- [Complete
text in French]
Mental
manipulation takes place between an influencer and a person
who is influenced (between a controller and a person who is
controlled…). When attempting to establish a balance of power
and to influence those around us, "mental control"
functions as an upstream global strategy to dominate. Instead,
mental manipulation techniques function as downstream localized
field tactics. The main difference between the two, is that
mental control is exercised continuously (for instance, a country's
police and political surveillance), whereas mental manipulation
is discontinuous and seeks favourable circumstances (as a localized
police intervention).
Definition.
Mental manipulation is a technique: an influencer takes advantage
of an opportunity to surreptitiously divert for his own personal
profit and prestige, material and moral resources (strengths
and weaknesses, hopes and fears) of the trusting persons who
are being influenced.
The terrible
recurring effect is that every manipulated person becomes first
a self-manipulator (he lies to himself and shapes himself through
ritualized exercises), and then manipulates those around him.
In other words, he becomes a mini-guru !
Three
progressive levels of gravity are to be distinguished:
1.
Mild mental manipulation manoeuvres
Mental
manipulation manoeuvres are MILD in horizontal relationships,
at the base of hierarchical pyramids, between brothers, peers
or followers: everyone expects being deceived, everyone becomes
an influencer and in turn is influenced, a protector and then
a protectee. Opportunity makes the thief. At this level, mental
manipulation is considered as a "normal" ruse or dishonesty:
it is rarely perceived as a misdemeanour or an offense. But
it irritates those who discover themselves its victim !
These
are mainly situations of hypocrisy where what we do differs
from what we say, manifested by seductive stonewalling (for
publicity or proselytism), extreme simplifications or hasty
generalizations, series of lies, vane wars of auto-justification
or of denigration of rivals, moralizing repression, maintaining
an atmosphere of persecution… In the entrenched community camp,
most of all in their mental isolation, the followers – as long
as they are obedient – believe to be free ! The spiritual community
becomes the lukewarm incubator of moralizing and dualist mild
mental manipulation. This is the psycho-social infrastructure
that every ambitious charlatan establishes as the launching
ramp for conquering the world.
2.
Strong mental manipulation manoeuvres
Mental
manipulation manoeuvres are considered STRONG when the influencer
acts from an executive position and is in charge of a group
(parent, teacher, boss…) and .
In organizes in a premeditated and
methodical manner the opportunities to trap the persons he influencesthis case there is a system to consciously deceive. At this
level, mental manipulation is Manichean and almost always prepares
an offense or a crime, an illicit or inhuman exploitation.
It is
mainly a game of hide and seek played by the middle management,
torn between the pressure stalled upon them from the top or
coming from a common ideal, and the needs of those under their
responsibility. In short, they are torn between the ideal and
reality. Using the need to protect them as an excuse, the group
leader emotionally stirs up the disciples with theatrical speeches,
exorcism of evil forces, ritualistic initiations to esoteric
secrets, and leaves the elite's ambitions of wealth and honours
unspoken… It is a climate of trance and battle, triumph and
cynicism, and of lex talionis. This is also the common but unconfessed
sectarianism of over proud and closed groups.
The result:
hysteric effect of the pressure groups' tussle with the demonized
rival (vandalism, witchcraft, crusade, violent racism…). Disgraces
(the plague) are avoided by punishing the victims (the plague-stricken)
because, in the hurry, the real causes (virus) are not sought.
This is the sacrificial attitude !
3.
Crushing mental manipulation manoeuvres
Mental
manipulation manoeuvres become CRUSHING, weighing on the destiny
of thousands of persons, when the influencer is a group FOUNDER
(or his successor), who claims to be the only one to possess
the monopole for happiness, wisdom and truth, in one word: salvation.
The guru, glorified by his founding mystification, organizes
the planet by institutionalizing opportunities for mental manipulation,
covering his wolves on duty with lamb skins ! The VERTICAL pressure
that he secretly performs as a magician from his hierarchical
summit is totalitarian: all the rights and security at the top,
all the obligations and risks at the base. Responsibilities
are given on the basis if faithfulness and not competence. Alienated,
the disciples are happy!
With his
hypnotic manoeuvres that act as a spell, the guru traps his
disciples in a "magical circle": where the impossible
– for instance to travel to Sirius by committing suicide – suddenly
becomes possible and even desirable! Being the guarantee of
such mad hopes, the con artist becomes an idol, transforms his
worshippers into damned souls, addicts of his delirium. He exercises
metaphysical blackmail: "Join his group of the virtuous
or disappear as an unclean for eternity". A masterpiece
of mental manipulation!
In stressful
or catastrophic situations, each person authorizes itself to
deceive those under their influence in order to save them. It
is the unspoken RIGHT OF LEGITIMATE MENTAL MANIPULATION: this
is the justification for the DEPROGRAMMING of cult members,
for DIPLOMACY, for SECRET SERVICES… The utopian founders take
advantage of this unspoken right by INVENTING AN EMERGENCY DOCTRINE
(colonialist, humanitarian, millenarian, fundamentalist, or
apocalyptic…) which gives them absolute powers of life and death
over their faithful. They become over-protectors, dictators
!
No offense
or crime is committed without a manipulative approach (ambush,
complicity, infiltration…). There- fore the study of mental manipulation
concerns the police, the judiciary system, the detection of
spiritual fraud, the protection of minors, etc… Mental manipulation
is a pre-offense.
The ideal
modern education progressively prepares young people to be autonomous:
this is the contrary of mental manipulation. Knowledge transmits
knowledge, whereas mental manipulation is, like magic and hypnosis,
the impatient power that crushes knowledge. The powers in place
are protected by people's manipulative reactions and they will
never prohibit them. Mental manipulation is indeed an archaic
and tribal reaction that magically glorifies the political discourse.
But this
attitude bars our access to the complex technological and industrial
world. Scientifically based education makes us allergic to mental
manipulation, which parasites knowledge.
Beware!
The structures of mental manipulation will remain invisible
and misunderstood if MILD MENTAL MANIPULATION STRATEGIES are
not identified. The risk will remain of hearing reactions such
as: "You too simulate, cheat, manipulate: why do you accuse
me ?"
But he
who wants to live without strong or crushing mental manipulation,
resists the lex talionis and forgives his torturers… He then
takes the risk of becoming the red lantern of his group, the
emissary victim of all purges. He will remain for long misunderstood,
without prestige, without wealth: this is the non-manipulative
and non-sacrificial life model, which is the result of an existential
choice.
Roland
Huckel - Strasbourg - April 1996
