In psychology, anchors have two main definitions—one rooted in behaviorism and NLP, and the other in the concept of intuition and unconscious judgment (as described in the research of Daniel Kahneman). Both types of anchors are widely used in all kinds of manipulation. Anchors in Behaviorism and NLP Behaviorism and NLP define anchors as an […]

Behaviorism is a school of psychology aimed at shaping behavior through external influence. Broadly speaking, behaviorism views behavior as a reaction to specific stimuli—either positive (reinforcing) or negative (punishing). Behavior is shaped through combinations of positive and negative stimuli. This includes the creation of conditioned reflexes (classical conditioning, as in Pavlov’s dog) or training (operant […]

In most cases, trolls are not teenage outsiders compensating for their frustration, complexes, and dissatisfaction through antisocial and irritating behavior online. More often, they are trained and paid individuals who carry out targeted and organized activity in the service of certain interests. Nor are trolls always aggressive or intent on vulgarizing and emptying discussions of […]

Emotional conditioning is used quite often not only in forums, but also in the media. It is a behaviorist approach in which a person is trained to react emotionally to certain stimuli, whether verbal, written, or visual. Such stimuli may be words, phrases, expressions, font color, font type (bold or overly prominent), images, specific details […]

Identification is one of the core techniques of suggestion used in the internet and the media. As we have seen, almost anything can be the object of suggestion: a particular attitude toward ourselves, a certain interpretation of a situation, a deceptive idea about what someone thinks of us, a specific point of view, fears about […]

An important manipulative technique is the planting of hopes and expectations. Here the aim is to influence an individual’s decisions and behavior through hints and suggestions about certain positives, under specific conditions. These hints and suggestions are usually highly veiled and indirect. They may not even be verbal at all, but expressed through attitude, body […]

Each of us has weak spots. These may be fears, phobias, complexes, doubts, and other unpleasant things of this kind. Even if there were a person so perfect as to have none of these problems, such an individual would still not be immune to developing some of them over time. Unfortunately, it is possible for […]

It is clear that moods and emotions are contagious. Cheerful people around us lift our own spirits, while depressed ones seem to pull us into their emotional swamp. Mental states can also be transmitted through novels, films, texts, poems, messages, paintings, photographs, colors, sounds, movements, and probably other things I am omitting at the moment. […]

Another widely used technique is the opposition of interests, employed within the strategy of “Divide and rule.” In this case, manipulators attempt to suggest that the interests and rights of a given individual or group conflict with the interests of another group, and that the interests of the latter are far more significant—without this necessarily […]

I’ll start with a joke. A stranger approached a beautiful woman and asked her: — Would you sleep with me for 100 dollars? — Oh, you filthy creep, get lost! What do you take me for, a prostitute?! the woman replied angrily. The man was not fazed and asked another question: — All right then, […]

“To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the height of skill.To subdue the enemy without fighting is the height of skill.” Sun Tzu (The Art of War) During his campaign against the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great reached what is today Afghanistan and laid siege to a fortress located on […]

Comparative Perception, Relativism In an attempt not to sound too “dry,” allow me to tell you a joke. A Jewish man had serious problems in life and everyday living. Nothing was going well for him. He lived with his wife and their three children in a single room, which also housed their dog. In the […]