Manipulation

Manipulation is the skillful or artful management or control of someone or something, often in a deceptive or unfair way, to achieve a specific outcome. It involves influencing or exploiting others to one's own advantage, potentially without their full awareness or consent. This can encompass a range of behaviors, from subtle persuasion to more overt forms of coercion, aiming to shape perceptions, decisions, or behaviors for personal gain or to fulfill a particular agenda. The act of manipulation can cause damage to relationships due to lack of transparency, trust and ethical concerns.

Manipulation meaning with examples

• The marketing campaign relied on sophisticated psychological tactics, using carefully chosen words and imagery, to subtly manipulate consumers into purchasing a product they didn't necessarily need. They created a false scarcity and a sense of urgency, manipulating their audience into immediate buying.
• During the negotiation, the experienced salesperson employed subtle forms of manipulation, subtly altering the client's perception of value and influencing their decision to accept the deal. The seller used guilt and fear tactics at the close, manipulating them to a yes.
• In a toxic relationship, one partner might use emotional manipulation to control their partner, employing tactics such as gaslighting and guilt trips to maintain power. It's difficult to escape since the manipulated person trusts the other partner and fails to recognize the issues.
• The political speech aimed to manipulate public opinion, presenting a skewed version of events and exploiting people's fears to gain support for a particular policy. The intent was to use manipulation to change the perspective of voters through fear mongering.
• The cult leader utilized manipulation techniques, such as isolation and love bombing, to control his followers' beliefs and actions, leading them to conform and support his ideology, creating a dependence on the leader.