATION OF OPPONENT'S WORDS

In this case, the manipulator quotes, and unexpectedly, the words of the opponent. In most cases, the words are partially distorted.

Defensively, you can respond in kind, invent a phrase and pass it off as the words of a manipulator that he once said.

IMAGINARY DAMAGE

The manipulator shows his weakness, seeking condescending attitude towards himself. At such moments, the manipulated ceases to take the person seriously as a competitor and rival, his vigilance is dulled.

You can not succumb to this manipulation technique only if you always take any person seriously and see him as a strong opponent.

FALSE LOVE

Very common manipulation technique. Through a declaration of love, respect and respect, you can achieve much more than just asking.

"Cold mind" is here to help you. FURIOUS ANGER AND FURIOUS PRESSURE

With unmotivated anger, the manipulator makes a person want to calm his interlocutor and expects that he will make certain concessions. Just like the previous one, this method of manipulation is quite common.

Opposition:

Do not pay attention to the rage of the interlocutor, do not start to calm him down, but show your indifference to his behavior, this will confuse him;

Or vice versa, touching the manipulator (whether arm or shoulder) and looking directly into his eyes, start to sharply increase your aggressive pace, responding to him. With the help of simultaneous exposure to visual, kinesthetic and auditory stimulus, the manipulator is introduced into a trance. And already you can set your own conditions for him, introduce your settings into his subconscious.

You can adjust, evoke a similar mood in yourself and gradually begin to calm down, calming the manipulator as well.

FALSE HURRY AND FAST PACE

Manipulation is possible by imposing a very fast pace of speech and pushing through your ideas. The manipulator, hiding behind haste and lack of time, chatters his interlocutor, who, not having time not only to answer, but even to think, thereby demonstrates his tacit consent.

The talkativeness, talkativeness and verbosity of the manipulator can be stopped by questions and asking again. To slow down the pace will help, for example, such a trick as - “Sorry, I need to call urgently. Will you wait?

EXPRESS SUSPICIOUS AND EXCUSE

This way of manipulation used to weaken the protective barrier of the human psyche. The role of the manipulator is to play suspiciousness in any issue, the response to which will be the desire to justify oneself. This is what he is striving for. The protective barrier has weakened, you can "push" the desired settings.

The protection here is the awareness of oneself as a self-confident person. Show the manipulator that you don't care if they take offense at you, and you won't run to catch up if he wants to leave. Lovers, take it into service, do not let yourself be manipulated!

FALSE FATIGUE

The manipulator makes it clear that he is very tired and unable to prove anything and listen to objections. And because of this, the person being manipulated quickly agrees with his words, and, following his lead, does not tire him with objections.

Do not give in to provocations.

The subtlety of this method of manipulation lies in the specifics of the human psyche - worship and blind trust in authority in any area. The manipulator, using his authority, puts pressure on a person, and often an opinion, advice or request lies outside the limits of his authority. How can you refuse a request or disagree with such a person?

Believe in yourself, in your abilities, in your individuality and exclusivity. Down with low self-esteem!

FALSE LOVE

The manipulator, as if in secret, almost in a whisper, under the guise of imaginary friendship, advises the manipulated to act in a certain way. He assures of the benefits and benefits of this act, but in fact he pursues his own interests.

We should not forget that free cheese is only in a mousetrap, you have to pay for everything.

BRING RESISTANCE

It is known that the forbidden fruit is sweet, and the human psyche is arranged in such a way that he is often interested in exactly what is under the ban or to achieve which it is necessary to make efforts. The manipulator, as a subtle psychologist, using these features of the human psyche, causes such desires in the object of his influence. Of course, for your own good.

Always remember your interests. Make decisions, thinking carefully, weighing all the pros and cons.

FROM PARTICULARITY TO ERROR

The manipulator draws the attention of the object of manipulation to only one detail, not allowing him to consider the whole picture, and forces him to draw conclusions based on this. Application of this ways to manipulate people widespread in life. Many people draw conclusions and judge any subject or event without having detailed information and not having facts, a couple without even having their own opinion on this issue, they judge based on the opinions of others. Manipulators take advantage of this and thus impose their opinion.

Expand your horizons, develop, work to increase the level of your own knowledge.

IRONY WITH A grin

Manipulator, as if doubting the opponent's words, deliberately chooses an ironic tone of conversation, provoking him to emotions. In an emotional state, in anger, a person falls into an altered state of consciousness and is more susceptible to suggestion.

An effective defense against this method of manipulation is complete indifference.

DISCONNECT

The manipulator, in order to direct the conversation in the direction he needs, constantly interrupts the thoughts of the interlocutor.

Do not pay attention to this, or, using speech psychotechnics, try to make fun of the manipulator and if you are in a team, no one will seriously pay attention to his interruptions.

FALSE RECOGNITION OF FAVORABLE CONDITIONS

In this case, there is a hint from the manipulator of more favorable conditions, in which the object of manipulation is allegedly located. The manipulated begins to make excuses and opens up to the suggestion that immediately follows.

Do not make excuses, on the contrary, recognize your superiority. SIMULATION OF BIA

The manipulated is placed in such conditions when he needs to avert suspicion of bias towards the manipulator. And he himself begins to praise him, talk about his good intentions, thereby setting himself up not to react critically to the words of the manipulator.

If you are already in such a situation, refute your bias, but without praising the manipulator.

MISTAKE SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY

Manipulation It is carried out due to the use of unknown manipulated terms by the manipulator in the conversation. The latter finds himself in an awkward position, and being afraid to appear illiterate, he is afraid of what these terms mean.

Do not be shy and do not be afraid to clarify a word that is not clear to you.

IMPOSING FALSE STUPIDITY

In simple terms, this method of manipulation is to lower a person below the plinth. Allusions to his illiteracy and stupidity are used, which brings the object of manipulation into a state of temporary confusion. It is then that the manipulator produces the coding of the psyche.

Do not pay attention, especially if you know that you are a competent manipulator, an experienced fraudster or a hypnotist.

IMPOSSION OF THOUGHT BY THE REPETITION OF PHRASES

With this method of manipulation, due to the repeated repetition of phrases, the manipulator inspires the object with some information.

Do not focus on what the manipulator says. You can change the topic of conversation.

FALSE NEGLIGENCE

The manipulator plays on his alleged inattention. Having achieved the desired result, he seems to notice that he did something wrong, putting the manipulated before the fact - “Well, what can you do, I didn’t see, I didn’t hear, I misunderstood ...”

It is necessary to clearly clarify and convey the meaning of the agreements reached.

SAY YES"

Like manipulation technique is carried out by constructing a dialogue in such a way that the person being manipulated agrees with the words of the manipulator all the time. So the manipulator brings the object of influence to the adoption of his idea.

Change the direction of the conversation.

OBSERVING AND SEARCHING FOR SIMILAR FEATURES

The manipulator invents or finds some similarity between himself and the manipulated, casually pays attention to this, thereby increasing self-confidence and weakening protection. You can act, promote an idea, inspire a thought (using other methods and techniques of manipulation), ask.

Protection - sharply tell the manipulator about your dissimilarity with him.

THE IMPOSITION OF CHOICE

The manipulator puts the question in such a way that it does not give the object any other choice of options than those that he proposed. For example, a waiter in a restaurant, asking, coming up to your table - “Which wine will you drink today - red or white?”, Makes you think about the choice from what he offered, and you, for example, planned to order yourself a cheap vodka.

Clearly and clearly imagine what you want and do not forget about your interests and plans, no matter what it concerns.

At present, manipulation is usually understood as a system of methods of ideological and socio-psychological influence in order to change the thinking and behavior of people contrary to their interests. An interesting definition is given by M. Bityanova: “Manipulation is a common form of interpersonal communication that involves influencing a communication partner in order to achieve one's hidden intentions; in manipulative communication, the goal is also to achieve control over the behavior and thoughts of another person; the partner is not informed about the true goals of communication; they either simply hide from him, or are replaced by others. Researcher of patterns of influence on people P.S. Taranov gives the following interpretation of manipulation: full of deceit, but always outwardly decent and pure, sophisticated in its method of implementation, usually theatrical, but furnished action of one person or group of persons with the intention of violating or destroying other people's interests in order to lead to the triumph and victory of their own interests. This definition can hardly be called scientific, however, it reflects one of the modern perceptions of the word "manipulation" as a kind of fraud, machination, full of insidious actions.

According to V. Amelin, manipulation involves the following operations:

introduction into the public consciousness under the guise of objective information of the desired content for a certain group;

impact on pain points of public consciousness that excite fear, anxiety, hatred, etc.

the implementation of declared and hidden plans, the achievement of which the manipulator connects with the support of public opinion for his position.

The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Political Science states that "manipulation is the process of influencing public opinion and behavior in order to channel it in the direction necessary for certain political or public structures." An analysis of these and other definitions allows us to identify the main, generic signs of manipulation:

The process of manipulation is asymmetric: there is a side that influences and there is a side that is affected (subject and object). Moreover, most often people whose minds are being manipulated are treated not as individuals, but as objects, a special kind of thing.

Manipulation is a kind of spiritual, psychological impact (and not physical violence or the threat of violence). The target of the manipulator's actions are the mental structures of the human personality.

Manipulation is a hidden influence, the fact of which should not be noticed by the object of manipulation. One of the first books directly devoted to the manipulation of consciousness was the book of the German sociologist G. Franke "Manipulated Man" (1964). He gives the following definition: "Manipulation in most cases should be understood as a mental impact that is produced secretly, and, therefore, to the detriment of those persons on whom it is directed." Any manipulation is characterized by a certain closeness, an illusion, an invisible mechanism, a psychological impact on consciousness in order to form certain beliefs or preferences. According to G. Schiller, “the success of manipulation is guaranteed when the person being manipulated believes that everything that happens is natural and inevitable. In short, manipulation requires a false reality in which its presence will not be felt. All manipulation techniques are based on diverting the attention of the object from the main goal that the subject intends to achieve. That is, manipulation involves some external stimulus that fixes the attention of the object, and a hidden stimulus that encourages the object to act, which he himself would not have done, but which for some reason is necessary for the subject. Deciphering the hidden stimulus deprives the manipulation of meaning. In order for the manipulation to be successful, the external stimulus must be meaningful to the object. Having not accepted the external stimulus, the object will accordingly ignore the hidden stimulus. The essence of this effect was accurately formulated by Dale Carnegie: “Personally, I love strawberries with cream. But for some reason fish prefer worms. Therefore, when I go fishing, I take for her not what I love, but worms and dried grasshoppers.

Manipulation is an impact that requires considerable skill and knowledge. If we are talking about manipulating the minds of individuals, in advertising or politics, then, as a rule, specialists or at least special knowledge gleaned from literature or instructions are involved in the development of the action. Since the manipulation of consciousness has become a technology, professional workers have appeared who own this technology (or parts of it). There was a system of personnel training, scientific institutions, scientific and popular science literature.

Any manipulation of consciousness is a product of information interaction. The manipulator, sending messages in the form of texts or actions, provides such coded signs so that the recipient, having built these signs into the context, changes the image of this context in his perception. The manipulator suggests such connections of his text or act with reality, imposes such an interpretation of them so that the idea of ​​reality is distorted in the direction desired by the manipulator. This means that this will also affect the behavior of the recipient, and he will be sure that he is acting in full accordance with his own desires. In other words, a person can become a victim of manipulation only if he acts as its co-author, accomplice. Only if a person, under the influence of the received signals, rebuilds his views, opinions, moods, goals - and begins to act according to a new program - the manipulation took place.

Manipulation is carried out in three main areas:

ideological (propaganda)

social (upbringing, education, etc.)

Manipulation can be carried out within the framework of interpersonal, group and mass communication. The manipulation of consciousness and behavior has gained particular importance in recent years. The subject or instrument of such manipulation is most often the media.

Influence on the consciousness, subconsciousness, behavior and situation characterizes any, including explicit management of a person. The specifics of covert control are reflected in such categories as “deception”, “lie”, “manipulation”, “fraud”, “psychic programming”, “zombie”, etc.

Manipulation is a very peculiar way of social regulation, management, control and determination of the individual life of people. In a civilized society, where the violent suppression of a person is morally condemned and in most cases prohibited by law, manipulation serves as its original substitute. At the same time, the strength and effectiveness of this substitute is sometimes much higher than open violence, because it is carried out covertly and anonymously in the spiritual and psychological world of a person, covering both the conscious and unconscious layers of his personality.

In addition, manipulation is a fairly universal phenomenon that can be found in all socially significant areas of life of human individuals in Western society. Thus, in the sphere of production and the economy, it represents the irrational subordination of their personality to objective economic functions as a consumer, labor force, or, for example, a functionary of bureaucratic organizations.

With the help of suggestive methods of advertising, demand-forming marketing, such scenarios of consumer behavior are imposed on individuals, which turn their natural desire to satisfy their vital desires almost into the meaning of individual life, into the highest social value. Not only the purchase and possession of certain things become prestigious, but also their rapid turnover, novelty, and scarcity. Thus, in every way in the modern industrial system, one of the objective economic functions of people is inflated, equalizing their personality with the imposed standard of Homokonsumens - a person striving to consume more and more.

However, in order to achieve this goal, you need to earn more. The relationship between the employer and the employee also often takes on the character of mutual manipulation. The entrepreneur has an objective interest in squeezing more and better quality products out of the workforce. However, today this often becomes possible, especially in high-tech production, only taking into account the individual inclinations of people, including those outside production. Therefore, the owner or manager of an enterprise is forced to put into practice the "doctrine of human relations", which creates in employees the illusion of the inherent value of their personality, although in reality he is aimed at purely instrumental use of it.

In the same way, the employer and the employee use the employer, realizing their economic goals, one of which is to get more with less personal costs. But if he wants to achieve this goal, he is forced to hide it, demonstrating in every way his loyalty to the leaders and commitment to the interests of the enterprise where he works.

This ability for manipulative actions, which involves a developed technique of "selling" to others the necessary image of oneself, is especially necessary for employees of bureaucratic organizations. If they want to succeed in moving up the hierarchy, they are forced to acquire the properties of a "protein person" who loses his individual "figure" and takes on different forms in accordance with changing circumstances.

Manipulation is a process that has a certain time duration, specific stages. Relatively independent stages of the manipulation process reflect the concept of a general model of manipulation. This model reproduces the most important interrelated components of the manipulation impact and from this point of view acts as a manipulation mechanism.

It includes two main stages: preparatory and practical, which constitute a single manipulation process. This process can be divided into the following elements (stages):

Definition of the ultimate goal, subject, object and general conditions of manipulation. This involves finding out the result that needs to be provided by the manipulation action, determining its necessity, clarifying the person or group on which the action will be directed. In interpersonal manipulation, the elucidation of its subject and object does not occur, since they are well known. In complex, collective manipulative actions, for example, at the level of public policy, such clarification is usually necessary.

Collecting information about the object, determining its psychological characteristics and the specifics of the position (state). The effectiveness of manipulation directly depends on taking into account the features of the object, which cannot be used without the possession of relevant information.

Determination of the desired behavior of the object of manipulation, leading to the achievement of the final goal. The instrumental goal is the means (instrument) that ensures the achievement of the ultimate goal of manipulation. It links the desire of the manipulator with the behavior of the manipulated. The instrumental goal defines the general scenario of the manipulation process.

Definition of targets, i.e., those mental structures that are affected and that have motivational power. The targets can be the needs of a person, his values, beliefs, habits, mental automatisms, stereotypes, weaknesses, patterns of the psyche, etc. In the practice of manipulation, several targets are often used. For example, the famous hero of the novel “The Twelve Chairs” by I. Ilf and E. Petrov, Ostap Bender, when selling Ellochka the cannibal an unnecessary strainer, used her love for bright, beautiful little things, her desire to appear fashionable, possess prestigious things, stand out among her friends, etc.

Selection of incentives and baits adequate to the targets. Incentives in the process of manipulation are everything that does not contradict the core values ​​of the person being manipulated and can satisfy his needs or desires (“hit the targets”), including satisfying ambition, strengthening self-esteem, etc. The bait is something that helps to attract attention the addressee to the stimulus, increases its attractiveness, for example, the appearance of the manipulator that causes respect or pleasant music that precedes the commercial.

Building a scenario (technology) of manipulation. Such a scenario is a chain of actions leading to an instrumental goal. It can be both single-act and multi-act, i.e., it can consist of both one action and a series of them, a chain. Moreover, these actions usually seem unrelated. In large manipulation actions, several scenarios are often used, and the main scenario itself is adjusted in the process of its implementation in accordance with the situation.

All six elements of the manipulation mechanism discussed above characterize preparatory stage its process, while subsequent elements reflect practical manipulation actions.

Establishing contact with the addressee, adjusting to him, establishing rapport, trusting relationships. Without elements of trust in the manipulator and (or) information emanating from him, it is impossible to lull the vigilance of the object and induce him to act contrary to his actual desire. This stage of manipulation may be absent during situational manipulation, i.e. when its subject influences the object indirectly, through third parties or impersonal information processes.

Preparation of the object for the perception of the stimulus. This is perhaps one of the most difficult stages of manipulation. It serves to ensure the victory of the motive of manipulation over the motives that prevail at a given time and are opposite to the goals of manipulation. The preparation of the addressee can take place through:

activation of the target to which the impact will be directed (for example, incitement through advertising among citizens of the desire to buy a car of a certain model);

weakening antagonist motives in relation to the goals of manipulation (for example, compromising competitor car models);

bringing the object into a state of increased responsiveness to the stimulus (for example, improving the mood and perception of the buyer by car dealership employees with free coffee or alcoholic beverages).

For the manipulator, such states of the object are desirable that dull his ability to make rational decisions, for example, a state of trance, emotional intensity, increased arousal, etc.

The use of incentives and baits, encouraging the addressee to act with their help. This involves choosing the time and place most favorable for the main manipulation action and its masterful implementation. At this stage, the instrumental goal of manipulation is directly realized - its object is induced to the behavior and actions desired for its subject.

Use of winnings. Most often, it is carried out covertly, since one of the main tasks of manipulation is shifting responsibility for the loss to the person being manipulated, creating and maintaining the illusion of freedom of choice in him.

The numbering and, accordingly, the sequence of the stages of manipulation identified above are rather arbitrary. So, establishing contact with the addressee, establishing a trusting relationship with him can be carried out after determining the ultimate goal of manipulation, that is, at the second stage. In some manipulation actions, certain elements of the manipulation process may be absent. For example, when trusting relationships already exist between the participants (subject and object) of manipulation, then special actions to establish contacts and rapport become unnecessary. In general, almost all of the above elements in one form or another are present in real manipulation processes.

There are five main methods by which manipulators control their victims:

Positive incentive. This is the basic principle of reward. It can manifest itself in the form of praise, money, attention, approval, gifts, social recognition and other tangible and intangible rewards that people use to encourage or support each other. As a rule, positive stimulation causes pleasant sensations. An experienced manipulator knows this and uses it to please the victim. Relationships based on positive stimulation tend to be pleasant and joyful. The back reaction of the victim is that she is aware that her behavior pleases the manipulator.

Negative incentive. Many people confuse this type of stimulation with punishment, but they are two different things. Negative stimulation is sometimes referred to as "disgusting"—the "reward" is the avoidance or cessation of the disgusting experience when the victim fulfills the manipulator's wishes. People who are manipulated through negative stimulation usually become resentful, angry and frustrated, anxious, depressed, have low self-esteem, which are forever fixed by the experience.

Periodic or partial stimulation. Positive or negative stimulation can occur on a continuous or sequential basis, or partial, periodic, random or unpredictable. These two stimulation patterns are closely related to how the victim feels about the person using the stimulation and the behavior it generates. When positive stimulation occurs in a partial or periodic pattern, the stage is set for addiction to develop. In manipulative relationships containing intermittent or partial stimulation, the victim has difficulty distinguishing when the stimulation is working and when it is completely stopped. A sequence of constant stimulation—even a negative one—causes much less anxiety and anxiety on the receiving side than unpredictable, erratic, or intermittent stimulation.

Punishment. The only difference between negative stimulation and punishment lies in the moment of occurrence of negative sensations. In negative stimulation, an unpleasant stimulating action takes place before the victim behaves in the desired way. In the case of punishment, negative experiences are a direct consequence of undesirable behavior on the part of the victim of manipulation. Punishment is widely used as a disciplinary mechanism or means of control. Manipulators often establish coercive control over their victims, using punishment in combination with other manipulation methods.

Knowledge gained through bitter experience. This method of manipulation has become a proverb: "Burned with milk, they blow on the water." Painful experiences can have lasting and generalized consequences, which is what manipulators take advantage of.

The practical application of the general model of manipulation is multivariate and requires taking into account the specifics of the manipulation action: its goals, conditions, state of the object, etc.

Man is not born manipulator. On the contrary, he is one who learns, moving along the path of overgrowing with problems or diseases - this is how the tendency to manipulate others develops, no matter what the extent of these manipulations.

H. Breaker believes that manipulators act on the basis of three main interpersonal motivations:

They need to achieve their own aspirations and their own personal goal at any cost at the expense of other people; they are completely self-sufficient and selfish. Experienced and smart manipulators know how to twist motivations, sometimes even for themselves.

The manipulator has a strong need to create a sense of power and superiority in relationships with other people. He wants his control to be recognized and appreciated. The consent of the victim with the methods of influence is precisely the recognition and affirmation that the manipulator strives for.

Manipulators want and need to feel "in control". The feeling that they can lose control in any area causes them very strong anxiety. The manipulator's need to feel "in control" extends beyond his desires or needs to control other people. Manipulators want to be seen and want to see themselves in control of their emotions, especially those associated with weakness. In competitive situations, they want to win – at virtually any cost.

We agree with the idea of ​​Frederick Perls that the cause of the phenomenon of manipulation lies in the eternal internal conflict of a person between his desire for independence and independence, on the one hand, and the desire to find support in his environment, on the other.

Erich Fromm identified another reason that wins people in the modern world to manipulate each other. He argued that love is primary in the relationship between a person and a person, and it is she who reveals the true essence of a person, for she is his original essence. The main world religions prescribe to love our neighbor just as we love ourselves, but here we are faced with a major obstacle. How many people know how to do it? Most do not even realize that until we love ourselves, we will not be able to love our neighbor.

The third reason for manipulative behavior was proposed by James Bugenthal and the existentialists, who pointed out that our existence is fraught with constant risk and many random, unforeseen circumstances that surround us on all sides, and that our every action is like a stone thrown into a lake. The total number of all possible scenarios that can happen to us at any moment is beyond our understanding. Modern man feels powerless when faced with the true state of affairs in the situation in which he is.

As a fourth assumption regarding the possible causes of manipulative behavior, we can name the hypotheses of Jay Haley, Eric Berne and William Glasser. Working with patients with schizophrenia, Haley found that they are afraid of close interpersonal relationships, try not to enter into such relationships with people around them, avoid the very possibility of their occurrence.

The fifth possible reason for the phenomenon of manipulation was called by Albert Ellis, who wrote that each of us, in the process of growing up, comes to certain conclusions about what life is, and many of them are very illogical. So, for example, one of these conclusions is that life is based on a person's constant and urgent need for approval from all those around him. This belief is built on the life of a passive manipulator, which, according to Ellis, is any person who refuses to be honest and open in dealing with other people and instead tries to please them, hoping to please them.

Not all manipulation is carried out with the direct interaction of the manipulator and the victim. A certain distance is often used: the media, the Internet, the mail. TV advertising successfully exploits the viewer's mild anxiety about dandruff, cavities, or a white stained skirt, and then provides the right answer to deal with this problem - buying the right shampoo, toothpaste, or washing powder. Participation in financial pyramids, "letters of happiness" sent by mail - just a paradox of mass participation of mass participation in the so-called "people's (mass) entrepreneurship." Many of the people involved in it understand the adventurous nature of financial transactions, but they hope that trouble will not happen to them or they act with a blind eye to the moral side of the problem. In a simpler form, involvement in the distribution of goods and services is carried out according to the scheme “you will get the goods cheaper if you bring more customers”. Herbalife, cosmetics, insurance, dishes, household appliances and many other products are distributed due to the necessary impact of the person who has already bought them on his immediate environment. It’s good when it’s a quality product, but we must remember that drug distributors were the first to widely use such schemes in the 30s.

It should also be noted that not every manipulator is familiar to a person. All sorts of fortune-tellers, soothsayers, lottery "scams" ... Manipulative influence occurs through direct interaction with the victim, and most often the addressee sees the manipulator for the first and last time in his life. A woman or a young girl, hurrying about her business and busy thinking about her difficult life, is approached by one or more "fortune-tellers" on the street. Without letting her pass, they try to start a conversation, during which they say something like this: "You are a good person, you only have problems in your life." Naturally, almost anyone would agree with this simple statement. Well, then the demonstration of the gift of clairvoyance begins. They speak in half hints, so that the victim herself thinks out and agrees. Well, after she is finally convinced of the mystical powers, the main stage begins. They say to her "Everything is fine with you, beauty, only someone has brought damage to you - illnesses and grief are waiting for your family." Young girls are usually informed about the betrayal of a loved one or offered to bewitch a good groom.Naturally, frightened women ask the question, "what to do, how to help?" Is it possible to measure happiness with money? It’s impossible, the victims agree and give away all their cash, and at the same time earrings, rings, chains and other jewelry. This is how they lose considerable savings overnight. Manipulative techniques of street games (“thimble”, various lotteries) have long been known ), which are played according to clear scenarios, where there are "barkers", "random" partners, "lucky" players, provocateurs and other participants with a certain role. Today, these scenarios are used by large campaigns, "scammers", to as they are popularly called, they enchant tens and hundreds of thousands of people. As long as there is a social base for those who want to earn “easy” money and people do not grow up to understand the manipulative essence of such operations, the number of deceived people will not decrease.

All scammers are talents. Let to some extent criminal, but talents. Moreover, they each have talent in their field. Some have a whole fountain of money-making ideas, they are masters of various scams. They invent ways to raise funds, easily implement their projects and quickly move on to new ones. Others are born financiers and businessmen, they smell money and are usually engaged in manipulations with banks, firms and other places where huge capitals are spinning. There are manipulators who specialize in deceiving women, marriage swindlers who manage to charm the lady so much that she is ready to give the last thing to the swindler, and even after the discovery of the deception, she continues to think that he “even though he was a thief, he loved me like that.” There are manipulators specializing in fakes of various kinds. They are usually excellent artists, imitators. There are manipulators who work “like old women”, they, as a rule, easily gain confidence using their official status - a doctor, a social worker, a housing office.

Lower levels of manipulation are associated with sleight of hand and theft. But unlike a simple thief who takes what lies badly, a thief-manipulator plays a whole performance, beautifully arranging the moment of theft. For example, a gypsy woman, essentially stealing the money of a gullible woman who wants to know her future, does not rudely take money out of her purse, but makes the victim give it to her herself. And there are manipulators whom their colleagues do not respect. These do not have talents, they have only a primitive craving for other people's values. They have no enthusiasm, only self-interest.

Nevertheless, even these citizens, who do not have enthusiasm, are also able to lighten the pocket of "suckers" who, according to the manipulator, are at the lowest stage of development, that is, you and me.

Having studied a large number of manipulations, we asked ourselves if there is a universal typology of situations of manipulating people. Having studied the literature on this issue, we found many descriptions of specific situations of manipulating people. It is not possible to systematize all types of manipulative influence, since there are a lot of manipulations in our life. First of all, most authors single out global and situational manipulation.

"Situation" is one of the most common and at the same time insufficiently defined terms in psychology and sociology. As N.V. Grishin, the importance of situation factors in the development and manifestation of the mental is actually recognized by all approaches to explaining human behavior. However, recognizing the role of situational variables in determining human behavior does not yet mean studying real situations. The concept of a situation is often used in different meanings and is often not even defined in the pedagogical literature.

Influence through the environment, the situation is one of the most effective varieties of hidden human control. Situational manipulation differs from its other types in a certain complexity associated with the use of external factors that go beyond the direct interaction of the manager and the controlled. However, it also has a number of features (and with skillful application - advantages) in the implementation of the goals of manipulation. The most important of these features are:

High level of secrecy, invisibility for the object of manipulation and others. This is due to the fact that the subject of situational manipulation does not directly communicate with its object, but acts indirectly: through other people, circumstances or impersonal information processes.

Continuity and spontaneity of impact. Situational manipulation, like a clockwork, can operate automatically and does not require direct control by the manager.

A variety of channels of influence on a person. Situational manipulation can be carried out through the impact on consciousness, subconsciousness and behavior. This increases its efficiency.

Possibility of a synergistic effect. With regard to manipulation, its essence lies in the fact that under certain conditions, a weak impact on correctly established interrelated environmental factors can generate a kind of “nuclear reaction” - bring to life powerful spontaneous processes that have a huge impact on the structure of interests, the psyche and human behavior.

The leading specific feature of situational manipulation is the use of the influence of the environment on a person, and above all the situation in which he is.

As already noted, there are so many manipulations in our lives, and they all have a selfish goal. However, the most noticeable influence on a person is exerted not only by global manipulations (a person often simply does not notice them), but by the specific actions of manipulators aimed at this person. These manipulations cause the most tangible damage to his personality. Let's try to identify several types of manipulation of people for selfish purposes.

multimedia manipulation- manipulation using phones (both mobile and landline), letters and the Internet.

"Letters of happiness" probably received each of us. Each of them informs you that you have become the owner of some (usually very large) winnings. And in order to get it, all you need is nothing: order goods for a certain amount from the attached catalog ... And of course, you will definitely receive the selected goods along with the winnings. After “paying for the winnings”, the victim usually hears nothing more about the company, or about the money, or about the ordered goods.

Manipulators are constantly coming up with something new. It all started with a banal "bug", t . e. Unauthorized connection to landlines. Usually, citizens realized that they were "warmed up" only after receiving a monstrous telephone bill for negotiations with foreign countries. When cell phones became available, communications crime increased exponentially. This is all the same unauthorized connection to someone else's number and the use of mobile phones for international calls. But cell phones can be used for more than just extortion. You can make good money on the telephones themselves. After all, modern mobile phones sometimes cost no less than an average computer. And stealing a mobile phone is much easier than stealing a heavy system unit. Manipulators work according to several quite traditional schemes.

Scheme one. I've run out of battery. This way of taking possession of your cell phone is as follows. In a crowded place, a young man of good appearance comes up to you and says that he has a problem. He needs to call urgently, but the battery has run out. He asks you to use your machine. He starts to fumble in his pockets and says that he left the SIM card in the car. With the words “Wait a minute, I’ll bring it now,” he disappears through the door along with your phone. Disappears, of course, forever.

Scheme two. Let me have a look. Such an offer is usually addressed if you have a "fancy" model. And you, of course, are proud of all these buttons and multi-colored lights. An interested young man may show interest in the device of your phone and its capabilities. He can even tell you something about his apparatus, which, of course, is no match for yours. Then he will definitely ask for your phone in order to at least hold this miracle in his hands. The further fate of the "miracle" is clear.

Scheme three. The woman is bad. Usually this scheme is played out on the street, if a couple of manipulators - a man and a woman - noticed a client with a prestigious phone. Suddenly, the lady turns pale and begins to fall on the pavement, and the man immediately turns to a passerby with a request to report the incident to the ambulance or to the woman's acquaintances. A passer-by does not expect a trick. He holds out his mobile phone, after which the sick woman quickly recovers and the crooks scatter in different directions.

Scheme four. For razin. This scheme works on the street when the client calls on the phone. Passing by the victim, the manipulator reports that she (he) has dropped out a notebook (handkerchief, pen, wallet) or her purse is unbuttoned. Naturally, the victim shifts his gaze to the place of the “accident”. At this moment, the “sympathetic passer-by” carefully takes the mobile phone from his hand and disappears with it.

Scheme five. Oh, it's falling, catch it! AT this comedy involved two manipulators. One approaches the client with a request to call, the pretexts may be different. The second is nearby to take the initiative. At the moment of dialing the number, the beggar suddenly pretends to be shaken, the phone flies out of his hand, he manages to exclaim: “Oh, it’s falling, catch it,” the owner does not have time to orient himself, but a passerby who has come from nowhere “catches” the phone almost at the ground and quickly does legs. The manipulator and the victim talk for a long time about the vile mores of our society.

Usually, manipulators prefer that you give your mobile into their hands. And only when this is not possible, they steal the phone. Why is that? It's all about the level of punishment. If you gave your jewel into the hands of a crook, then he did not steal it, but only took it for temporary use. And if he pulls the phone right out of your hands, this is already theft. She is punished more severely.

We are moving from mobile phones to high technology. Let's talk about the Internet. Not so long ago, this miracle entered our lives, and, perhaps, entered forever. Today in the global network you can find literally everything. Information is scattered in it in golden clusters. But not only news and various scientific information is on the network. There are many gaming sites where you can have a good rest for money. There are numerous virtual stores and auctions where you can be offered to buy absolutely everything - from watches to Saddam Hussein's notebook. There are websites where you can find yourself a job. In addition, you can send and receive letters via the Internet, conduct live conversations on ICQ or chats of interest. On the Internet, you can find a mate and even virtually start a family. On the Internet, you can pay and receive a salary. On the Internet, you can learn and then become a professional. That is, the Internet is the same life as around us, only not quite real. But the manipulations that take place in the global network are absolutely real. And manipulators on the Internet are quite lively and cunning swindlers.

For example, a fake Topman website was created in Russia. ru, which was surprised to learn about the Topman company, which has a website with the same name. The manipulators completely copied all the data of this site (this is a virtual store), but instead of the real coordinates of the company, the telephone numbers of the International Bearing Concern "Avtoshtamp" in Izhevsk and the current account of an individual were indicated. So the site was supposed to trade in purely virtual goods, and strangers at that.

It is often not possible at all to bring to justice the deceivers who use the global network for their manipulations, and finding them is also not at all easy. The higher the technology, the more likely it is that manipulation will rise to a higher intellectual level.

The next type of manipulation, which was most widespread in 1993-1996, is manipulations with the use of "financial pyramids". Regardless of what the manipulators are dressed in, whether in a trust company, an investment fund, a fake bank and other LLCs, CJSCs, individual entrepreneurs, the mechanism for committing this type of economic fraud is one and very simple. It originated back in 1634 in Holland during the so-called tulip mania, then in 1694 in Scotland "financial pyramids" were used by John Law, then this method of fraud was used by Enrico Ponzi. The mechanism for performing manipulations with the use of "financial pyramids" is as follows. First organized intensive promotional activities. Moreover, in advertising they show how someone has already received income as a result of investing money in a “pyramid”. This causes a stir among the population, queues of people wishing to invest money are formed at the reception points. When, according to the scammers, the collection of money reaches the maximum size, payments stop, the "pyramid" collapses, and the scammers disappear.

housing manipulation. These include scams when buying an apartment, renting residential premises, deceptions during construction. There are not many such stories. And very often they have a sad ending.

When buying an apartment, the client is taken to a sham apartment, and he agrees to the deal, and then he is moved into an apartment that has a much lower market value. It happens that cunning manipulators sell apartments that do not belong to them at all.

A lot of manipulations are connected with renting rooms and apartments. When renting out housing, the seller of the service tries to get as much value as possible, and the buyer wants to bring down the price as much as possible. Therefore, naturally, they try to deceive each other properly. The one who rents carefully hides all the defects of the housing, and the one who rents, tries to find them and play on the conscience of the seller. An unscrupulous landlord is dangerous for a tenant who may lose money. An unscrupulous tenant can easily deprive the owner of the home.

Deception during construction has long been the talk of the town. Even the most intelligent and distrustful are not immune from this type of manipulation. How many ships are sailing all over the country with developers who have guaranteed that with timely investment of funds they will provide a finished apartment within the agreed time frame.

property manipulation much more common than others. One of the most attractive for manipulators is the sphere of the consumer market. Manipulators sleep and see how to “warm up” the layman, how to make him give up his own property in an easier way. And there are a huge number of property acquisition schemes. Literally everywhere we can encounter manipulators.

And now I'm not talking about ordinary theft, where manipulative methods are also used, but about those cases when people are ready to voluntarily part with money or things. The way of performing manipulations in this area is reminiscent of the trick of O. Bender "money in the morning - chairs in the evening."

Attackers enter into a transaction for the sale of goods with any business entity with the terms of full or partial advance payment (prepayment), having received the money, they hide.

Having settled down with the goods next to an expensive store, they pass off cheap consumer goods for the very things that you cannot buy in an expensive store. Usually all samples have branded labels, the goods are packed. That is, you cannot take a blouse or trousers out of the package, and you cannot evaluate their quality either. And on the "showcase" there are really good things of branded production. The saleswoman actively proclaims that only today, on the occasion of some significant day there, such and such a company is making a super sale with fantastic discounts. Usually, the real prices for the goods are specifically named, and then the “sale” prices are announced. Only here! Just one day! Don't miss your chance!

And, you see, a queue is lining up for the saleswomen. They take several packages of prestigious goods at once. And at home... And at home, when the packaging is unfolded, it turns out that although the label of the indicated company exists, the thing is sewn in such a way that it is immediately clear that it is a fake.

Another variant of deception is trays, where any item costs exactly ten rubles. What a set of ballpoint pens, what a tea strainer, what a penknife. Everything seems to be great, the cheapness is incredible. But all these wonderful little things will serve you exactly ten. The strainer will break in a month, the knife will stop folding, and ballpoint pens will break in half. Usually, when buyers see that the cost of a thing is extremely low, they buy not one, but several little things needed in the household at once. But here is at least one joy: we paid a little, we easily put up with the loss.

A large number of manipulations are performed in the monetary sphere. Manipulations can be committed both with the use of credit institutions and in relation to them.

For example, fraudulent non-repayment of loans. Obtaining a loan for the purpose of its deliberate non-repayment is carried out by providing the bank with false financial documentation, balance sheets, information about the property status of an operating enterprise or creating an enterprise specifically for financial fraud. It is very difficult to prove direct intent to steal. malefactors carefully veil the criminal activity.

It should be said about the manipulations carried out with the use of false settlement and payment documents - advice notes, which in 1993 caused damage to the Russian Federation equivalent to 5 billion US dollars. The condition for their commission was the procedure for forwarding the advice note, which was carried out by teletype, telegraph and courier methods.

Manipulations with the use of payment cards and computer technology have become widespread. According to law enforcement agencies, losses from payment card fraud in Russia in 1996 of the leading international payment systems amounted to about 2.5-2.7 million dollars. Moreover, more than 94% of criminal operations are in the capital.

In recent years, there has been a rise in tourism manipulation. Since it is easier to make money in tourism than in trade in goods, and the income in tourism is higher, manipulators often organize fictitious firms that promise citizens mountains of gold and paradise holidays. Unlike Western tourists, our people are ready to endure hardships for the sake of traveling abroad, especially when they have little money and really want to see the world. So a Russian person is trying to find a vacation for little money, as in advertising - so that the hotel is like in a fairy tale, and the sea, and palm trees, and the sun, and beauties, that is, a complete set.

In firms, not even fraudulent, but ordinary ones, they try to fuse a dreamy client under the guise of an “ideal” any tour that fits into his financial capabilities. That is, even in the most decent travel company, they try to keep the client ... with fairy tales that have little in common with reality.

"Full employment guaranteed." This phrase can be used as a motto for the following type of manipulation − employment manipulation.

A lot of manipulations are connected with help in finding a job. This is a whole branch of deception, where there are individual manipulators, and there are manipulative firms. These firms are busy recruiting. As a rule, they have a significant staff, a prestigious office and advertise that they will help in finding employment. When a person calls such a firm, he is promised to find a job according to his profile, only for this he needs to be included in the file cabinet. And it costs a certain amount (usually not a lot) of rubles.

But the most dangerous thing is employment in a highly paid position abroad. You should not trust manipulators who promise to find such a job for a certain fee. This is a lie. By agreeing to such a trip, a person can easily fall into the hands of bandits.

Manipulators also play on people's feelings, and marriage swindler profession- life style. Mostly men work in marriage manipulations, specializing in dating single women. Much less often it is the other way around.

This, as a rule, is a completely unfamiliar citizen who is trying to “join” a person’s life. He can meet a woman through an ad, on the street, at the entrance, in public places. Most often, the swindler starts talking about the wedding, which lulls the vigilance of the victim, and disappears with valuables.

All of the above types of manipulations operate in a certain area of ​​human life, so an increasing number of manipulators are becoming narrow-profile, working with certain types of manipulations.

The process of interpersonal manipulation can be viewed from various positions, each of which is characterized by its own characteristics and limitations. Despite the significant variety of points of consideration of this process, it seems possible to reduce them to five main positions:

1. The position of moral evaluation of manipulation or evaluation position. In this position, there are three main approaches to assessing interpersonal manipulations depending on the situation of interaction and the consequences for their participants.

Firstly, the assessment of manipulation as a negative socio-psychological phenomenon of interpersonal interaction, which has a destructive effect on the personality, its structure.

Secondly, the assessment of manipulation as a positive socio-psychological phenomenon of social interaction, which makes it possible to replace the obvious coercion of a person with a hidden psychological impact. That is, to move from gross forms of violence and open coercion to hidden forms of psychological influence and methods of secret control of the personality. There are two types of points of view here:

• a) an absolute positive assessment of this phenomenon in all situations;
• b) a positive assessment only in situations of achieving positive goals.

This accordingly leads to the need to assess the goals of interaction and to allocate a system of criteria for this. Thus, the moral evaluation of methods is transformed into an evaluation of ends.

Thirdly, a positive assessment as an acceptable remedy used in the following two types of situations:

in response to overt coercion and use of force;

in response to the use of interpersonal manipulation as a countermanipulative influence, countermanipulation.

In fact, the selected approaches to the assessment of interpersonal manipulations reflect the position of the attack or the manipulator (manipulation is a necessary and effective means of controlling others), the position of the victim (manipulation is an unacceptable means of interaction between people), the position of active protection of the addressee of manipulative influence (the use of the principle of adequacy, the essence of which is metaphorical form can be expressed as follows - "he who came with a sword from the sword will perish").

• 2. The position of the manipulator. In this position, the goals, the methods of manipulative influence used, the intended effect are open for consideration, but the inner world of the addressee is closed. The manipulator sees only external manifestations of the results of his own manipulative influence, but far from fully.
• 3. The position of the addressee (victim) of the manipulative influence. In this position, internal experiences of the effect of manipulations are open and partially, to the extent of awareness of its consequences. In addition, the external signs of manipulative influence are open, but the goals, the mechanisms of action of the techniques and methods used by the manipulator are closed.
• 4. The position of the witness (outside observer). From this position, the external signs of the process of interpersonal manipulation are open, but the inner world of the addressee and the manipulator, the goals and methods of manipulation are closed.
• 5. The position of the researcher-analyst. From this position, it is possible to collect individual elements, on the basis of observations and data inherent in the consideration from the above positions, to recreate the general scheme of the process of interpersonal manipulations, including highlighting the methods used and typical forms of interpersonal manipulations.

Analysis and description of the process of interpersonal manipulations are most necessary to solve the following two problems:

organization of the process of manipulative influence;

organization of human protection from psychological manipulation.

Both the manipulator and the addressee are interested in analyzing the process of interpersonal manipulation from the standpoint of a researcher-analyst. But first of all, it is the addressee, since knowledge of the structure and features of this process allows him to move from the position of a “victim” of manipulative influence to the position of active protection and thereby gain freedom from the web of interpersonal manipulations that permeate people's relations in modern society.

Analyzing the essence and mechanism of manipulative influence, we emphasize that it manifests itself in many forms of social relations (family, friendship, among work colleagues, etc.). The main social levers of influence on a person are money, power, position, approval, material wealth, etc. There are many types of manipulation, all of them aimed at obtaining benefits. But recently, there has been a tendency in the world to receive material benefits from manipulations (i.e., manipulations with a mercenary purpose have appeared). Manipulators become narrowly specialized specialists operating in a certain area of ​​human life.