Off The Record
4 Phrases Manipulators Use to Make You Feel Crazy
In our day-to-day life, we get manipulated every day and we also manipulate others. Manipulation is the easiest way to get the job done. It is done on the basis of words or by misrepresenting the meaning of something by certain gestures.
Manipulators are very sly people, they always target people who are gullible in nature and are very naive. Manipulation aims to changes the behavior or perception of others through deception or other underhanded tricks. Manipulation is done by lying, keeping someone in complete denial or by being completely rational throughout the whole situation.
People can be easily manipulated through the crowd they are among, or by using different types of data that is available to the manipulators. The media is a very big source of manipulation, as information is circulated through the media.
“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of the words, you can control the people who must use the words.”– Philip K. Dick
1. “Look What You Made Me Do”
This is one of the easiest things that a person can say in order to manipulate you. When a manipulator uses this phrase, he basically tries to imply that he was forced to do the job. He would try to make you feel guilty about the whole situation and pin the blame on you. After using this phrase, he would try to bring down your morale and confidence. At this point in time, you should hold onto your ground and you should very firmly say that it wasn’t your fault at all. If you bring down your own self-confidence and agree to what the manipulator has to say, then you will always be the first target of the manipulators and there is nothing that you can do to avoid it. According to Preston Ni, M.S.B.A, it is imperative that you avoid self-blame and make sure that the manipulators take responsibility for their actions.
2. “You’re Acting Crazy”
Sometimes, in an argument, we lose our temper and easily get manipulated by other people, unknowingly. This is the second-best option that the manipulators use in order to get their work done. They would always make you feel like you are thinking way out of proportion to the topic. They will shout and yell at you, saying that you have gone completely mad. They would always deviate from addressing the real issue and bring up past incidents that had affected you on a major scale, only to prove that you are not at all behaving rationally. Many thoughts would pop up in your mind during the process. You would feel irritated. All your anger and rage would start piling up and you would want to just lash out at the manipulator. Instead, you should stay perfectly calm, keep your head cool. You must wait for the perfect moment and make them realize your views and thoughts on the matter. You must avoid getting caught up in trying to prove that you have been rational all along.
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3. “You’re Overthinking Things”
Imagination is a very powerful thing and it can be used both in the right, as well as the wrong way. A manipulator first gets the job done in his own desired way and then comes to you. When you see the plan, you realize that there have been certain deviations and then confront the manipulator. The manipulator then simple plays with the figment of your imagination and convinces you by saying that you are overthinking. At that point of time, we must be confident, trust our instincts and ask the manipulator firmly to respond to all our queries.
4. “I’m Sorry”
This is the last resort that a manipulator has when nothing else is working. By saying that he is sorry, he is trying to gain sympathy. He aims at fooling you emotionally so that you can fall into his trap and do exactly as he asks. You should thank the person for apologizing but also clearly mention that he would not be getting any help from you unless he changes his behavior. According to Preston Ni, a person who can take well care of his boundaries, can also take care of his manipulator.
Image source: Vincent Bozzo/Flickr
