Have you ever seen a good manipulator at work? I’m not talking about an amateur, you know, like your spouse or parent, but a true, good old fashioned professional(n.3) that spends years at their craft and can toy with weak human beings at will. I find these people interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is that we can all fall prey to these people at one time or another.
The sad part about the manipulator is that they usually have so many personal problems (mental instability is a big one) that they don’t even realize how to use their skills to make a fortune, never realizing their potential. Instead, they use their skills to ruin relationships, cover their tracks, create chaos, fantasize about something that should have been but wasn’t, etc.
When it isn’t you that is being manipulated, it’s interesting in a voyeuristic sort of way. To sit back and watch as if you can see the strings being pulled by the puppeteer, knowing what is happening but not believing it still. And to predict what the next move will be and then see it played out right before your very eyes. Wow.
How does the manipulator ply their craft? Mostly through subtle things, suggestions, whispers, all directed at things the manipulator knows are weak spots in someone’s personality. And by using the old poor, poor, pitiful me routine, a classic technique that is devastating when applied to the right person, one that has already heard the subtle attacks upon their weaknesses. The really good ones seem to be an arms length away if you don’t know them. Of course, it is very easy to spot them if you know them and have seen their work in the past.
So, have you been the victim of a pro lately? A pretty easy test is to reflect upon your recent actions and look at the results of them. Are you happy about them? Late.
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