Why Do People Manipulate Others?

A manipulation is a deliberate form of influence. It is described as a technique performed by a manipulator to control the behavior of the person being targeted in order to attain a goal that benefits the manipulator.

Manipulation can take many different shapes. In fact, depending on the goal, compassion can be a type of manipulation. Manipulation can take many forms, from a pushy salesman to an unhealthy relationship, and some manipulative actions are more obvious than others to figure out.

To get an advantage over you, a manipulator will try to get you out of your comfort zone. This can happen anywhere the manipulator feels he or she has authority over it.

Here are a few reasons why people manipulate others:

Misery likes Company

They do it because seeing others’ angry or otherwise unfavorable reactions gives them emotional joy. Some people are so unhappy with their lives and with themselves that they want to make others unhappy by causing them trouble.

It makes them feel Powerful

To compensate for their lack of authority, someone who feels uneasy and uncomfortable is inclined to strive to exert control in other areas. Inducing others to do what they desire might provide a momentary sense of fulfillment.

A Lack of Importance

Another reason people manipulate others negatively is that they do not believe they are important. They believe that if they just ask for what they want, they would not receive it because they are worthless. Instead, as a preventative precaution against disappointment, they try to make us feel humiliated or guilty for not doing what they want.

They are “too Good” for Some Things

Other negative manipulators believe they are simply too good for certain jobs. They may consider others to be below them, and hence expect others to perform activities that they dislike. This could be the result of laziness or an inflated feeling of self.

Not Knowing How to Get Things Done

Some negative manipulators believe they are incapable of obtaining what they desire, and instead, believe they must persuade and compel others to do their work for them.

Selfishly “Helping” Others

Other negative manipulators fool themselves into believing that what they are doing is beneficial to others. This is a widely held belief among those who believe they are more knowledgeable than others about what is best for everyone.

They are content to do so because they believe they have greater capability or intelligence to do so, and they believe that people who are being manipulated are the ones who are more fortunate as a result of the manipulation.

The majority of manipulators aren’t bad people; they’re just misguided, insensitive, self-centered, and typically fragile and insecure. Many of them believe that the individuals they’re influencing aren’t as important to them as they think they are and that their goals and desires aren’t as vital as their own.

This false belief is what drives them to keep acting in this manner without regard for the feelings of others.

Manipulation Vs Influence

The term “influencer” was introduced in the digital age to describe somebody with a significant social media following who can influence others through their posts. It doesn’t take a keen eye to notice that the word’s origin is advertising.

Advertisers have noticed and are now looking to tap the influence of influencers to draw attention to their products as consumer behavior has changed in recent years. This can be accomplished by paid or unpaid sponsorships, promotional collaborations, and agreements.

Influencers may reveal these contracts in some cases, but they may not in others. Ethical difficulties are also raised, especially if an influencer appears to be a dissatisfied customer while actually working for the firm advertising the goods.

This entire moral issue may have been avoided if advertisers had introduced the term “manipulator!” It’s understandable that they didn’t.

This emphasizes the fact that, while many individuals believe advertisements are manipulative, it is impossible to accept that they admit to doing so. With no apparent bad impressions, Instagram stars boldly declare themselves to be influencers on their profiles.

However, many influencers’ goals, especially those who work with advertisers, can be manipulated in a fundamental sense. This isn’t even a hypothetical situation. Influencers want to make money by selling the things they advocate for their followers.

It’s impossible to tell whether or not the individuals they influence would benefit from the goods or to judge their financial status or specific circumstances. In this case, the influencer has prioritized their own interests over the groups.

Manipulation isn’t always done with the goal of harming others. However, it must prioritize one’s own aims and interests to some extent. This is a critical component of the puzzle.

Furthermore, using influence in the context of a parental notion of manipulation is the safest and most sensible option. This includes manipulation as well as other types of influence, such as the ability to inspire and imitate.

Manipulation Vs Persuasion

They could appear to be the “honest” type of manipulation, in which the individual is open about their motivations and beliefs instead of persuasion.

As a result, persuasion becomes a sort of manipulation or influence. Persuasion is also one of the least successful manipulation techniques. How many times have you been in a dispute with someone just to have them raise their hands and say, “I admit, you are completely correct?” It’s likely that you can count these incidents on one hand.

It’s not difficult to persuade individuals that smoking is harmful to their health, but is it as simple as persuading them to quit? If such were the case, governments would find no benefit or necessity in levying high taxes on products like tobacco in order to reduce usage.

Government officials are attempting to regulate tobacco usage by adopting various techniques, such as persuasion, to achieve this goal.

What are some more ways to influence decisions? What about other manipulation techniques? The explanation is that manipulation must be a conscious act with a goal in mind, even if that goal is to create chaos.

A competent filmmaker may be able to influence other people’s work, but this is certainly not the same as manipulative approaches. The filmmaker does not set out to influence other people (though they may) but rather gains influence by other people’s reactions to their work, which leads to inspiration or even imitation.

Persuasion isn’t the only tool at one’s hands for manipulating others. A simple solution is to lie, which is a sort of deception. The perception of individuals who believe the lie will certainly change if they lie and are believed. Regardless of whether the manipulation is successful or not, it is still manipulation.

Persuasion-like influence does not have the same image problem as manipulation. In fact, being able to make a “persuasive argument” is regarded as a favorable trait. Although it has a dark tone, the phrase “I can be very convincing” implies some power-play – potentially even an abuse of power. Also, it is reasonable to interpret “persuasion” as a euphemism for manipulation when employers refer to it as a soft skill.