I watched myself be manipulated this week, and while I understood it was happening, couldn’t keep myself from responding in the way I was ‘supposed’ to.
My guess is that most people don’t know they’re being manipulated, but it’s possibly more frustrating to know you are but are unable to keep yourself from succumbing. Every person has triggers, and unfortunately every person who has emotions can be manipulated.
I despise manipulation. And although I do realize that we all do it, albeit oftentimes unconsciously, if I notice myself behaving this way, I immediately stop it. Not all do. There appears to be a personality type that likes to mastermind. They seem relatively rare, but I do think this is the most dangerous kind of person to have in your life.
Dangerous, not physically, necessarily, but emotionally and psychologically. If someone likes to be a puppet master, they would have to change this aspect on their own. Masterminds get pleasure out of making someone feel the way that they pushed them to feel, or to act the way they push them to act. Sometimes, it even makes them feel better about themselves.
You lose your personal freedom and dignity when you’re being manipulated, you feel that something is wrong, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
How can you stop from being manipulated?
1. Try to remain as emotionless as possible – don’t get mad, don’t get sad, psychologically people who are trying to manipulate you are trying to trigger some kind of emotional response so they can get what they want.
2. Stand your ground. Don’t let others push you in a way you’re not interested in going.
3. Don’t rely on the other person for approval. That’s the reward manipulators often give you for being manipulated. Somehow you knew something wasn’t right, but you end up thinking you must have done the right thing eventually because the other person is happy with you again.
Manipulation is psychological warfare. If you have to have this type of person in your life, try to deal with them as little as possible. If that’s not possible for whatever reason, the main lesson you can learn from them is to trust yourself.
All best,
Rose
