How to Analyze People

by Paul Sharp

  Why do manipulators and others engage in dark psychological practices?

  The question of what motivates us is important in psychology. Schools of psychology can be distinguished by the motivators that they focus on as being important in human behavior. Freudian psychoanalysis focuses on the sexual drive as being essential to human behavior while individual psychology sees human beings as beings driven by deliberate and individualistic goals, which is referred to as being purposive.

  An important concept in modern approaches to dark psychology is this idea that human beings may be motivated by both unconscious (or subconscious) motivations and purposive motivations. Some teachers of dark psychology argue that human beings are motivated purposefully, but that they are capable of behaving with what is sometimes called a dark singularity, with this being a type of behavior that is directed towards harming others for personal gain or for no reason at all.

  Is there a difference between manipulation and persuasion?

  Manipulation is a loaded term. Because of a desire to sanitize the term manipulation for the purposes of book publishing, research, and other reasons, some have attempted to promote a definition that includes a range of behaviors that most people would consider not so bad. Because most people have negative connotations with the word manipulation, some definitions have expanded the term to include behaviors that would be considered by most to be persuasion rather than manipulation.

  In fact, the distinction between manipulation and persuasion has always been somewhat blurred. Persuasion falls under the scope of behaviors that would be considered manipulation, rendering this first term a representative of a type of behaviors that technically would be considered manipulation. Many men and women engage in persuasion in their ordinary lives, whether in the work setting or with their family members at home. By encouraging people to view manipulation more in terms of persuasion, writers on this subject can convince readers to have a more open approach to the idea of using manipulation in their daily lives.

  The reality is that persuasion is a type of manipulation and can be regarded as the first step to behaviors associated with narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, the so-called dark triad. The purpose here is not to scare the reader away from using persuasion in their daily lives (as many people do), but to help them recognize that human behaviors fall on a spectrum and that the spectrum that includes persuasion also includes mind control and other less savory things. By understanding this, the reader recognizes dark psychology not as a peripheral set of behaviors used by a small group of narcissistic, psychopathic people, but as a toolkit that all human beings are capable of drawing from. By recognizing this, you are better able to defend yourself from those who can use something as simple as persuasion to open the door to something far worse.

  How do practitioners of the dark psychological art know what I am thinking in order to manipulate me?

  Human beings use both verbal and non-verbal communication to convey information to others. It is important to pay attention to the things that we say (and how we say them) because of the cues that they convey to other people, but we also need to think about the non-verbal cues that we send that may convey to others our emotional state, particularly our fears, anxieties, our feelings of envy or jealousy. Skillful manipulators know how to tell who is easy prey based on the cues that they send that convey their emotional state.

  But you do not have to reveal information to a skillful manipulator or narcissist using communication for them to manipulate them. A skilled manipulator understands human beings very well. They know that human beings want approval, want to belong, and try to make emotional connections with others. A manipulator will rely on your desire for approval and to belong to the group to influence your behavior. There are tools in the manipulation toolkit that allow a manipulator to get you to think like them or to do want they want you to do. They might be so good at their tactics that you do not realize that a plan then you are motivated to follow came not from your own mind, but from them.

  What place does dark psychology have in established schools of psychological thinking?

  Dark psychology is not regarded as a formal field within psychology. All this means is that dark psychology typically is not taught in the academic setting, like theoretical psychology, abnormal psychology, and psychoanalysis. In truth, dark psychology is a fringe subject, in part because of the tendency of established schools of thought and of some religions to have a hypocritical approach to those aspects of human behavior that are obvious to many, but deeply unsavory.

  We can all make the observation that human beings behave in ways that are unfriendly, antisocial, harmful, or wantonly cruel. Sometimes people engage in these behaviors with no benefit to themselves. The study of these types of behaviors and the people who engage in them is undertaken in abnormal psychology and psychiatry, but the approach of dark psychology to this subject is rather different. Dark psychology uses theories from established schools of psychological thinking to explain behaviors without the smoke and mirrors or hypocrisy that is associated with some psychological theories.

  Does self-awareness mean that I should claim my dark side and embrace dark psychology?

  Self-awareness is a term that is frequently used in the field of emotional intelligence to describe a type of emotional ability that is regarded as positive and is encouraged. Emotional intelligence is a type of intelligence that focuses on recognizing one’s own emotions and the emotions of others and using emotional sensitivity as a guide for behavior. Empathy is also an important component of emotional intelligence.

  Self-awareness is the aspect of EI concerned with being aware of one’s own emotions and accurately labeling them and understanding them. The argument could be made that as part of self-awareness men and women should claim the emotions and the related behaviors that represent how they feel and are motivated to act. In other words, some people’s thinking may incline them to believe that behaviors falling under the banner of dark psychology are not to be discouraged because they represent an awareness of our own motivations however dark.

  Although the purpose of this particular point is not to argue one way or the other whether these types of behaviors should be given into, the idea of protecting oneself from dark psychology presupposes that there is an acceptance that these types of behaviors can be very damaging to oneself (at the very least). Furthermore, self-awareness alone does not lead to emotional intelligence. Self-awareness is intended to act in concert with other aspects of EI like self-regulation and empathy to create someone whose interactions with others follow a certain pattern.

  Someone who behaves solely with self-awareness would be inclined to behave narcissistically or even psychopathically because the only emotions or motivations that mattered would be their own. An emotionally intelligent individual is aware of the emotions and motivations of others as much as their own, and the regard these emotions and motivations as just as important in guiding behavior as their own. Therefore, though we can leave aside a recommendation of whether one individual or another should engage in dark psychological practice, we will state that behaving with self-awareness alone does not represent true EI and that people who behave this way may be regarded in psychiatry as possessing a personality disorder.

  Are dark psychological practices becoming more common now or have they always been a prominent aspect of human behavior?

  A thorough study of human behavior makes it very clear that the sorts of behaviors that we regard today as falling under dark psychology have been around perhaps as long as there have been people. These types of behavior consist of the sorts of things that we see from members of the dark triad of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These behaviors include those such as manipulation, mind control, hypnosis in order to do harm, and many more. Cleary, these behaviors have been around for thousands of years as testamentary evidence indicates.

  The question then becomes whether these behaviors are becoming more common today than the
y were previously. There is a reason to believe that these behaviors are becoming more common today, and the increasing frequency of these types of behaviors can be attributed to various social, economic, and educational factors. As was mentioned in the answer to a previous question, mistaken ideas about self-awareness or individuality may be causing individuals to behave in ways more narcissistic than would have been acceptable previously. This is not intentional in many cases, but the result of mistaken ideas about individuality and free will.

  Indeed, though individuality is a quality from which the wellspring of a civilization perhaps springs, it can be argued that human beings (like other animals) are no individualistic by nature. We have evolved to behave in a group fashion and to be imprinted by thoughts and behaviors of others like ourselves. What mistaken beliefs about self-awareness and individuality actually accomplish is to cause individuals to behave narcissistically because they act based on motivations of self-interest and “self-awareness” rather than behaving with empathy and having regard for the thoughts and concerns of others.

  What is the dark triad?

  In psychology, the dark triad represents three personality traits that are regarded as having “dark” or malevolent motivations. The personality traits associated with the dark triad are narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. This term is used in applied psychology as well as criminal science, clinical psychology, and management as a way of highlighting behavior types that may be particularly dangerous or difficult to deal with.

  From the standpoint of dark psychology, the dark triad represents personality types that may be particularly motivated to behave in a harmful or damaging way, but some argue that all human beings have the capacity to behave with “dark singularity” as it is sometimes called. What the dark triad does are isolate individuals who are perceived as especially troublesome, although the truth would be that all men and women have elements of these individuals in their personality. And for anyone wondering what Machiavellianism means, it refers to individuals who manipulate and deceive without regard to others, the syndrome taking its name from the Machiavellian idea that some individuals are permitted to act outside regards for the law and the rights of others.

  How do I know if I am being manipulated?

  There are many signs that you can use to help you determine if you are being manipulated. If you find that you are acting in ways that you do not understand, that does not benefit you, or which seem to stem from someone else then there is a chance that you are being manipulated. It is common to look to others that we care about for advice. It is also common for us to want to be agreeable to others, which can cause us to say “yes” when we really should be saying know. A manipulator understands human nature and they know how to use these aspects of human nature against their victims.

  How do I know if I am the victim of mind control?

  Mind control is an effective tactic in part because many people do not know they are a victim of it. New converts to dark psychological practices can sometimes be less adept at the arts of hypnosis, mesmerism, and mind control than those who are more studied so individuals who are targets are sometimes aware that they are victims, but in true, deep mind control the victim is generally unaware of what is happening to them. As was mentioned in the answer to the question about manipulation, you may discover that you are the victim of mind control if you become aware that you are acting in a way that seems strange, unlike you, or in which you do not understand the motivation.

  A difficulty here is determining whether you are acting in a way suggestive of dark singularity that does not stem from someone else or if you truly are acting out of mind control. Remember that individuals can be manipulated to behave in a destructive or narcissistic way, or they may behave this way of their own volition. Some people choose to enlist the help of others who may be able to break them out of the hold of mind control, and this can be a hypnotist or another person who understands imprinting and mind control.

  How do I break free of mind control?

  Some people are able to break free of NLP mind control on their own. Once an individual realizes that they are the victim of mind control, they are sometimes able to slowly release the hold of the manipulator by understanding the ways in which the manipulator is controlling them. For example, a skillful manipulator may suggest actions or thoughts to you in a way that causes you to believe that the thoughts originated with yourself. A person engaged in mind control may go a step further. They may have hypnotized you to cause you to behave in a way that benefits them or suits them. If this is the case, being aware of the mind control may not be enough to break free.

  In cases like these, individuals may choose to go to another hypnotist, spiritualist, or someone else engaged in dark psychology. There are risks associated with this course of action. Human beings have a tendency to act in a group fashion therefore if you reveal to someone that you have been the victim of a psychological attack there will be an inclination for the person you have told this to join in on the attack, especially if you are a stranger to them. Caution must, therefore, be exercised in revealing that you are a victim of mind control and in enlisting someone to help you. Although it can be difficult to break free of mind control on your own, some men and women are able to do it by training their mind in various ways. This may include meditation, chanting, or other spiritual activities that release negative energy or encourage mental detachment.

  Are the fantastic monsters of legend invented in the past merely ways of describing aspects of human behavior that were unsavory?

  Some would argue that the monsters, fallen angels, and demons that characterize the mythos of some peoples and some religions really represent a desire to explain away those aspects of human behavior that were difficult to explain or just not pretty. The fact of the matter is that human beings can do bad things to one another (and often do). All one need do is open up a history book to get a glimpse of that, and history books sometimes do attempt to gloss over events that do not portray human beings in a positive light.

  Human beings have been known to murder wantonly, to commit genocide, to launch witch trials, to participate in acts of mass hysteria, or to behave in other ways that are harmful to others and which sometimes have no purpose. Perhaps the writers of religious texts and the inventors of myths created demons and monsters to mask those humans that have behaved in a monstrous way. Do human beings wear a mask? Yes, and they wear one because the image beneath may be too unsightly to look at.

  Am I at risk of becoming a practitioner of dark psychological practices?

  Everyone is at risk of becoming a practitioner of the dark psychological arts whether as a victim of manipulation or mind control, because they have inadvertently tapped into the well of dark singularity that all human beings are capable of, or because they choose to engage in a manner that results in harm to others. In the context of this book, this question is really getting at whether someone can become a practitioner of these sorts of behaviors because of the influence of another person and the answer to that question is yes.

  A manipulator, narcissist, Machiavellian person, or psychopathic person can lead others to behave in a way that is destructive through imprinting or mind control, or by other skills like a suggestion. The distinction between suggestion and mind control is murky as suggestion can be thought of as a tool that can be used to control another person’s thoughts or actions. If you fear that you may engage in practices that run contrary to your character and beliefs then there are steps that you can take to protect yourself from potential mind control or even the most basic forms of suggestion.

  One of these tricks is very simple. Learn to be suspicious. This does not mean that you should be paranoid, perceiving every person around you as a potential threat with sinister designs against you, but when you notice yourself having an unusual thought or behaving in a strange way after an interaction with someone be curious. For example, if someone says something pointed to you ask yourself why they said that.
A manipulator can suggest you into disliking or attacking another person merely with their words. If a narcissist uses this type of trick to steer you into a dark psychological act, halt yourself and ask, “why was I about to do that? Where did that idea come from?”

  Of course, the frightening aspect of dark psychology is that men and women are often incapable of stopping themselves from behaving in a sinister way. As much as it may pain some people to acknowledge it this is a reality of human beings. As animals, we are capable of behaving in a narcissistic way, and as human beings, we are capable of being vicious and cruel for no reason at all. So, yes, you are at risk of behaving in a manner consistent with the arts of dark psychology, but if there is goodness (what some religions or schools of thought may call “humanity” or “human nature” in contrast to animal nature), then your defenses are likely stronger than other people’s.

  Should I engage in dark psychological practices?

  The decision of whether or not to engage in practices that involve the willful harm of others is not such a straightforward one for many people. As we touched on in the answer to the previous question, the issue really boils down to the sort of person that you are. It must be recognized that some people are reading this book because they are interested in pursuing the path of dark psychology. But others are reading because they have been exposed to narcissists and other dangerous people and they want to protect themselves.