Have you been a victim
of manipulation at work?
Here’s how to stand your ground when someone tries to manipulate you
By Angela Civitella
Previously published in WestmountMag.ca
What is manipulation?
According to Professor Len Bowers manipulation occurs when someone uses deception, coercion, trickery, or fear to get what they want from others.
It differs from healthy social influence because manipulators care only for their own interests – they don’t take other people’s needs into account. When you influence people fairly, you don’t use them exclusively for your own ends. Rather, you persuade them to see your point of view, while acknowledging their needs and feelings.
‘… manipulators care only for their own interests – they don’t take other people’s needs into account.’
Why do people manipulate others?
There are many reasons why people might be manipulative.
On a basic level, they may lack the skills or self-confidence to influence and persuade people legitimately, so they resort to underhand tactics to get what they want.
However, there are often other, more complex motives for their behaviour. Some of them are:
- Feel the need to get what they want at the expense of others.
. - Need to have power and authority in their relationships. (This may stem from low self-esteem.)
.. - Want to feel in control – of their environment and other people’s actions. When they don’t have this, they may get anxious.
‘… they may lack the skills or self-confidence to influence and persuade people legitimately, so they resort to underhand tactics to get what they want.’
Identifying a manipulative person
Manipulators are often intelligent, and they are good at using subtle aggression to get what they want. They’re also highly skilled at deception, which can make it difficult to spot their behaviour in the first place.
Professor Bowers conducted more than 100 interviews with forensic nurses and compiled a list of five common behaviours of manipulative people:
- Coercive persuasion
Manipulative people may use bribery or offer other rewards or inducements to get what they want. They may also bully people. This can include making threats, challenges and requests, and this can be verbal, emotional or physical.
. - Conditioning
Manipulators might ‘condition’ someone into forming a relationship with them by using flattery, intimacy or sympathy, so that they get what they want in the future.
. - Misusing authority
They may use hierarchies or power structures to undermine the position of those they want to control.
. - Fraud
Manipulators may lie to people, con them, or exploit their trust.
. - Conflict
They may create conflict by pitting people against one another. They often use existing weaknesses or conflicts within a group.
‘They’re also highly skilled at deception, which can make it difficult to spot their behaviour in the first place.’
Some additional behaviours that manipulators commonly demonstrate:
- Lying by omission
Manipulators may hide a significant portion of the truth.
. - Diversion
They may change the subject abruptly to avoid discussing topics or answering questions.
. - Denial
Manipulators may deny that they have done anything wrong when they are confronted.
. - Rationalization
They will attempt to justify or explain their behaviour.
. - Minimization
This is a subtle blend of denial and rationalization. Manipulators often play down others’ concerns about their behaviour or actions.
. - Guilt
Manipulators might try to ‘guilt-trip’ people into doing what they want. Guilt tactics can be passive, such as using body language or vocal tone, or overt, for example by saying things to make people feel bad.
.. - Shaming
Manipulators might use sarcasm or put-downs to increase their power over their victims.
. - Playing the victim
They might try to make others feel sympathy or compassion for them, so that they can get what they want.
‘Manipulators are often highly skilled at ‘reading’ people. They look for specific weaknesses that they can exploit.’
How to deal with manipulators
Being a victim of manipulation is often upsetting and emotionally draining, especially if it happens repeatedly. Use these five strategies to stop being manipulated:
1. Identify your weaknesses
Manipulators are often highly skilled at ‘reading’ people. They look for specific weaknesses that they can exploit.
It has been identified that the following character traits can make it easier for you to be manipulated:
- You have a strong desire to please others, without taking your own needs into account.
. - You don’t believe that others would manipulate you, or do you harm, on purpose.
. - You find reasons to excuse people’s poor behaviour.
. - You have low self-confidence and self-esteem.
. - You are emotionally dependent on others.
Consider whether you have any of these traits. Then think about what you could do to deal with them. For instance, you could build your self-confidence and develop an internal locus of control so that you have more belief in your ability to control what happens in your life.
‘It’s important to identify people who have manipulative tendencies. Awareness is the first step toward avoiding manipulation.’
2. Spot potential manipulators
It’s important to identify people who have manipulative tendencies. Awareness is the first step toward avoiding manipulation.
Look out for the behaviours we highlighted above, and also keep an eye out for people who:
- Want to have their own way, all the time.
. - Won’t take no for an answer.
. - Will stop at nothing to succeed.
. - Make excuses for hurtful or damaging behaviour.
. - Frequently make you feel guilty.
. - Act differently with different people, putting on a ‘face’ to serve an immediate purpose.
‘When you understand the weapons and strategies they use, you’re better able to sidestep them, laugh them off, or confront them.’
While you might not be able to avoid these people entirely, you can be on your guard when you’re with them.
Also, take time to listen to possible manipulators and watch how they behave. You can learn their tactics when you pay attention to what they say and do – as well as what they don’t say and do. When you understand the weapons and strategies they use, you’re better able to sidestep them, laugh them off, or confront them.
3. Be assertive
When you suspect that someone is trying to manipulate you, be assertive. This means that you stand up for your own interests, while still respecting his or her needs.
First, recognize how the other person views the situation. Then, express your needs directly – you’ll project strength and confidence when you’re specific about what you want.
Be direct and persistent, and use ‘I’ statements to avoid generalities and accusations. For instance, you could say, “I would feel taken advantage of if I did that” instead of, “You’re taking advantage of me!”
Manipulators will often change the subject or use other avoidance tactics when you confront them. For example, if you turn down a request, they might suggest a meeting to discuss it again later.
‘When you suspect that someone is trying to manipulate you, be assertive. This means that you stand up for your own interests…’
4. Identify and set personal limits
Think about what types of behaviour you will and won’t tolerate from other people. Setting boundaries like this enables you to offer assistance when they need it, but not allow them to take advantage of you.
Consider how others have manipulated you in the past and what they ultimately wanted from you. Will you tolerate any of these behaviours again, or do you want to “draw a line in the sand”?
It can be useful to keep a journal of your thoughts as you go through this process. Writing down the boundaries that you’re comfortable with will help you think about the situation clearly, strengthen your boundaries in your mind, and provide a healthy outlet for your feelings.
5. Stay focused
When you stand up for yourself, manipulators might use evasive or diversionary tactics to confuse you, weaken your resolve, or throw you off-track. Don’t let them distract or sidetrack you. Stay focused on the issue that you want to address.
‘If you have any manipulators on your team, you may need to confront them about their behaviour if it’s affecting your group and its mission negatively.’
Confronting manipulators
If you have any manipulators on your team, you may need to confront them about their behaviour if it’s affecting your group and its mission negatively.
When you do this, there’s a good chance that they’ll brush off their behaviour, or that they’ll get angry at you and your accusation. They might also try to shift the blame onto you or someone else, or rationalize their actions. Work on your conflict resolution skills so that you can manage situations like this effectively, and use role-playing to practice the conversation if you feel nervous. You’ll also need to take note of the behaviours that you’ve observed, before you confront them.
Speak with them privately. They might be unaware of how their behaviour affects the people around them, so approach this conversation sensitively.
Be specific about how they’re harming the team, and use ‘I’ instead of ‘you’ statements to communicate the effect that their behaviour has on others. For instance, instead of saying, “You are very manipulative,” you could say, “I feel uncomfortable when you threaten people like that.”
Also, make sure that they have the support and resources they need to change their behaviour, including appropriate coaching to help them address the underlying reasons for their actions. For example, they might need training in increasing their influence and power legitimately. You may even need to encourage them to seek professional help, if you think this is necessary.
Image: rawpixel.com from Pexels
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