Manipulation Techniques

Manipulation is clever, skillful, and sometimes unscrupulous. Manipulation is not always a bad thing. The clay bowl created in an art class was made from clay that was manipulated by someone's hands. The doctor put the broken bone back into place by using manipulation. The snowman was built by the hands of children who manipulated the snow into place.

Sometimes, manipulation is a bad thing. People can be manipulated to do things they would not usually do. Spouses manipulate each other. Parents manipulate children. And supervisors manipulate employees. People who manipulate others often act as though they have only the best interests in mind for the other person. They use caring as a disguise in getting what they really want, no matter what the other person wants. People who manipulate others in a negative way are usually known by an uncomplimentary term, such as sociopath or narcissist.

Knowing that manipulation is happening is the first step towards ending it. By knowing the signs of manipulation, people can often stop it before it becomes a bad habit or a detrimental way of life. Understanding how manipulation works is the key to controlling it and eliminating it. Manipulation, essentially, is a silent, subtle game happening behind the scenes, and you can bet that you are not the main character. The key to becoming the main actor is to understand what manipulation entails. Once you understand this, you will be in a position to recognize it, avoid it and even beat it.

Keep in mind that manipulation, as defined above, may also refer to contexts where non-human objects are involved. For instance, one might say a particular data scientist has the ability to manipulate complex data sets. This statement and the skill therein are something that will be applauded when said out loud. The same cannot be said when the scenario is changed to show a data scientist who is very manipulative of his colleagues.