Anti-Manipulation manual

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Individualism
The desire to find his personal life style by your own, conscious decisions. See also Equalization.

"The individual choice of garnishment of a burger can be an important point to the consumer in this day when individualism is an increasingly important thing to people."

Donald N. Smith, President of Burger King

Therapy group for individualists

Intelligence
The ability to see the sillyness of your actions in advance. Can be learned.

Interrogation
Brutality is out, psychology is in. If you get exposed to an interrogation or even a chat with a salesman, this usually happens in four acts according to the following scheme:
Screening Approaching each other. The interrogator pretends to be worried about the feelings of the victim, develops common goals, defines a common enemy and creates a feeling of illusionary friendship. Particularly effective in isolation.
Recognizing First attempts to guide the victim in a certain direction. The interrogator is looking for minor signals like cramps, transpiration, blushing or long periods of silence to find and use moments of increased suggestibility.
Manipulation There are different scenarios to enforce a confession (or a sales contract):
"The good and the evil man" This scenario is already a little too well known. One interrogator acts particularly aggressive and insulting and another pretends to stay on the side of the victim to gain his trust. An employee may also pretend to aid a customer against his boss to get better conditions for him.
"Nobody likes you" The victim gets suggested that other people spread lies about him/her. One commercial variant is "everybody else has the new device XXX and they are already laughing about you."
"The witness" One get suggested that somebody else already has made a confession.
"Iwan is a jerk" It is claimed that the victim is abandoned by his boss or his organization, only the interrogator is a real friend.
"Spinoza and Mortimer Snerd" Strange and confusing questions are asked and the victim doesn't know an answer to them. When finally a sensible questions comes, the delighted victim gives the right answer.
"The fake escape" The victim is released by false friends, which then urge him to reveal what he has not told the enemy yet.
"Alice in Wonderland" The victim gets confused with meaningless questions and unusual pronounciation, for example prolonging the vowels.
"Enchantment" The victim gets convinced to be hypnotized and thus gets an excuse to subdue himself. Good together with technical illusionary tricks.
"Induced Regression" Using Sigmund Freud's theories, the victim is lead back into its childhood. The interrogator stays compassionate until the victim voluntarily tells him early memories and asks then for more. Finally he gets accepted by the victim as an authority.
Confirming Near the end of the conversation, the desire to work together is strengthened once more. Fake questions like "Would you like to think about the contract once more?", or small, worthless gifts can be useful here.

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