How not to become a victim of manipulation. 9 tips from the famous writer Robert Greene

Everyone desires power and plays political games, even if they don’t realize it. This, according to the American writer Robert Greene, is human nature. To understand life and succeed in society, we need to understand how other people manipulate us and what hidden tactics and techniques they use to achieve their goals.

Robert Greene researched the phenomenon of power, belief formation and life strategies of people for 25 years and changed about 60 works before he wrote the first book “48 Laws of Power”. In his subsequent works, The Laws of Everyday Living and The Laws of Human Nature, he teaches readers to be more receptive, to recognize and resist toxic people and manipulators.

Copywriter, Alpina Publishers.

We share Green’s nine tips that will keep you safe from manipulation and help you look at the world without rose-colored glasses.

Beware of ostentatious naivety

Children appear naive to us, but their actions are often manipulative. They are driven by an evolutionary need to get their way from their elders, who can provide them with the resources they need to survive.

Adults can behave the same way: by feigning a complete lack of interest in authority, they can gain your trust and then take advantage of it. Those who ostentatiously exude innocence are more likely to harbor many sins behind their souls.

Do not mistake appearances for reality

When other people show their weakness, you need to be careful. The technique of false impression was often used by military leaders of all times. For example, Napoleon won the battle of Austerlitz because he was able to mislead the enemy.

The French emperor realized that his army was in a vulnerable position and inferior in numbers to the enemy, so he ordered his soldiers to demonstrate panic and fright. When the Russo-Austrian army went on the attack and left their defended positions, they fell into a trap and were defeated. The lesson Green writes about can be summarized as follows: don’t believe that the enemy is weaker than you, it will make you let your guard down.

Pay attention to people’s backgrounds

If you look at the biography of any person, you can notice recurring patterns of behavior. Someone always reacts sharply to criticism, someone runs away at the first sign of a storm and leaves work unfinished, and someone excels when given responsibility.

To understand the true character of a person, ignore the superficial image built by him and look closely at his actions. Then you will know what to expect from him.

Do not be influenced by other people’s emotions

If a person is swearing, sarcastic or otherwise emotionally attacking you, don’t follow suit. Remember that the cause of his anger can not be only your person – most likely, it is the result of dozens of other offenses from the past, which the person was not able to live and work through. At the same time, the outburst of emotions may be a disguised attempt to take control of you. Don’t let this happen and maintain your composure.

Be careful of overconfidence

Charismatic people quickly gain trust, which means they can be skillful manipulators. If a person behaves too lively, actively smiling, gesticulating, joking and in every way to convince you of his right – think about whether he is not trying to manipulate you. The more charming a person, the easier it is for him to deceive others.

Learn to recognize narcissists

It is dangerous to build any relationship with narcissists – they perceive the people around them only as tools to confirm their importance and skillfully manipulate them.

Here is what behavior is characteristic of narcissists: complete concentration on their own person, extreme resentment and ostentatious self-confidence, envy and hypersensitivity. Such people see enemies everywhere, they do not know how to accept criticism and are not interested in anything but themselves.

Avoid flatterers

Excessive courtesy is not natural. Behind the polite and courteous facade can hide an aggressive personality, secretly hungry for power at any cost. Flatterers are ready to help you at any time and conquer their friendliness. However, having achieved the desired, they can betray you or cause severe psychological trauma.

Do not believe in easy money

Scammers often attract victims with promises of getting something for free or making a quick buck. Remember: there is no such thing as easy money. Any get-rich-quick scheme is a scam, and the lottery is a tax on math illiteracy.

Try to understand the true motives of others

The world is ruled by self-interest. Much of what we observe in the world actually has hidden meanings. With social media, fake news and unconfirmed information can spread quickly, making it easy to manipulate minds.

Don’t believe everything, verify sources of information and always ask yourself the question, “Who benefits?”. By identifying people’s true motives and reasons for events, you can protect yourself from manipulation.

These nine rules – just a small part of what Robert Greene tells about in the books “The Laws of Life for Every Day” and “The Laws of Human Nature”. Thanks to life experience and long observations of people in different situations, the writer has deduced hundreds of patterns that help to navigate in communication with others, expose manipulators and remain realistic.