TheArtofPsychologicalWarfare

HowtoSkillfullyInfluencePeopleUndetectedandHowtoMentallySubdueYourEnemiesinStealthMode

ByMichaelT.Stevens

Copyright2016byMakeProfitsEasyLLC

profitsdaily123@aol.com

TableofContents

Introduction

Chapter1:HistoryofPsychologicalWarfare

Chapter2:HowToReadPeople

Chapter3:HowToBeLikable

Chapter4:GettingPeopleToAgreeWithYou

Chapter5:WinningtheBattleofWills

Chapter6:PsychologicalAttacks

Conclusion

Introduction

Howwouldyouliketohavetheultimatepowerofcontroloverotherpeople?Itsoundsgood,

doesn'tit?Well,we'lltellyouupfront,thisbookwillsharewithyouthesecretsofpowerful

peoplefromeverywalkoflife.FrompoliticianstoCEOstoreligiousleaderstocelebrities,all

ofthesepeopleusethemethodsandtechniqueswewilllayouthere.Notonlywillthese

provetobeextremelypowerful,buttheyaresecretsanyonecanmaster.Letusassureyou:

Thereisnoonewhoisnotcapableofmasteringthesetechniques.

Sowhyisitnotmorecommon?Well,theyactuallyaresomewhatcommon,butnot

everybodyknowsallofthemorhowtomakeuseofthem.Evenlow-levelsalesmenorthe

hustleratthecornermarketissavvyenoughtousesomevarietyofpsychologicaltactics.For

therest,manypeopleareafraidofhavingthismuchpower.They'reafraidthatusingthese

techniquesmakesyouasociopath,aschemer,orahypocrite.

We'llsayrightupfront:Youcanabusepsychologicalwarfaretoyourownprofitand

advantage.Weleaveituptoyoutomakeyourmoraldecisionsofwhethertousethesetactics

forgoodorill.Justbecauseyoulearnhowtostealcarsdoesn'tmeanyoushouldgoaround

stealingcars;youcanusethatknowledgetopreventcartheftaswell.In"hacker"circles,this

bookwouldbeconsideredamanualon"socialengineering,"becausebasicallythisisa

manualforhackingotherpeople'sbrains.Butyouhavetorememberthathackersworkfor

thepoliceandthegovernmenttoo.Andaswe'llfindout,policeandgovernmentsusesocial

engineeringtoo!

Asyoureadthroughthisbook,keepinmindthatthefollowingtraitswillbebeneficialtoyou

whenyoutrytoputthisbookintopractice:

Confidence-Intoday'ssociety,thisisalmostataboowordbyitself.Forthoseof

youwhodon'tfeelconfident,justfakeit.Wewilldwellonconfidencemanytimes

inthiswork.Fornow,we'lljustsay"Actlikeawinnerandtheworldwilltreatyou

likeone."

Appearance-Yoursocialstandingwithotherpeoplemaxesoutdependingon

howgoodyoulook.Ifnaturemadeyouugly,dothebestwithwhatyouhave.At

theveryleast,goodhygieneandwell-keptclotheswillgetyoufar.

Temperance-Thisisthewisdomtoknowhowtopickyourbattlesandwhenit's

worthmovinginasopposedtowhentobackout.Itwillkeepyououtoftrouble.

Asenseofhumor-Funnypeoplemakeotherpeoplelaugh,whenyoulaughyou

feelgood,andwhensomebodymakesyoufeelgood,youtrustthemmore.Atthe

least,asenseofhumorwillhelpyoumakelightofitwhenyoufail.

Howtoreadthisbook

Psychologicalwarfareisahighlyspecializedtopicrequiringadvancedknowledgeof

psychology.Wewillprovidesomescience,somehistory,andsomeexamplesalongwithmore

specifichow-toinstructions.Itisrecommendedthatyouseekoutsideresearchoftopics

wherewementionthatthere'smuchmoretoatopic(e.g.neuro-linguisticprogramming)that

spaceandtimepreventedusfromproviding.

Attheendofeachsectionwhererelevant,you'llfindabulletedlistoftipsonusingthe

informationinthatchaptertoapplytoyourownconflictsinlife.Itisadvisedthatyoudigest

everythingandnotjustheadforthebullet-points,however.Usingpsychologytoinfluence

peopleandmentallysubdueenemiesisadeepart.

Chapter1:HistoryofPsychologicalWarfare

Justhowpotentispsychologicalwarfare?Howmuchcanyoudotoanotherpersonwithout

layingasinglefingeronthem?Hereareafewexamplestoillustratewhatatremendous

powerthisistowield.

Fromtheyears1959to1962,HenryAlexanderMurray,whiledirectorofthePsychological

Clinic,participatedintheCIA'sProjectMKUltra.Thesewerebrutalpsychological

experimentsintendedtomeasuretestsubjectsunderstress.Butoneteststandsoutin

history.

Inthetest,volunteeruniversitystudentshadtowriteanessaywhichsummarizedtheir

philosophyonlifeandthingstheybelievedin.Theywouldthenbesenttoadebateroom

wheretheywereledtoexpectthatthey'ddiscusstheirideaswithanotherstudentlike

themselves.Instead,however,theywouldencounteratrainedinterrogator,whosejobwasto

usethestudents'ownbeliefstoattackandbelittlethem,browbeatingthemoutofeverycore

virtuetheythoughtwasrightintheworld.Sincethewholeexperimenthadthepurposeof

puttingthestudentthroughasmuchstressaspossible,studentscameoutoftheexperience

rattledandtraumatized.

OneofthesestudentswasnamedTedKaczynski,a17-year-oldprodigywhohadalreadymade

animpressioninthefieldofadvancedmathematicalresearch.Buthistoryknowsthisstudent

betterbytheassumedaliashetookonafterbeingdiscouragedfromacademiaandultimately

resigning.TedKaczynskiwentontobecometheUnabomber,aserialkillerwhowageda

terroristcampaignofmail-bombsagainstuniversitiesfromtheyears1978to1995,before

finallybeingcaptured.

WewilltalkmoreaboutProjectMKUltralater,becauseit'sfundamentaltothestudyof

psychologicalwarfare.

Foradefensiveexample,in2005,BritishactorBenedictCumberbatchfoundhimself

ensnaredinareal-lifecrisisthatresembledascenefromoneofhisownmovies.Whilein

SouthAfricashootingafilm,acarhewasridinginblewaflatonadesolateroadandhewas

attackedbyagangofarmedthievesinthevirtuallylawlessoutland.Theykidnappedhim.But

hetalkedhiswayoutofit.

Firsthefeignedaheartconditiontoavoidbeingtiedupandstuffedintothecartrunk.Then

hepersuadedthem,asanotableBritishactor,thathewasworthalmostnothingasahostage,

butiftheyharmedhim,thenewswouldsparkinternationalheadlinesthatwouldleadtowar.

Thekidnappersdroppedhimoffinanearbyvillageunharmedandspedaway.That'swhat

youcallactingforyourlife!

Asonemightguess,actinglendsalotofskillstopsychologicalwarfare.

ItalianRenaissanceauthorNiccoloMachiavelliwasafamousproponentandcodifierfor

manypsychologicalwarfaretechniques.Somuchsothathelendshisnametotheterm

"Machiavellianism,"theuseofcunningandduplicityinconductingbusiness.Basicallyevery

corruptpoliticianhasreadapageortwooutofMachiavelli'swork"ThePrince."

Machiavelli'sphilosophiescontinuetobethebaseforawholebodyofbusinessliterature.

Moderndaybusinessbooksteachhowtomaintainpower,behaveinmanipulatingways,and

useharshmanagementdecisionsthatareneverthelessgoodforthebottomline.Onemay

wellargue,inAmericancorporatecapitalism,thatwhenwecreateabusinessandgrantitthe

samerightsasahuman(what'incorporating'means),whilenotholdingittoanymoral

restrictionsexceptfor"surviveatallcostsandmakeyourshareholdersrich,"whatyouhave

effectivelycreatedisaninstitutionalizedpsychopath.

Wewillbeusingmanymorelessonsfromthebusinessworldinthisbook.

OnMarchthe15th,1783,nonethelessthanGeorgeWashingtonpulledoffabrilliantcoupof

psychologicalwarfare.TheeventisknowninhistorybooksastheNewburghaddress.The

NewburghconspiracywasamobofofficersintheContinentalArmy,whoseaimswereto

startamilitaryrebellionagainstthethen-newUnitedStatesCongress.Inameetingheldto

appeasetherebelsandattempttoforestallthemovement,Washingtonwasnotscheduledto

speak,butshowedup.Theastonishedintendedspeakerrelinquishedthepodiumto

Washington,andhetookthestageinfrontofthearmedandunrulymobofrebels.

Whatmattershereisnotsomuchthetextoftheaddressitself,butWashington'sclevertrick

beforetheaddress.Fumblinginhispocketforhisspectacles,hesaid,"Gentlemen,youwill

permitmetoputonmyspectacles,forIhavenotonlygrowngraybutalmostblindinthe

serviceofmycountry."Thiscausedthementounderstandthatthelegendbeforethemhad

sufferedandsacrificedfargreaterthantheyhad.Therealizationstunganddisheartenedthe

rebels,manyofwhomthrewdowntheirweaponsandleftintearsofshameonthespot.

Theaddressitselfisamatterofpublicrecord.Butit'sjustanexamplehereofhowa

forefatherofanationcanusepsychologicalwarfaretoimpressiveresults!

Someoftheideasinthisbookmayseemcontroversial.Well,ofcoursetheyare!Allstrange

ideasareshocking.Andallnewideasarestrange.That'swhythey'renew,becauseyou've

neverencounteredthembefore.Goaheadandtrytodoanythingcompletelyoriginalandnot

haveitcomeoutshocking.Ithasnothingtodowiththeideas;ithaseverythingtodowith

novelty.

Wewillbestudyingmanymoreofthelessonsinhistory.Fornow,let'smoveontothelesson

sowecandiscoverhowtousethispowerourselves.Inusingpsychologicalwarfaretactics,

themostimportantthingistounderstandpsychologyitself.Thistakessomepatience,and

wewilltrytolivenupthefollowingtwochapterstomakeitaspainlessandbriefaspossible.

Donotskipoverit,however.Itisthefoundation,withoutwhichtherestofthisbookwould

crumble.

Take-aways:

Appreciatethatyouhavealottolearn.

Developanattitudeofrespecttowardsthisart.

Don'tuseitlightly.

Chapter2:HowToReadPeople

Ironicallyenough,theverythingthatwillmakeyoubetteratpsychologicalwarfareisalsothe

firstthingthatgivesyouagooddefenseagainstit.Whileanin-deptheducationinpsychology

isimpossibleforthisbook-you'dwantauniversitydegreetogowithit-partsofitare

necessarytoourtopic,andtheyallstartwithreadingpeople.

Readingpeopleisimportantbecauseyou'reinthebusinessoftryingtomanipulatethem,

powerstrugglewiththem,andmentallydominatethem.Watchingfor"tells"andindicators

cantellyouwhat'sworkingandwhatisn't,whereaperson'sweaknessesare,orwhatmay

leadyoutoatruce.

Didwesay"truce"?Makenomistakeaboutitrightnow:Eventhoughoursubjectis

psychologicalwarfare,ifyourtargetgivesintoyou,youwinanyway.It'sabigwintobeable

tomentallydominatesomeoneandhavethemnotevenawareitwashappening.Ifthey

concedetoyou,negotiatewithyou,oroffertoworkwithyoutowardsacompromise-that'sa

win.Thisisn'taboutapowertrip,it'saboutgettingwhatyouwant.

BodyLanguage

Bodylanguageisthenon-verbalcommunicationsthatallhumansdo,whetherthey'reaware

ofitornot.Forourpurposes,itisimportanttoknownotjusttoreadotherpeople,butto

controlyourownbodylanguagetohavethedesiredeffect.

Ifyouhaveahardtimegettingagrasponbodylanguage,findafriendwithadog.Dogsarean

excellenteducationinbodylanguage,becausetheyareveryexpressiveandrelatetohumans,

butalsocan'ttalkthemselves.Adogwhowantstogooutwiththeirmasterforoutdoor

exercisewillfrolicandbouncearound,showingwhatfunthey'regoingtohave.Anaggressive

dogwillbristleandstanderect,snarlingandcrouchingtopounce,asitbarksatthemailman-

thisiswarningthatit'sgoingtoattack.Adogwhojustaccidentallyknockedavaseover,

whichbroke,willhangitsheadandlookatitsmastersheepishly,showingitisashamedfor

itserror.

Foranotherexampleofnon-humanexpressivebodylanguage,lookatanimatedcartoons

suchasTom&Jerry.Thetwocharactershavenodialogueatall,yetmanagetoconveytothe

audienceallkindsofthoughts,reactions,andgoalsastheyscamperaboutontheir

misadventures.Analyzingthepantomimeofsilentcharactersinanimationgivesyouareal

appreciationforwhatafineartitactuallyis.Atthesametime,considerthatthisis

entertainmentfareintendedforyoungchildren,whichgoestoshowjusthowintuitivebody

languageistocommunication.

Thegoalsinstudyingbodylanguageforpsychologicalwarfareshouldbe:

Recognizingwhenyouropponentisresistanttoyouordefiantofyou.

Seeingwhenapersonisvulnerable.

Spottingfearandanxiety.

Exploitingsignalssentbyyourtarget.

Adjustingyourownbodylanguageandposturestrategically.

Afulllistofexamplesofeverykindofbodylanguageisbeyondthisbook'sscope-thereare

wholebooksonthissubject.Instead,we'llprovidesomeexamples:

Adjustingglasses-Thisisasignthatapersonisskepticalorispayingmore

attention.

Preening-Apersonputtingonadisplayfortheoppositesex.There'sawhole

vocabularyhere;womentwirltheirhair,bitetheirlip,andswaggertheirhipswhen

theywalk,whilemenstridewiththeirheadhigh,flextheirmuscles,throwouttheir

chest,andholdtheirheadupconfidently.

Onenotedmachoposeisthe"CaptainMorganpose,"thesameasonthebottleofrum.

Kneecocked,footupandrestingonsomeprop,withtherestofthebodystraightand

thechestout,headback,inastateofrelaxedconfidence.It'saterritorialpose;itsays

"I'veconqueredthisplaceorchallengeandemergedthevictor.Addressmeasahero."

Facepalm-PopularontheInternet.Clappingahandtoyourfaceneartheeyesis

theuniversalexpressionfor"ThatwassostupidIcan'tbelieveit!"

Fingeronthelips-Asanylibrariancantellyou,thismeans"Shh,bequiet."Any

gesturetowardsthemouthcanmean"don'tspeak"or"speaksoftly."Whenpeople

havetostopandthinkaboutwhattosay,theyalsoputathoughtfulhandovertheir

mouth.

Peoplewhoaretellingaliealsotendtoputahandtowardstheirmouth.It'sasifthey

weretryingtofixwhattheyweresayingasitcameout,ordisguisetheirspeechasif

theyweresaying"thisisn'ttherealmetalking."

Rubbingthebackoftheheadorneck-Thiscanbeanervousgesturetofake

nonchalance.It'sasubtlegroomingsignal."What,issomethingwronghere?

Nothing'swrong!"Generallytherearemanymovementsinvolvingthehandsand

theheadthatshouldbeatellthatthesubjectisnotbeingtruthfulinsomewayor

another.Anythingthat'splayedlikeaburstofnervousenergyorfidgetingis

suspect.

Lookingaway-Avertingtheeye'sgazeistheclassicgestureof"Idon'tlikethat."

Kidsbeingattackedbytheschoolbullylookdown.Witnessestoacaraccidentflick

theirheadawaywhentheycatchviewofabloodyvictim.Apersonwhohasdecided

nottobuyanitemstopslookingatit.Akidrefusingtoeathisvegetablesturnshis

noseuptotheceiling.Ifyourollyoureyesatwhatsomeonesays,it'stheuniversal

signfor"Ithinkyou'recrazy."

Eyecontactissoimportant,bothgivingandreceiving,thatwe'lldelvemoreintoitlater.

Slouching-Eitherstandingwitharelaxedposeorsprawlingalloverthe

furniture,thisshowsapersonwhoisaloof,casual,andnotatallalertorvigilant.

Nosetappingwithafinger-"Iknowsomethingyoudon't."

Handonthecheek-Thisisasubconsciousgesturethatsays"I'mbored"or"I'm

tired."Especiallyexaggeratedbytiltingtheheadsideways.Thepersonismiming

"I'mreadyforbed,see,thisismyheadonthepillow."

Headtiltedbyitself-Thisistheuniversalgesturefor"That'sstrange!"

Somethingyou'reneverseenbefore,justrealizingsomethingthat'soffabouta

situation,intrigued,perplexed,orotherwiseunusual.It'ssocharacteristicthateven

animalsdoit.It'sareflexwhereyou'reencounteringanunfamiliarobjectand

gettingadifferentangleviewofit.

Crossedarms-Theuniversalsymbolfor"I'mnotacceptingthis."Thepersonhas

stoppedlisteningtoyou,isplanningonputtingupafighttoresistyou,oris

skepticalofyou.

Thisisjustasmallsampleofthevocabularyofbodylanguage.Whilenotallofitisimportant

toyou,developinganawarenessofitwillworktoyourbenefit.Thewholeworldcanbe

conqueredbythepersonwhopaysmoreattentionthaneverybodyelse.

Take-aways:

Usebodylanguagetosizeupyouropponent.

Adjustyourownbodylanguagetoinfluenceyouropponent.

Keepanawarenessofyouropponent'sreactsandbodylanguagevocabularywhile

interactingwiththem.

Useyourawarenessofbodylanguagetosubtlyinfluenceanyconversation.

ColdReading

Theterm"coldreading"actuallycomesfromtheworldofthosewhoattemptorfakepsychic

powers-hypnotists,fortunetellers,andstagemagicians.Likebodylanguage,coldreadingis

asetofobservationsyoucanmakewhichwilltellyouthingsaboutasubjectwithoutso

muchasengagingtheminconversation.

Whileyou'relearningallthisfunstuff,youmightaswelltreatyourselftoafewpartytricks.

Here'sasample"script"forbeingastagepsychic:

Walkoutinfrontofanaudienceofabout900peopleinastudio.Startbyexplainingthatthe

visionsyoureceivemightmakemoresensetothespectatorsthantoyou,soiftheycanhelp

yououtbyrespondingtoyourcues,youcanunravelsomeanswerstogether.Youwantthe

audienceeagertopounceonanythingyousayanddevelopitintoanarrative.

Nowstartwith"Who'sBetty?"Inaroomfullof900people,youmighthaveaBetty.Ifnot,

eachofthemknowsanaverageofabout150people,soyou'resuretohitaBettyinthere

somewhere.Watchthereactions.AnybodywhoreactsiseitherBettyorknowsBetty.They'll

tellyou.

TheyknewaBetty?YouhaveavisionofaBettyinthepast.Wassheclosetoyou?Well,of

course,Bettywasprobablythesubject'saunt,sister,mother,etc.Keepsayingtheseuntilthey

stopyou.Oh,itturnsoutBettyistheirlong-lostgreataunt.

KeeppromptingthemuntiltheybabblethenatureoftheirrelationshiptoBetty.Yes,shedied

ofbreastcancerinthe1990s,sothetargetknewBettywhentheywereveryyoung.Sodidyou

visitBettywhenyouwereachild?Yes,everysummerinCapeCod.Well,Bettyhasamessage

ofcomforttoyoufrombeyondthegrave,thatshelovedyouverymuch,andI'mgetting...

somethingred.Thetargetwillimmediatelyjumptoareddress,redtoywagon,redcar...Say

somethingaboutthecarasafondmemoryorwhatever.Thetargetwillmixuptheeventsin

theirheadandgohometellingeverybodythisamazingpsychictalkedtotheghostofher

great-auntBetty,evenknewabouttheredrockinghorseinherlivingroom!

Otherpromptsinclude:"Iseeamalefigure,afatherfigureinthepast,someonewhoyouhad

aquarrelwithbutwantsyoutoknowtheylovedyouanyway."Or"Isenseawomanwith

blacknessinherchest,likeshehadheartdisease."Thiswillapplytoatleasthalfthepeopleat

arandomsample,andsomebodywillobliginglyjumpupandyell"Iknowwhoyou'retalking

about!"

Theabovescriptdoesn'tjusthappenbyitself,though.Whenyoustartthrowingoutthere

cues,they'reprobeswithastatisticallyprobablychanceofbeingtrue.Oncesomebodylatches

ontothis,youoffermoreguidingcuestonarrowtheperceivedeventdown.Thesubjectwill

havevariousreactionswhichyouobservecarefullyandusetotellwhenyou'reontheright

path.

Here'stheclip-n-save:

Peoplewholookuparerememberingatrueeventorrecallingafact.

Peoplewholookofftothesideordownarepicturingsomethingthatdidn'thappen

orconsideringsomethingthatisn'ttrue.

Somepeople-butnotall-showotherpatternsofeyebehavior,suchasglancingto

theleftwhenthinkingofthepastandtotherightwhentheythinkaboutthefuture.

Coldreadingisasubsetofwhatwecallthe"Barnumeffect."NamedaftercircustycoonP.T.

Barnum,it'swhereyoumakeageneral,hazystatementthatcouldapplytoalmostanyone

thatsomeonewillpersonalizeasifitwerespecifictothem.Forinstance,hereisyour

horoscope:

"Youhaveaneedtobewell-likedandpopular,butyoucanalsobeveryshy.Whileyouare

criticalofyourselfsometimes,youalsohaveuntappedcapacitywhichyoucouldtake

advantageof.Yousometimesdoubtwhetheryouhavemadetherightdecision.Youpride

yourselfasanindependentthinkerandinsistonproofofclaimsyou'reskepticalabout.You

haverecentlyexperiencedthedeathofalovedone,andamoderatesumofmoneyanda

short,butmemorable,tripisinyourfuture."

Spoton,wasn'tit?

Itappliestoeverybody,though.

Anotherversionofcoldreadingisthefamed"palmreading"trick.Thetrickisthatyouhold

theirhandinyours,butholditverylightly,becausetheirhandisgoingtomovearoundand

tellyoustuffsubconsciously.Whenyoutellthemgoodnews,orsomethingthat'strue,they'll

openuptheirhandwiderandliftittowardsyourface."Tellmemore!"Tellthembadnewsor

somethingthatisn'ttrue,andthey'llcurltheirhandupandtugitback."I'veheardenough."

Understandingcoldreadingmeansunderstandingthecommonalityofhumanexistenceand

theexperiencesweallshare.Knowingthiswillbeapplicableinyourquesttomaster

psychologicalwarfare.Whenyou'reinteractingwithpeople,readtheirbodylanguage,eye

cues,facialexpression,andthetoneoftheirvoice.Lookforsignsthatthey'renervous,

optimistic,critical,etc.,andthenaskyourselfwhytheyarefeelingthisway.

Foryetanotherexampleofpsychologicaltricksinvolvingmetaphysicalmumbo-jumbo,we

interviewedalocalpsychologyexpertwhoagreedtodisclosethefollowing:

"WhenIwasworkingmywaythroughcollegewithrandomoddjobs,Ifellinwithsome

charlatanswhoranaNew-AgeshopfulloflovepotionsandTarotcards.Iwasfascinatedby

thepsychologybehindit.SoonIlearnedsomeofthetricksyouusetobamboozlepeople.

Thenumber-onethingyouhavetoknowis:Peoplewanttobefooled.Anybodywhowalks

intoapsychicboothisalreadyconvincedthemselvesthatyou'reforreal;youjusthavetoplay

intotheirfantasy.

Promptingisyourbesttrick.Allyouhavetosayissomethinglike"Isensethatsomeonein

yourlifehaspassedawayrecently."Statistically,you'respoton.They'llsuddenlybabble

abouttheirdeaduncleHarryandtellyouallsortsofstuffyouneverwouldhaveguessed.

Nowsay"IcanseeveryclearlyoneparticularmemoryofyouruncleHarry-Iseethecolor

red!"Oh,Harryworeredpantsonetimeordrovearedcarorhadacatwitharedcollar.Later

they'lltelltheirfriendsthatyou"knew"abouttheiruncleHarry-evenwhatcolorcarhe

drove!Withouttheirtellingyouanything!Amazing!

Andthebestisthepowerofsuggestion.Wehadthesecrystalswe'dsell.It'sassimpleas

holdingupacrystaltotheirhandandbabblingthatyou'regoingtochargeyourenergyfield

throughtheirchakra,"tellmewhenyoufeelanything".Well,duh,they'reparticipatinginthis

sillyritual,ofcoursethey'regoingtowillthemselvesintothinkingthattheirhandisgetting

warm,oryou'repinchingtheircuticle,oryou'rechannelingthehandoftheirdeadgreat-

grandfather.

It'sallblatheringnonsense.There'snothingheremoresophisticatedthantheskillsetofthe

averageprostitute.Theywantafantasy-yousupplyit.Youcandothishalf-asleep.

Youcanthinkofitlikepoker.Inpoker,youwatchyouropponentfortells,theselittlebody-

languagecluesthatsaywhatthepersonisthinking.Justmakeabroad,generalstatement,

thenletthesubject'stellsleadyoutothespecificdetails."

Thisisarareskillinourdayandagebecauseweliveinanageoflimitedface-to-facecontact

andinteraction.Electroniccommunicationshavereplacedmostofourhumaninteraction.

Thelackofpracticedullsouredgewhenitcomestorelatingtopeopleonareallevel.Which

meansbeingjustalittlebitgoodatitislikehavingasuperpower.

Readingtechniquesfilterintousingpsychologicalmanipulation,butthere'smuchmoreto

consideryet.

Take-aways:

Usecoldreadingonpeopleto"readtheirmind."Themoreyouknowthattheydon't

sayoutloud,themoreadvantageyouhave.

UsetheBarnumeffecttomakegeneralstatementsaboutthepersonyouwantto

influence,buttheywilltakeaspersonallysignificanttothem.

Usepeople'swillingnesstobefooledtosubtlypersuadethemintodoingyour

bidding.

Impresspeopleyouwanttoinfluencewithyouruncannyreadingskills-it'slike

castingaspellonsomepeople!

CultureandClass

IMPORTANTNOTE:Goingforward,we'llhavetosaysomewhereinherethatifyou're

offendedbyanyofourpointsdebunkingsomethingyoubelievein...well,you'lljusthaveto

livewithit.Youcannotbeaneffectivepsychologicalcombatantandstillcherishbeliefsin

hardreligion,pseudo-science,orsuperstitions.Beliefinthesethingsmakeyourtargetsmore

vulnerable;youshouldbeexploitingthem,notfallingforthemyourself.

Theassumptionsyoumakewhenyou'rereadingpeoplewillchangedependingonwhoyou're

dealingwith.Peoplefromdifferentbackgroundshavedifferentframesofreference.

You'llnotice,forexample,thatphonypsychicsandreligiousfaith-healerstendtopreyonthe

lowerclasses.Thesamegoesforcheapsuperstitionsandget-rich-quickscams.Lookoverthe

selectionofsupermarkettabloidsandnoticehowtheyappealtotheseedyinterestsand

bread-and-circuses.

Peoplefromlower-classbackgroundstendtofallforthiskindofthingmoreoften.That's

becausepeoplewithanupper-classbackgroundaremorelikelytohaveacollegeeducation

andperhapsevenauniversitydegree.Thisatleastgivesthemexposuretoskepticalthinking,

debateskills,andabitoflearning.

Detectiveshaveatechniquetheycallthe"SherlockScan,"whereyoulooksomebodyupand

downandtrytoreadasmuchaspossibleabouttheirstationinlife.Ifyou'redealingwith

somebodyinathree-piecesuitandtie,withanexpensivewatchandtop-gradeshoes,youcan

bereasonablysureyou'retalkingtoaprofessionalwithadegreeandsix-figuresalarycareer.

Bythesametoken,amanwithgreasyhandsandastainedbluejumpsuitisprobablyan

engineerorautomechanic.It'seasytodo,right?

Thisiscommonsensestuff,butyoucantakeittothenextstepbytryingtoputyourselfinto

theotherperson'splace.Youcanbemorepersuasivebyappealingtoaperson'sinterestsand

values.Astay-at-homemotheroffivechildrenwillhaveadifferentsetofvaluesfromaNew

Yorklawyer;AcorporateCEOwillhavedifferentinterestsandvaluesfromaninner-citydrug

dealer.

Whilewe'redoingdisclaimers,here'sanotherone:Ifyoutendtodiscriminateagainstpeople

forreasonsofrace,gender,orientation,orcreed,now'sthetimetodropthattoo.Holding

ontobigotedbeliefswillonlycloudyourjudgmentwhenreadingpeople.Furthermore,your

dislikeofapersonjustfortheirskincolororsexualorientationwillbesomethingthatperson

canpickup,unnecessarilyputtingpeopleonthedefensive.Whenyoudealinpsychological

warfare,youronlyconcernshouldbewinning-withoutprideorprejudice.

Asanexercise,practicesizingpeopleupwhereveryougo.Puttogetheryourknowledgeof

coldreading,bodylanguage,andassessingpeople'sbackgroundtowork,gettingafixon

peopleyouseeeveryday.

Themostimportantthingtorememberaboutpeopleeverywhere,though,isthattheyjust

wanttobelong.Infact,thisisthedefaultsettingforallofhumanity.Everysubculture,

withoutexception,haspeopleinitjusttobe"cool"andtheymakeupthemajority.Religion,

politics,philosophy,heroinusage,havingkids,punkrock,bikers,BDSM,hackers,geeks,

hipsters,furries,professors.Peoplelivetheirwholelivestopleaseotherpeoplebecause

they'reterrifiedparalyzedbynothavingtheapprovalofothers.

Thisiswhy"peerpressure"works.Thisiswheretheexpression"monkeyseemonkeydo"

comesfrom.Thisiswhyreligionsaresohardtosuppress.Thisiswhytheysellbumper

stickersandT-shirts.Whoshouldseriouslycarethatyourchildwasanhonorstudent?

Thisiswhytheymarketbeverageswithanimageconveyedbytheproductinsteadofthe

aspectsoftheproductitself.Dotheysay"BuyMountainDew,ittastesbetterandhasmore

caffeineandsugartogiveyouextraenergy"?No,theymarketitwithextremesportspeople

jumpingdirtbikesoffmountainsandparachutingoffbridges.Lookhowcoolthesepeople

are!Drinkthisandyou'llbecooltoo.

Thisiswhykidswillbegtheirmommiestobuyjunkcerealwithacartooncharacteronthe

boxandnotcarehowittastes.

Thisiswhypeoplehaveamid-lifecrisisatage40.Theywenttoschooltogetadegreeand

startacareerinaprofessiontheyneverwanted,justbecausetheirparentspressuredthem.

Thisiswhyarrangedmarriageshappen.Thisiswhythereareclosetedgayswhoaremarried

justforappearances'sake.

Thisdrivesthemajorityofhumansocialinteraction,business,culture,andpolitics.

Oh,andthoselikebuttonsonFacebook?Youknowwhyyoufeelthatlittlethrillwhenthey

boostyourscore?Youjustexperiencepeerapprovalandclassvalidation.Andthatmakesus

allhappymonkeys.

Take-aways:

Useyourawarenessofwhatwehaveincommontounderstandyouropponent.

Putyourobservationskillsofhumanbehaviortogetherwithbodylanguageand

coldreadingtogainabetterunderstandingofyouropponent'spersonality.

Empathy

Roundingoutourcourseinreadingyourtarget,thereisthematterofempathy.Empathyis

theabilitytounderstandwhatanotherpersonisexperiencingfromtheirpointofview.We've

beenleadinguptothisthroughoutthebooksofar.

Empathycanhelpyoudeterminewhenyourtargetisfeelingweakandcavingin,orboldand

confident.Empathyisthecreativeportionofpsychologicalcombat.Ittakesanactofapplied

imaginationtoseesomebodyarguewiththeirwife,thengooutandkicktheircar,andbeable

tounderstandthatthey'reactuallyangrywiththeirwifeandnottheircar.

Empathyisalsoahighlydevelopedskill.Ifyou'rebornwithit,you'reblessed,butifnot,you

havetoworktoearnit.Ourupcomingchapterswillhelpyououtwithlearningempathy,but

ifyou'renotgoodwithit,youmightnotbethebestpsychologicalwarriorintheworld.Some

peoplearejustbornbeingcoldfishandthere'snotmuchtheycandoaboutit.

Butassumingyou'renotaffectedwithanautismspectrumdisorder,thereishopeforyou.

Take-aways:

Developyourskillsofreadingpeopleviabodylanguage,coldreading,andscanning

externalcluesforbackgroundandculture.

Developyourempathy.It'sapowerfulskill,sincesayingtherightwordstotouch

peopledeeplyattherighttimecancatchthemoff-guardandopenthemuptoyou.

Whypeoplearethewaytheyare

Whycan'twesolveallofourproblemstogetherandliveinpeaceandharmony?

Therearenojustifiedanswerstothatquestion.Butthereareoff-the-hiptheories,andallyou

needisonethatworksatthemoment.

Notonlyhaveweevolvedfromlesserbeings,wemayhavejustbarelybeguntoevolveandit

willbemillionsofyearsbeforewecanaccomplishwhatwehopetoachieve.Unfortunately,

herewearestuckinthepresent.Thismeansthateverybodyalivetoreadthisisleadingan

almostcompletelypointlesslife.We'reanimals.Wecantrytoattainimmortalitythroughour

work,but99%ofeverythingworthpreservingjustendsuptrampledintothedirtbythe

successivegenerationsofanimals.

Mostoftheproblemshumanshaveareunsolvable,becausewewillnotworktogether.At

least,notwithoutputtingourownselfishinterestsfirst.

Millionsofyearsfromnow,afterwe'refartherdowntheevolutionarytree,wemightbeready

toworktogethertosolveourproblemsthen.Butbythattime,virtuallyeverythingweknow

nowwillbehazymythsbythen,occasionallyexcavatedbyarchaeologistsbutcastasidein

puzzlement.

Theonlythingwecandoistrytobuildbridgesbetweenthosefewwhohavesomesense,

workingtowardsmakingthewayreadyforoursuccessorstobegintryingtosolvehumanity's

problemsassoonaspossible.Thinkofitasa"jumpstart"strategy.Itmaynotwork,butit

hasthegreatestchanceofbeingusefulofanyotherstrategywecanthinkof.

We'rejustapes.Wedidn'tevolvefromapes;weAREapes.Evenourgreatestmembersare

barelybetterthantheworstofus.Fortunately,wehavetheoptimismofavastlyimproved

futureforhumanity,tosaveusfromtotaldespair.Wehaveseentinybitsofprogressinthe

lastcoupleofcenturies.Landingonthemoon,inventingcomputers,doublingournatural

lifespan.Theyseemlikevast,magnificentachievementstous.Yes,andadogthinksthatheis

verycleverforknowinghowtofetchaball,too.

AswelookbackontheStoneAgeasatimeofprimitivesavagery,soarewe-evenourtop

achievers-primitivesavagesintheviewofthefuture,TRULYcivilizedhumanlookingback

atus.Infact,perhapsthefirststeptowardsthatprogressivefutureistorealizethat,asa

species,wearetooimmaturetoprogressyet.

NOTE:Donotmistakethisfornihilism.Thisdoesnotmeanthatweshouldwrecksuffering

andmadnessbecause"hey,whynot?"That'sactuallyasymptomofoursavagenature.We

shouldstillconductourselvesinthefashionthatwillmakeEarththegreatestparadiseweare

capableof,sothat,again,ourfutureevolvedselvesgetthat"jumpstart."Justbecausewe're

stillanimalsdoesn'tmeanwecan'tbehappyanimals.

There,that'sascosmicaswecanget.Butforyourdaytodayanswersandthepurposesofthis

book,it'saworkablephilosophy.

Take-aways:

Justhaveabitofphilosophyonhandtohelpyouframeyourinteractionswith

people.

Knowwhenapersonisrespondingasaperson,andwhenit'sthepre-evolved

monkeytalking.Instinctive,emotionalresponsesaretheprimalones.

Chapter3:HowToBeLikable

Ourlastchaptertaughtusabouthowtosizeupyourintendedtargets.Inthischapter,we'll

talkabouthowtolikewiselookathowyoupresentyourself.

Whyshouldyoucarehowyouseemtootherpeople?Becauseinpsychologicalwarfare,we

leavenopathtovictoryun-taken.Ifyoutriumphbecauseyourtargetthinksyou'rekindof

cute,that'savictory.Ifyourtargetknowsthatyou'rebeingmanipulativebutgivesintoyou

anywaybecausethey'reoutofpatience,that'savictory.Ifyourtargetknowsyou'reconning

thembutthey'renotgoingtodoanythingaboutitbecauseyou'reintimidatingthem,that'sa

victory.Thebestcombatofallwastheonewhereoneoftheparticipantshadnoideathat

theywereincombat.

Presentingyourselftootherpeopleistremendouslyimportant.You'reattemptingsocial

engineering,afterall,soallyouhavetobringisyourself.Youneedthebestversionof

yourselfyoucanmustertogether.

Socialization

Overandover,wehearaboutthestereotypeofthemodern-daysociallyisolatedperson.

They'renotgoodwithpeople.Theydon'tknowhowtomakefriends.Theyhavetrouble

talkingtostrangers.Theydon'tgetoutmuch.

Whatistheproblemhere?ModerndaysocietyinWesternculturejustseemstofosterpeople

withabendforAsperger'ssyndrome.Techcareersareindemand,resultinginpeoplewho

spendmoretimedealingwithmachinesthanpeople.Familiesaresmaller,sotherearefewer

siblingstointeractwithandfewerelderstotalkto.Singleparentfamiliesmeantheone

parentisworkingfull-timetomakeendsmeet.Andofcourse,theelectronicdevicesweall

findsohandyalsointerferewithourpeopleskills.Manyofusaremorecomfortable

interactingovertheInternetthaninperson.

Thereareeasywaystobecomesocialized,buttheyallhavesomethingincommon:Youhave

togetoutmore!

Mission#1:Joinaclub,group,ororganization.Nomatterwhatthefocusofthesegroups

are,allclubsare"social"clubs.Findahobby,interestorpursuitandagroupassociatedwith

itandjoinit.Theidealisthekindofgroupthatmeetsonceaweekatapublicplace.Gothere

andmakefriends.Aggressively!Findotherpeoplehangingoutatthefringesbeingshyand

bringthemintothewarmth.Offertohelpoutwithactivities.

Avoidplaceslikebarsandclubs.Thesearestereotypicalplacespeoplegotosocialize,but

actuallythey'rejusttrapstospendmoneywhileyougetdrunk,withthemusicupwaytoo

loudtohaveaconversation.

Mission#2:Volunteer!Findalocalcharityanddonateyourtime.Thisissolidsocialgoldin

somanyways,it'sawondermorepeopledon'tdoit.Haven'tyouevernoticedthataperson

whoselflesslyhelpsothersimmediatelyhastheirattractivenessdoubled?Packlunchesfor

thehomeless,mopupashelter,collectdonationsforresearchtofightadisease,visitarest

home.Supportyourlocallibrary.Orgetpoliticallyinvolvedandcanvassforyourfavorite

candidate.Volunteeringlooksgreatonyourresume,givesyouapositivesenseofpurposein

theworld,andgetsyououtandsocializingallatthesametime.Yourfellowvolunteerswill

begreatconnectionsforlaternetworking,andtheexperiencewillmakeyouabroader,more

well-roundedperson.

Take-aways:

Developandcultivateyoursocialskills.Youcanneverhaveenough!

Useyoursocialskillsininfluencingandmentallysubduingtargets.

Useeverythingyoulearnabouthumaninteractiontoyourbenefitininteracting

withpeople.

Charisma

Whatisitthatmakessomepeopleaninstantsocialmagnet?They'rethelifeofthepartyand

adrivingforceatwork.They'renaturalbornleaders;theyhavetoonlyspeakupandthe

entireroomturnstolistentothem.Theyhavesuchpowerovereveryoneelse!Howdoweget

tobethatpopular?

Thisagain,isanart,whichisfinelypracticed.Herearesometipstoworkonyourcharisma,

andyoucanputthemallintopracticewhichyou'rebusygettingsocializedwithallthe

suggestionsabove.

SMILE!That'sthenumberonetipforcharisma.Itdoesn'tmatterifinside,youare

ashriveledballofmiseryandangst,nevershowthattotheworld.Fakeituntilyou

feelit.Betherayofsunshineandeverybodywillgravitatetoyou.

Don'ttakeyourselfseriously!Atleast,don'tactlikeyoudo.Berelaxedand

casualaboutyourself;projecttheimagethatyou're"justtryingtogetby."

Nevercriticizeothers.Unlessitfeedsdirectlyintoacurrentpointoftactical

warfare,bethekindofpersonwhofollowsthegoldenrule"Ifyoucan'tsay

somethingnice,don'tsayanythingatall."Especiallybecarefulnottobecaught

gossiping-whenyoutellAliceyouthinkBobischeating,thatjustmakesAlice

wonderwhatyousayaboutherwhenshe'snotaround.

Speakglowinglyofothers.Complimentscostyounothing,andyetpeopleareso

stingywiththem,you'dthinktheyhadtosigntheminbloodorsomething.Hand

themoutlikecandy.Ifyoulikewhatsomebodydoes,has,orsays,sayso.It'sreally

verysimple:Ifyoumakepeoplefeelbetter,theywilllikeyou.

Giveotherpeopleyourfullattention.Nothingissoflatteringthantobethe

undividedfocusofattention.Thismeansputawayyourphone,don'tconstantly

glanceatyourwatchoryourcomputermonitor,don'tscanthehorizonlikeyou're

waitingforastampedetocomeoverthehill.Lookatthepersonyou'retalkingto.

Listentwiceasmuchasyouspeak.Aftersmiling,thisisthenumbertwo

simplestandmosteffectiverule.Whenyoulisten,youshouldbefullyfocusedon

theotherpersonandnotjustwaitingforyourturntotalk.Somepeoplelistento

otherpeopletalklikethey'rewaitinginacarforaredlighttochange.

Betweenthesocializingandthecharisma,itsoundslikethisisabookonhowtobepopular

inhighschool.Butwehavetoassureyou,thisisaboutpsychologicalwarfare.Youhavethe

advantageifyou'reawell-socializedpersonwithgreatcharisma.

Also,don'tbelittlehighschool.Lotsofpeoplenevermoveonfromhighschoolmentally,and

we'resureyoucanthinkofseveralexamplesyouknowalready.

Take-aways:

Developyourcharismatomakeyourselfanaturallycharmingandinfluential

person.

Useyourcharismatosubduepotentialenemies,convertingthemintofriends.

DisarmingDefenses

Onelasttipforwinningpsychologicalcombatishowtomakeyourselfappearless

threatening,andeasiertogetalongwith.

Ifyou'reanygoodatpsychologicaltactics,chancesarethatyou'reaboldandconfident

person.Andifyou'renotconfident?Gottaworkonthat.

Tobeconfident,becapable.Liveoutloud.Getinadventures,getlost,getfoundagain,live

yourlifeinsteadoflettingithappentoyoulikearealityshow.Allownochallengetogo

unconquered.CAREabouthowthingsaregoingtogo,andthenbustyourasstomakethem

goyourway.Afterafewyearsofthis,there'snochallengeyoucanfacewhereyoucan'tsay

"Well,Isurvivedthatothertime,soI'llsurvivethistoo!"

Bealionandnotamouse.Don'tbemean,benoble,butstillbealion.Oneofthesetimes

you'regoingtostandyourgroundagainstsomethingbadderthanyouandit'llkillyou,but

you'lldiewithnoregretsthenbecauseyourlifewasalifelivedoutloud.

Butsomepeoplearejustplainintimidatedbybold,confidentpeople.Thethingyouhaveto

realizeisthatthehumanrace,byandlarge,ischaracterizedbyfear.Mostpoliticalconflict

revolvesaroundfear.Webuildwallsandfencestokeepeachotherout,fromfear.Wefear

socialisolation,financialfailure,ourowndeclininghealth,anddyingalone.Warsarenothing

butfearsplayingout.

Youhavetoassumeeveryoneyoutalktoisascaredandtimidbunnyrabbituntilproven

otherwise.Sothisisasectiononmakingpeopletrustyou.

Dressforsuccess.Itdoesn'tmatterifyoudon'thaveamillion-dollarbudgetfor

expensiveclothes.Thisismoreaboutbeingneatandtidy,andwell-groomed.

Takingcareofyourselfwillhelpotherscaremoreaboutyoutoo.Thereisalsothe

verytrueadagethatifyoudresslikeawinner,theworldwilltreatyoulikeone.The

differenceisinhowpeopletreatyou.Combinebeingwell-dressedandwell-

groomedwithavagueairofauthorityandalotofconfidence,andpeoplewilllet

youdoanything!Gobackstage,invadethestockroom,bargerightdownhospital

corridors,marchrightintothecommandcenterlikeyouowntheplace.Youcan

barkordersatpeopleandtheyobeythemwithoutthinking.Youcanjusttake

chargeeverywhere.

Haveasenseofhumor.Nothingismoredisarmingthanagoodlaugh.When

publicspeakersbegintotakethepodium,theyleadoffwithajokeorfunny

anecdote.Itdoesn'tmatterifyou'renotanaturalcomedian.Anybodycanmakea

flipremarkorasimplepun.Youcan'tlaughwithoutsmiling,soatleastgetting

peopletosmile,howeverweakly,makesthemthatmuchmoreopentoyou.

Again,don'ttakeyourselftooseriously.Whileyou'reworkingonyoursense

ofhumor,makeyourselfthebuttofthejokeatleast50%ofthetime.Self-

deprecatinghumorworksonmanylevels:Itmakespeoplelaugh,itshowsthem

thatyou'renotanarcissist,anditgetsthemonyoursidedefendingyouevenbefore

theyknowthey'redoingit.Mindyou,don'tbenegativelyself-critical.Makeyourself

seemlike"oneoftheregularpeople,"notlower.

Thisjustaboutroundsupourexaminationofpeopleskillsthathelpwithpsychological

warfare.Ifyouglossedoverthischapterwantingtogettothe"goodstuff,"gobackandread

it,becausethatisthegoodstuff!Peoplehaveachievedfame,fortune,andcelebrityusing

nothingbuttheadviceinthischapter.

Butcomingupnext,ourfirstactualweapon:Persuasion.

Take-aways:

Workonyourconfidence,tomakeyourselfastrongerinfluencer.

Besubtle(asin'stealthmode')bymakingyourselfseemtonotbeathreat.Thiswill

bothpsychologicallydisarmenemiesandmakepeopleyouwanttoinfluencetrust

youmore.

Chapter4:GettingPeopleToAgreeWithYou

Convincingotherpeopletoagreewithyouistheultimateinpsychologicaldomination.You

havesuccessfullyimposedyourwillonanothermind.Nomatterhowminoritis,everytime

youdothis,youshouldnoteitasalittlevictory.Becauseit'spracticeforthebigger

challenges,andbecauseitwillhelpyoubuildconfidence.

Whenyou'reworkingintheartofpersuasion,youshouldworktoalwaysmountyour

confidence.Ashy,retiring,complacentdebaterisn'tveryconvincing.Inthefollowingtipsin

thischapter,workonhavingconfidencewhenyoupracticethem-butmakesureit'sreal

confidence,andnotjustfalsebraggadocio.Beingbullyingorcondescendingwillturnyour

targetoff.Instead,youshouldphraseeverythingwithanattitudethatwhatyou'readvocating

isthemostrightthingintheworld,andyourargumentsareafriendlyinvitationtohelpthe

otherpersonjoinyouinbeingcorrect.

Neuro-LinguisticProgramming

Inthe1970s,linguistsRichardBandlerandJohnGrinderataCaliforniauniversitystumbled

uponastartlingdiscovery.Theytheorizedthatnotonlydothewordsweusereflectour

thoughts,butthewordsweusealsoshapeourthoughts.Notallofwhatwespeakisanend

result;welistentoourselvesaswell,andsowhenwesaysomething,itreinforceswhatwe've

alreadysaid.

Let'sconsideranoverweightperson,whoisobesenotbecauseofamedicalcondition,but

simplythrougheatingjunkfoodandbeingacouchpotato.Ifthatpersoncheckstheirweight,

looksinthebathroommirror,andsays,"Lookatme,I'mfatandugly.I'llneverlosethis

weight."Thenthatpersonhasjustshutthemselvesintheprisonoftheirownnegativity.

Theirprophecywillbeself-fulfilling.Theywillcontinuetolivealifestyleofexcess,thinking

"What'sthepoint,mightaswellenjoyit!"

Ifinstead,thatpersonweretosay,"I'vegottodosomethingaboutthisweightproblem,"

they'reontherighttrack,butthat'sstillnotgoodenough.Issuingachallengetoyourselfsets

yourselfupforfailureifyoudon'thavethewill-powertoimmediatelyfollowthrough.

Tocuttothechase,herearesomemorepositivethingsourobesepersoncansay:

"WhathappensifIeatonlysaladtoday?"-Nowthere'snogoal,noset-upfor

disappointment.Questionsarealwaysaninvitationtodiscover.Doubtless,youcan

feelthedifferenceifyoueatfreshvegetablesforoneday.Justthatlittlebitof

feelingbettercanprovideaconfidenceboost.

"Imightgoforawalk."-"Babysteps,"astheysay.You'renotmakingaresolution

tojogfivemileseveryday,becauseassoonasyoumissacoupleofdays,you're

defeated.Awalkisasimple,funrecreation,andwillleaveyoufeelingdifferentat

theendoftheday.It'sasmallimprovement,butnoticeable.

"I'lltrydietingtoday.I'lltrytoconsumeonly1500caloriestodayandseehowclose

Icanget."Again,you'renotmakingringingdeclarationstochangetheworld

forever.You'reconductinganexperiment.Youcan'tfailwhenyouperforman

experiment;you'llfindaresulteitherway.

"I'mstartingtolivelikeahealthyperson."-Afterafewdaysonthisslowroadto

progress,theconfidenceboostprovidesamassiveheadwind.It'sexcitingtomakea

changeinyourlifeandseetheresults!Itencouragesyoutostayonthesametrack.

"I'mbecomingthepersonIalwayswantedtobe."-Afteraweekortwoonthe

treadmillandnewdiet,thisisthepositiveself-reinforcementkickingin.Whenyou

defineyourselfasa"healthyperson,"you'vestoppedbeingthefatslobwholies

aroundandeatstheirwayintoacoronary.Nomatterwhatshapeyou'reinright

now,showingthatyou'reonthepathtofixingyourselfupimmediatelychanges

youridentity.

Doyouseethepowerofhowwephrasethings?ThenotedauthorGeorgeOrwellnoticedthe

sametactic.Inhisnovel"1984,"hewroteofadystopiangovernmentthatcontrolsthe

population,inpartthroughthelanguage.Thelanguageiscalled"Newspeak,"andthepurpose

istoshapethoughts.Thelanguageliterallyhasnovocabularywithwhichtocriticizethe

government,forinstance.Sinceourthoughtsareshapedbythewordsweknow,takingwords

awayfromyourmindblocksoffcertainthoughtprocesses.

Alsointhe1970s,DukeUniversity'sPsychologyDepartmentcompiledalistofwordswhich,

inaneuro-linguisticsense,are"powerwords."Thesewordsgetthemostofyourattention;

theylightupneuronsinthebrain.Theyare:Easy,Health,Save,Guarantee,Money,

Discovery,Results,New,Love,Free,Proven,You.

Now,thenexttimeyouwatchatelevisioncommercial,payattentiontothewordstheyuse.

Somethinglike:"Ourhealthyweightlossformulaisbasedonanewdiscoveryinmedical

researchwithprovenresults.Tryoureasymoney-savingoffer,andwe'llsendyouafree

sample-weguaranteeyou'llloveit!"You'llbehard-pressedtofindacommercialmessage

thatdoesn'tringthemajorityofthewordsonthislist.

Neuro-linguisticprogrammers-"brainhackers"ifyouwill,recommendthismethodfor

gettingpeopletoagreewithyou:

Buildrapportbysubtlycopyingwhateveryourtargetdoes.Iftheypace,youpace,if

theyscratch,youscratch.Thisisasubtlesignalyousendtotheirsubconscious-

see,wethinkalike.Rememberourprevioussectioninthisbookonbodylanguage.

Beginbysayingthingsthatareveryplainlyobviousandrequirenoefforttoagree

with.Trytospeaktheirownthoughtsoutloud.Anythingyoucansay,aslongasit

getstheirheadnoddinginagreementwithyou,isagoodstep.

Begininsinuatingyourownideasintotheconversation.Usesmoothtransitions

here.Usewordssuchas"because,""then,""likewise,""while,""as,""therefore,"or

"andso,"toimplythattheideatheyagreedwithleadsthemtoyournewidea.

Guidethistechniquebywatchingtheirresponses.Iftheyrejectyouridea,backoff

andagreewiththem,thenbeginthepatternagain,simplytakingadifferentcourse

ofstatementstoarrivebackatyouroriginalconclusion.

Hereareanumberofdebatetechniqueswhichwillworkwhenpracticingtheabovemethod:

Pacing-Withthestepwhereyou'remirroringyourtarget'sbodylanguage,tryto

adjustthetempo.Seeifyoucanspeedthepaceofyoursteptomakethemquicken

theirpace.Iftheydo,youarenowsubtlyincontrol.Cuethemwithanosescratch

oradjustingyourlegswhilesittingandseeiftheycopythat.Iftheydo,you'rethe

puppet-masternow.

Normalization-Gotaradicalidea?StartbyproposinganevenMOREradical

idea.Childrenknowthistrickas"ifyouwantapuppy,firstaskyourparentsfora

pony.Thenwhentheysayno,bargainforapuppyinstead."Thisisalogictrap

whereyousetsomebodyanoutrageouslimit,whichtheyscoffatasbeingtoo

extreme,andthenyouagreewiththemandproposeanewlimitthat,bytheirown

definition,ismorereasonable.

Reframing-Thisistheneuro-linguisticprogrammer'shandiesttool.Anythingcan

bereframed.Youcanreframethingsalldaylong.Didyourtargetrejectyourplan?

Reframeitasastartingpointandoffertonegotiatetoacompromise.Didthey

expressdistasteatyourmanipulation?Reframeitastheirfeelingsinreaction-

never"I'msorryIsaidthat,"but"I'msorryyoufeelthatwayaboutwhatIsaid."No

matterhowtheydisagree,reframeitasanagreement.Politiciansareoldhandsat

thistrick.

Anchoring-Thisiswhereyoustickanideaintoanotheronetheyalreadyagree

with,inourstepwhereweinsinuateourownideasintothingstheyalreadyagree

with.YouloveX,wellYisjustlikeX,soyoushouldloveYtoo.Advertisersanchor

theirbreakfastcerealintotheideaofalovingmomprovidingahealthymealto

theirchildren,politiciansanchortheirplansforwarintheideaofnationaldefense,

andahostofotherprofessionalinfluenceworkersdothiseveryday.

Asyoucanprobablytellfromourexamples,thefieldofneuro-linguisticprogrammingisa

deepandfascinatingsciencewhichisalsoahottopicinmanyprofessions.Lawyers,who

needtoconvincetwelvejurorsofanideanomatterhowoutlandish,practicallyhavethis

schoolofstudyastheirbreadandbutter.Wecannotincludeallofithere,butbeawareofthe

basicsofthetechniquesaswe'velaidthemout.

Take-aways:

Learntophrasesentencesinapositivewaythat'sbeneficialtoyourcause.

Influencepeopleandsubdueenemiesbystealthilyusing'powerwords'.

Buildrapportanduseinsinuationto'hack'intoyourtarget'smindandgetthemto

agreewithyou.

Usethedebatetechniquestofindanopeninginwhateveryourcurrentconflictis.

MoreTechniquesOfPersuasion

ItshouldcomeasnosurprisetoyouthattheInternetisahealthyarenawherepsychological

warfareisdevelopedandpracticed.AtthebottomrungisthecommonInternettroll,aperson

notatallinvestedinacurrentdiscussionwhojustmakespoststogetariseoutofsomeone,

thensitbackandlaughastheangryflamespourin.

ButjustanotchabovethatisthelooselycollectedInternetgroup"Anonymous."Thisgroup

hastakenoneverythingfromtheChurchofScientologytopoliticianstobusinesses,with

variousresults.What'snotableistheiradoptionoftheGuyFawkesmask,popularizedinthe

film"VForVendetta."Themask,abastardizationofthefaceofGuyFawkes,ofBritish

historicfame,ismeanttointimidateandconfuse.Anonymousmemberspresentthemselves

asanuntraceablegangofInternetactivists.Whiletheirsmallcampaignsamounttolittle

morethanpettyharassment,itgoestoshowthatpsychologicalwarfareisatleasteffectivein

attractingattention.

Afewrungsabovethisaretheprofessionals.Wewilldiveintoeachfacetoftheprofessional

Internetopinionmanipulatorinsubsequentchapters,butfornowwe'llskimoverbasic

techniquesofwhatisknownas"astroturfing."

Astroturfingisso-calledbecauseit's"fakegrassroots"support.AgroupofInternetforum

posterswithapaidagendaposeasrandomcitizensandattachthemselvestoanissue,beit

politicalorcommercial,withaninterestfortheiremployer.Notableexamples:

Tobaccocompaniesin1993createdthe"NationalSmokersAlliance,"whodrummed

upanaggressivecampaignofsupposedoutrageovertobaccoregulation.

MicrosoftCorporationin2001createdthe"AmericansforTechnologyLeadership"

group,whichspammedpoliticalandlegaldebateswithsupportforMicrosoftwhen

theUSgovernmentwasprosecutingthemforantitrustlawviolations.

Justabouteverypoliticalcampaignhasemployedastroturftosomeextent.During

the2000Bush-GoreprimaryelectionandFloridarecountfiasco,several"renta

mobs"werehiredtoprotesttherecountofvotesinFloridaanddemandthatBush

bedeclaredthewinner.

ThepresidentialcampaignsofRonPaul(2008,2012)andBernieSanders(2016)

bothemployedalargesectofastroturferstosupporttheircandidate.IftheInternet

istobebelieved,bothcandidateshadoverwhelminglandslidesupportandyetthese

highonlinepollsfailedtomaterializeintoactualnumbersattheprimariesand

caucuses.

ItisthelastexampleofBernieSandersthatgivesusanimportantleak:Adocumentwas

circulatedwithspecificinstructionsformanipulatingonlineopinioninregardstothe

candidate.Thetechniquesoutlinedinthedocument:

'ForumSliding'-Postingmanyirrelevantcommentstoburyanunfavorable

comment.

'Consensuscracking'-Anintentionallyfalse,unsubstantiatedclaimis

introduced,followedbyincreasinglystrongsupportfromaringofapparently

gullibleposterswhoallsideinto"believe"thepostingandpresentstrongerclaims

andevidence.Usedtodrivethecasualreadertoaccepttheconclusion.

‘Topicdilution'-Wheneveradamagingpostagainstthecandidateismade,

astroturfworkersdescendtosidetrackthediscussionintodozensofirrelevant

threads.Anybodywhopostscommentingonthetopicisimmediatelyattacked;the

posterthengoesonthedefensiveagainsttheintentionaltrollingandthetopicis

diluted.

'Informationcollection'-Afalseposterisbroughtforwardtovolunteera

controversialopinionandthenaskwhoelseholdsthatopinion.Infact,theoriginal

posterisafalseflag,buteverybodywhopostsagreeingwiththemwillbecarefully

researchedandnoted.

'Angertrolling'-Generaldemoralizingoftheotherside'smembers.Trollingfor

trolling'ssake,tomakepeoplewhoholdtheoppositeviewbecomedistractedand

hopefullygiveupindisgust.

Whileallofthesemeasuressoundalmostlikeagradeschoolclassroomfullofkidsthrowing

spitballs,thetechniquesareinfactverywellproventowork.Inperson,theymaynotbeas

effective-however,theyareusefultechniquestokeepinmindshouldyourpsychological

warfaremissiontakeyoutotheonlineworld.

Take-aways:

Learnfromtheprosinshapinganddominatingadebateorargument.

UsetheInternettoinfluencepeopleorsubdueenemiesonline,whereverpossible.

It'smucheasierinsomecases!

Exploitpsychologicaltricksthatonlineastroturfersuse-Youcanstilldiluteatopic

orangertrollsomeoneinreallife,ifitprovidesyouwithtacticaladvantage.

Case-SpecificExamples

TheJapanesehaveasaying:"Nothingissocostlyassomethinggivenfreeofcharge."You

mightnotbesurprisedtoknowthatdoingasmallfavorforyourtargetisasubtlewaytoget

themtoagreewithyou.However,it'sequallyefficientinreverse!Getyourtargettodoa

smallfavorforyou,andthenyougetthemtodoabiggerfavor.

Psychologistshavetestedthiswithsubjectswhowerefirstofferedachancetodoasmall

favorforsomeone,suchashelpchangeatire,andthenwereaskedtheiropinionona

controversialsubject.Testsubjectsweremorelikelytoagreewithsomeonetheyhaddonea

favorforalready,thaniftheyhadn'tbeenobligatedtohelpthepersonfirst.Thisisrelatedto

apowerfulpsychologicalquirk,the"sunkcosts"fallacy.Thebrainrationalizesthisas"I've

alreadymadefriendswiththispersonandIaminvestedintheirwell-being.Mightaswellgo

alongwithwhateverelsetheywant."

Salesmenpracticeallkindsofpersuasiontechniques-afterall,theymaketheirlivingoff

persuadingotherstobuytheirproduct.Somecommonsalestechniques:

Settingaminimum-Makethefirststepincommittingtobuytheeasiest.Such

asofferingnomoneydownonacarpurchase.

Setalabel-Acustomerwhohasbeentoldthattheyareaconscientiousdriverwill

beinspiredtopayextraforasafer,morefuel-efficientvehicle.Here,you'vegiven

themaself-imagetoliveupto.

Falsehumility-Thisisalsoknownas"humblebragging."Youadmittosome

incidentalfailingthathasnoimpactonthesaleandinfactmakesthetargettrust

youmore.Forinstance,"admitting"thatyoucan'tresistgivingaprettywomana

discount.

Falseexclusivity-Inthistactic,youpretendthatyourcustomerhastodo

somethingspecialtoearnyoursaleastheirreward.Nightclubshavebeendoing

thisforyears,whichiswhytheyhaveavelvetropeandabounceratthedoorto

keepoutthe"riffraff."

Playingdevil'sadvocate-Psychologicalresearchhasshownthatpeoplenotfully

committedtoapositionwillreinforcetheirpositionwhenforcedtoquestionit.In

otherwords,ifyourcustomerisonlymildlythinkingofmakingasale,trytogently

testtheircommitmentbyarguingthemoutofit-theywillrespondwithincreasing

justificationoftheirpurchaseuntiltheyinsistonitrightnow.Thisisalsoknownas

"reversepsychology."

Wehopethishasbeenapowerfulinsightintotheworldofbrainhacksyoudidn'tknow

about.Perhapsevenyou,yourself,havebeenonthereceivingendofsomeofthese

persuasiontactics.We'lldiveintodeeperanddirtiertricksinthenextcoupleofchapters.

Take-aways:

Learnfromsalesmeninpersuadingotherstoyourbidding.

Togetsomebodytodoyouabigfavor,askthemforasmallfavorfirst.

Makeiteasyforpeopletodoyourbidding.

Usesalesmantacticstoswaypeopleunderyourinfluenceorsubtlysubdueyour

opponent.

Chapter5:WinningtheBattleofWills

Beforewemovealongtothedarkerartsofpsychologicalwarfare,we'llprovidethissectionof

intermediatepsychologicaltactics.Noneoftheseareweapons-gradeattacks,butallofthem

mightserveinsomesituationoranother.

Humannatureisafascinatingthing.Itcanmakepeoplebehaveinapparentlyillogicalways,

preciselybecausemostpeoplegothroughtheirdayathalf-throttle,notreallypayingmuch

attention,thankstotheirover-confidenceintheirownpowersofreasonandobservation.It's

easytohita"blindspot"whereapersonwasn'texpectingthegiventactic.Thebest

inspirationtotakeforthemistoremembertheruleof"refugeinaudacity"-theideathat

somethingworksbecause"nobodywouldbecrazyenoughtoactuallytrythat!"

VerbalJudo

Whydowecallit"verbaljudo"?Becauseitisforadefensivepurpose.Judoisaself-defensive

martialart,practicedstrictlyinapacifistsense.Judofocusesondeflectingtheenemy's

attacksratherthanmeetingaggressionwithaggression.Itisvaluablewheneverpossibleto

practicethisformofconflictnegation.Youwineveryfightyoustop.

Approachestoverbaljudoinclude:

Avoidance-Recognizingaconflictearlyandheadingitoffbeforeitbecomesone.

Withdrawing-Retreatingonapositiontemporarilyuntilamoreadvantageous

time.

Deflecting-Changingthetopicorfocusofaconflict.

Compromise-Makingadealthat'sadvantageoustobothparties.

Speakingoffighting,everwatchedafightonsoapoperas?You'veneverseensuchhostile,

vitrioliclinesdeliveredwithalltheinflectionofreadingabusschedule.Twoguysfightingon

asoapopera:Bothstandcompletelystill,neverraisingtheirvoices,sixfeetapart,noteven

frowning,justkindofscowlingmoodily,whilethedialogis:

A:"Ihavefoundoutyourplan.AndnowIamgoingtoworkfortherestofmylifetodestroy

everythingyouhopedanddreamedfor.

B:"Butyoudon'tknowaboutmyaceinthehole.IstillhaveBetty.IgotherfromyouandI'm

keepingher.Andtogether,wewillmakeyourlifealivinghell."

A:"Oh,that'swhatyouthinkyou'lldo.Butthat'snothowtherealworldworks.What'sreally

goingtohappenis,mycousinVinnieinthemobwillbemyagentontheside,whohasbeen

secretlybrainwashingBettywithoutyourknowledge.Andtogether,wewillreduceyouto

tearsofagonyandremorse."

It'slikepro-wrestlingkayfabewithallofthetestosteronedrainedout.Welldarnyou,A.Darn

youtoheck,youbadperson,you!

We'vetalkedaboutasimilarareabeforeinthisbook,sowe'llpointyoutowardssomefurther

reading:"TheGentleArtofVerbalSelf-Defense"bySuzetteHadenElgin,"VerbalJudo"by

GeorgeThompson,and"VerbalSelfDefenseforTheWorkplace"byDanielScott.

Take-aways:

Subdueenemieswithavoidance,withdrawal,deflection,orcompromise.

AdoptanattitudeofZenmasters.Stoppingafightisthesamethingaswinningit.

UsingForbiddenFruit

Backlastchapter,wetalkedabouthowonesalestacticistomakeyourproductapparently

exclusive.Offeraproducttothepublic,andtherearelaxsales.Claimyourproductis

exclusivetoaselectfewcustomers,however,andinterestwillspike.Thepsychology

reasoningisthatpeopleareattractedtohavingthemostfreedom,soweseealost

opportunityasarestriction.Thelawsofeconomicsalsoshowthataproductperceivedas

scarceimmediatelybecomesmorevaluable.It'sapowerfulmethodofreversepsychology,

andonethatbearsmentioningforitsnotableexamples:

AgriculturalistandpharmacistintroducedpotatoesinFranceinthelate1700s.He

didthis,notbysimplyofferingthem,butbyplantingapotatofieldandsurrounding

itwitharmedguardsallegedlytosparethecropsolelyfortheking'stable.The

guardswereactuallyinstructedtoacceptallbribesfromthepeasantry,whosure

enoughdiddoeverythingtheycouldtogettothepotatoes.

PhysiciansfortheBritishRoyalNavyinthe18thcenturypromotedhealthyeating

amongsailorsinasimilarway.Theyadvocatedsauerkrautasaprotectionfrom

scurvy,sinceitkeptwellandwasrichinvitaminC.Theproblemwasthatitstart

tastewasunappealingtotheBritishappetite.Sotheykeptbarrelsofsauerkrauton

boardwithsignssaying"forofficer'smessonly!"Sureenough,thesailorssoon

regardedsauerkrautasatastyandraredelicacy.

VariouscountriesinEurope,suchastheNetherlands,haveseenteenagemarijuana

usagedropfrom11%to8%sinceitwasdecriminalized.It'snotforbidden,soit'snot

coolorrebelliousanymore.

"TheStreisandEffect"isanotablevariation.ActressBarbaraStreisandforbid

photographersfromherwedding-sotheyhoveredoverherMalibuhomein

helicoptersandtookphotosanyway.Theresultingcontroversyattractedfarmore

attentiontoanotherwiseunremarkablewedding.Hadshenotcalledattentiontoit,

itprobablywouldhavebeenaboringpage-fivestory.Asitis,itstandsasthemost

notoriousexampleofmakingsomethingmorepopularbyforbiddingit.

NotoriousWallStreetscamartistBernieMadoffpulledoffthemostdaringversion

ofthisyet.WhencollectingfundsforhisgiganticPonzischeme,hewould

sometimespubliclyturndownpotentialvictimseveniftheybeggedhimtotake

theirmoney.Thispromotedtheimagethathewasactuallyasavvyinvestorwitha

scareresource,asopposedtoacommoncrook.Hecouldalsousethedefensethat

heturneddownmoney,sincenobodycouldbelievethataconartistwouldwillingly

turnawaybusiness.

AuthorOscarWildeonceremarkedthatthesurestwaytosellabookwastobanit.Thisholds

trueforalmostanyformofmedia.Films,videogames,books,musicalbums,andother

productssellinfarhighernumberifthere'sacontroversyabouttheircontent.

Take-aways:

Whereapplicable,usetheillusionof'forbiddenfruit'toenticepeopleintodoing

yourwill.

ExploitingPoliteness

Peoplearesocialcreatures,andsotheyhaveavulnerabilitytoexploit.Theydonotwanttobe

seenasrude,sothey'remorelikelytocomplywithyourplansifyoucanutilizetheirgood

mannersinthebargain.Somenotableexamples:

JapaneseZenmasterDogenZenjihasafamousanecdote.Anunrulystudent

interruptedhislecturebysayingthatZenjiwasnotcleverenoughtocontrolhim.

Zenjirespondedtothestudent"Standupheresowemaydebatetheissue."The

studentcameup."Standoverheresotheotherstudentscanhearyoubetter."The

studentshuffledovertotheotherside.Zenjireconsidered:"Cometothinkofit,

whynottakemypodiumsoyoucantalktoallofus."Thestudentdidthisaswell.

Zenjithenthankedthestudentforfollowinghiscontrolandtoldhimhecouldsit

backdown.

Variouspsychologystudiesshowthatsimplysupplyingareasonalongwitha

requestmakestherequestmorelikelytobegranted,evenifthereasonis

ridiculous.Nexttimeyouneedtocutinlineatthecopier,tryasking"CanIcutin

here?Ijustneedtomakeafewcopies."Sodoeseveryoneelse,butsuddenlythe

factthatyou'vecalledattentiontoyourownneedmakesitweighmore.

In1971,theCitizens'CommissiontoInvestigatetheFBIbrokeintothe

headquartersoftheUnitedStates'COINTELPRO-rununderJ.EdgarHoover's

corruptFBI-toswipesomedocumentsexposingtheirpracticeswhichviolatedcivil

rights.Howdidtheydothis?Theycasedthebuildingandfoundnoaccesstothe

documentroomtheyneeded.Sotheysimplyleftasignonadoorsaying"Please

don'tlockthisdoortonight."Sureenough,thenightwatchmanleftthatdooropen.

Atleasthalfofcorporateespionagerevolvesaroundthistactic.Evenifyou'renot

authorizedtobesomewhere,youcanhangaroundthedooruntilsomebodyelse

comesthroughandthenruntocatchup-they'llholdthedooropenforyou.

Employeeswillalsobequicktoopenadoorforyouifyoustandinfrontofitwith

yourhandsfullofboxes.

Take-aways:

Takeadvantageofpeople'snaturaldesiretobepolitewhileinfluencingthem.

Subdueenemiesbyexploitingtheirlearnedpoliteness.Forcethemtoshow

themselvesimpolitetoeveryoneinpublicifyoudon'tgetyourway.

Usepeople'sdesiretoremainpolitetoinfluencethemindoingwhatyouwantthem

todo,bymakingthatthemostpoliteresponse.

Being"SomebodyElse'sProblem"

"Somebodyelse'sproblem"issaidtobesomeofthemostbeautifulthreewordsinthe

Englishlanguage.Wheneverpossible,whenyoucan'tavoidbeingspottedinmore

conventionalways,youcanusethecamouflageofauthoritycombinedwiththeappearanceof

knowingwhatyou'redoingtogetintosomeverytop-secretareas.

It'saverycommontrick:Walkaroundanybusinesswithaclipboard,hardhat,flashlight,ring

ofkeys(theydon'thavetogotothisparticularbuilding),orothertokensofjobresponsibility

andpretendtobeverywrappedupinabusytask.Youwillgetdoorsheldopenforyou,

questionsanswered,accesscodesrevealed,allwiththeeagernesstobehelpfulsotypicalof

theaverageJoeatwork.

Sure,someemployeesmaywonder"What'sthispersondoinghere?"Butthey'lljustshrug

andgo,"probablysomebodyelse'sproblem."

Theclipboardofauthority-complimentedbyanofficiallookinghatandbluecollaruniform-

isalsogreatforgettingalmostanyonetofollowyourorders.Standinaparkinglotanddirect

peoplewheretopark,standbyagateandchargeadmission,sitatamallkioskandaccept

orders.Allyouhavetodoisactlikeyoubelongthereandnobodywillquestionit.

Infact,manyconartists,impostors,thieves,andcrooksusetacticsjustlikethistocommit

crimesallthetime.Informationlikethisiswhyweputthedisclaimeratthefrontofthe

book.

Take-aways:

Wheneverpossible,usestealthmodebydisguisingyourselfassomeoneharmless

andinconsequential.

Useyourbodylanguageandneuro-linguistictrickstoalwaysappeartobesomeone

else'sresponsibilitybesidestheenemyyou'retryingtosubdue.

PoliceInterrogation

Isitsurprisingthatpoliceandlawenforcementofficialsingeneralusepsychologicalwarfare

tacticsintheirlineofwork?Here,presentedforyourenlightenment,isthe"ReidTechnique"

ofpoliceinterrogation.Theterm"Reidtechnique"isaregisteredtrademarkofthefirmJohn

E.ReidandAssociates,whichofferstrainingcoursesinthemethod.Attheveryleast,this

methodisgoodtoknowincaseofrun-inswiththelaw,howeverincidental.

Thisisthemostcommonmethodofinterrogation,usedbymostlawenforcement

professionalsinNorthAmerica.Ifyou'rebustedintheStates,thisistheprocessyouwillbe

putto.

Notethatpolicefirstconductafactualanalysisofevidence,thenaninterviewofwitnesses,

beforeyourbutthitsthechairintheinterrogationroom.Soifthey'regrillingyouhard,they

eitherthinkthattheyhaveapartialconvictionalreadybutneedyourcooperationforafull

conviction,ortheyhavenothingunlessyouconfess.Iftheyalreadyhaveenoughevidencefor

aconvictioninitself,interrogatingyouwillbeamereformality,ifitevenhappensatall.

Step1:Confrontation.

Theystartbypresentingthefactsofthecaseandevidenceagainstyou.The"evidence"might

becompletelymadeup!Thereistypicallysometheatricsinvolved,asifyourultimate

convictionforthecrimeisalreadyadonedeal.Detectiveenterswithhugefilefolder(which

maycontainonlyareamofblankpaper),plopsitonthetable,flipsthroughafewpages,

looksatyouwhileshakinghishead.Boy,areyouintroublethistime!Wegotchadeadto

rights,bub!Wehaveitontape.Wehaveafileonyouthisthick!Yourpartneralreadyratted

youout.Wehavethreewitnesses,oneofthemwasajudge.Andsoon.They'lllookforsigns

ofsquirmingonyourparttoconfirmthatthey'reontherighttrack.Actionsspeaklouder

thanwords.

Step2:Themedevelopment.

Forgetgettingthestoryoutofyou;firstthey'lltellyouwhatthey"know"happened.Atthis

point,theywillbeginminimizingthecrime,asifit'sreallyasmallmatter,afterall.Theyare

offeringyouachancetojumpinandjustifyyouractions,perhapsbyblamingthevictim;if

youdo,they'llbesmilingandwritingitdown.Ifyouinsteadtrytodenyitatthispoint,the

nextstepis...

Step3:Stopalldenials.

Typically,you'llbeinterruptedwithsomethinglike,"You'llgetachancetotalklater,butright

nowyouneedtolisten!"Thegoalhereistokeepyoufromsayingthemagic"Ididn'tdoit!"

words,becausegettingthechancetosaysowillboostyourconfidenceandmakeittougherto

sweataconfessionoutofyoulater.Butseealso...

Step4:Overcomeobjections.

Thisisverydifferentfromadenial.Anobjectionisanappealtologic."Icouldn'thavekicked

thatdog,becauseIhaveadogandIlovedogsandI'mamemberoftheASPCAandPETA!"

Seethedifference?Asopposedtoadenial,anobjectiononsomebasisoflogicalargumentis

actuallyagoodsignthatyou'reguiltyasHellandaliarwithtrousersablaze.Thedetective

willpounceonitwithgleeandsaysomethinglike"Ofcourseyouloveanimals,whichiswhy

thisoneincidentshowsatemporarylapseinjudgmentinanotherwisefine,moral,upright

citizen.Isn'tthatright?"No,don'tnodyourheadhere,dummy,youjustCONFESSEDtothe

lapseofjudgment!

Step5:Gettingthesuspect'strust.

"Boy,youmustreallybefeelingthepressurenow!Youpoorsuspect,itmustbetoughbeinga

habitualcriminal,isn'tit?Here,buddy,I'mreallyyourfriend.Heck,anybodycanunderstand

whyyoudidit.Thepressuregottoomuch.Youweredrunk,andthingsgotoutofhand.The

lazylouthaditcoming.Thistimetheypushedyoutoofar.Youwereyoungandyouneeded

themoney.Weunderstand.We'regoingtotrytohelpyougetthroughthis."Lookfor

physicallyclosingin,invadingyourspace,maybeofferingyouasympatheticgesture,offer

youadrinkorasmoke,hintingthatconfessionssometimesleadtoalightersentence.It's

suchaminorthing;whyareyoudoingthistoyourselfwhenyoucouldjustgiveyourselfup?

Justtelluswhathappened;you'llfeelsomuchbetter,andwewantyoutofeelbetterbecause

WELOVEYOU!Ifyoumadeitthisfar,whyconfessnowandspoilthefun?We'reonlyat

numberfive,theshow'sjuststarting.

Step6:Pouncingondefeat.

Ifyouare,infact,guilty,andyouaren'taclinicalpsychopath,andyouactuallybrokeareal

lawthatactuallyhurtsomebodysoyouwouldfeelbadaboutit,youshouldbebreakingdown

atthispoint.Theyarewatchingyouforthesignsofanervousbreakdown:droopinghead,

tearsofremorse,coveringfacewithhandsinshame,dartingyourbeadyeyesfromonefaceto

anotherinasilentpleaformercy,etc.Amomentofsilencewillpassastheroomholdsits

breathwaitingforyoutoconfesstotheawfulcrimeyou'vedone.Ifyoustillwon'ttalk,

there's...

Step7:Thepresentationofalternatives.

Ifyou'restillnotcracking,anewphaseofconstructingathemewillstartinearnest.There

willbetwoormorescenariospresented,thedifferencebeingyourmotivetocommitthe

crime.Oneoftheonespresentedwillmakeyousoundmoreinnocent("Thedogpissedon

you,soyoubooteditaway."),oneofthemwillsoundmoredamning("Youaretodogswhat

JefferyDahmerwastolittleboys,andwe'llbesureitsaysthatonthesignoveryourelectric

chair!").Thoseareyouroptions.Thoseareyouronlyoptions.Soletmetellthemtoyou

again.Backandforth,backandforth,you'regettingsleepy,guessit'sbettertoconfesstothe

lessertheorythanitistobeconvictedforthehardertheory,betternodagreementwhenthey

saythe"innocent"explanationnexttime...gotcha!

Step8:Youstartsinging.

Oncetheyhaveeventhetiniestsignofagreementorconcessiontoanyoftheabovemethods,

theywillusuallybringinanotherofficerordetectiveortwo.Confessionscarrymoreweight

incourtifthereareatleasttwowitnesses,andthemore,themerrier.Suddenly,thereare

thesenewpeopleherewhowalkedinsmilingatyou(they'vebeenwatchingthewholething

frombehindthetwo-waymirror),andthey'reallstillsmilingatyouasyouspillyourgutsto

them,makingyoufeelreallylitupandhappy...God,itfeelssogoodtogetitoffyourchest,

andalltheseapprovingpeoplesuddenlyshowingup,hangingonyoureverywordasyou,the

confessor,suddenlyhavethefloor!Oh,whatahappyending,theinterrogationwillbeover

withsoon!Youalmostexpecttheroomtoburstintoapplausewhenyou'refinished,but

insteadit's...

Step9:

Writingitdown,gettingitontape,sendingyoubacktoyourcell,etc.Suddenly,you'rebackin

adarkcageandbacktobeingunhappyagain...butdetectivesareporingoveryourevery,

meticulously-recordedwordinpreparationforyourshorttrialandoneofhistory'smost

amazinglylongsentences.

That'sthewholetechnique"bythebook"anyway.Anythingtheydootherthanthatis"offthe

book".Andwellitshouldbe,becausethepsychologicaltrickstogetinformationoutofpeople

whodon'twanttotalkarebarelyscratchedhere.There'stonsmoretechniquespracticedby

theboysinblue,andthey'realllegallypracticed-unlikecoercionandtorture.

Take-aways:

Usetheinterrogationscript-tailoredtoyoursituation,ofcourse-wheneveryou

needinformationonsomeone.

Whenitisadvantageous,usetheconversationaltricksoutlinedintheReid

techniquetotripyouropponentintoaconfession.Gettingapersontoconfesstoa

crimeortrespasscanbeusedforleverageagainstthem.

The"KansasCityShuffle"

TheKansasCityShuffleisthenameofaclassofconssoelegantthatthey'reinaclassby

themselves.Thebasicelementisthatyouhaveatargetwhoknowsthere'sacongoingon...so

youdeliberatelyleadthemtosuspectthewrongcon,whileyousuccessfullypullofftheright

one.It'samethodofmisdirectioncommonlypracticedbystagemagicians;forinstance,

showing"nothingupmysleeve"whentherealtrickissimplesleight-of-hand.

Thisisalsoatechniquecommonlyusedinwarfare-realnation-to-nationcombatthatis.

OnD-DayduringWorldWarII,whentheAlliedforceslandedatNormandy,they

hadmanagedtospreadmisinformationtoconvinceHitlerthatNormandywasjust

adiversionwhiletherealintendedinvasionpointwasCalais-infact,itwasthe

otherwayaround.

AlsoduringWorldWarIIwastheBritishOperationMincemeat.Britishintelligence

plantedfakedocumentsandallowedthemtobe"caught."Thedocumentsled

GermanintelligencetoexpectaninvasionatGreece,soGermanforcesmoved

defensivetroopstoGreece.TheBritishinvadedatSicily.

Theusesofpropagandaanddisinformationaresointegraltointernationalwarfarethat

they'llgettheirownsectionlater.

KansasCityShufflemethodsaresocommonthatthey'reoftenaplotelementinfictionas

well.Dozensofheistandspymoviesovertheyears,fromthe"Ocean'sEleven"seriestothe

JamesBondfranchise,haveillustratedit.

It'sunlikelythatthecasualreaderofthisbookwillhaveaccesstothekindsofresourcesto

pulloffelaborateheists.Butasmallerversioncanbeused.Forinstance,ifyourtarget

suspectsyouhaveaplotgoing,youcansubtlyleadthemtoguessthewrongplot.

Fromhere,thegoinggetsdarker.Upuntilnow,allofthetechniquesmentionedinthisbook

havebeenofaborderlinemorality;youcanjustifythemformoralorimmoralpurposes.

However,thesectionwe'reabouttoplungeintois"PsychologicalAttacks,"andbeingcaught

doingsomeofthesecanexposeyoutolegalrisks,sobeadvised.

Take-aways:

Wheneversomebodyexpectsthatyou'reusingsubtletrickeryorconningthem,give

themafalsetarget.

Usemisdirectiontoenhanceyourstealthmode-It'sOKifpeoplethinkyou'reupto

something,aslongastheyhavenoideaofyourrealplans.

Chapter6:PsychologicalAttacks

Thisislikelytobeachallengingchapter.We'llbetalkingaboutlevelsofviolencethatareat

leastcondemnedbysociety,ifnotillegal,andsomeevenagainstinternationallaw.

Thosewhoscoffattheideathatpsychologicalviolenceisseriousneedonlyconsidersuch

termsas"whitetorture."Whitetortureisanon-physicalformoftorturepracticedinprisons

bysomeofthemorebarbariccountriesonEarth-andbytheUnitedStatesinGuantanamo

Bay,Cuba.Itincludessensorydeprivation,isolation,solitaryconfinement,threatsagainst

one'sfamily,"whitenoise,"beingmadetowearrestrictingclothesandtostandinstressful

positions,sleepdeprivation,lossofallprivacy,andcuttingtheprisonerofffromall

information.Someconfinementshaveprisonersinacelltoosmalltoliedownin,under

brightlightandconstantnoise,neverallowedtoseeahumanfaceorhearahumanvoice,no

clocksorwindowstokeeptrackoftime,andbeingfedtheminimumnutrientsthrougha

tube.Anybodywhoescapessuchtreatmentisatleastpsychologicallyscarredforlife,ifnot

completelymad.

ThesepracticesareusedbecausetheydodgeGenevaconventionsandhumanrightslaws,

becausetheycan'tbeprovenastheyleavenophysicalscars,andbecauseguardsaremore

likelytocomplysincethesetechniquesaren'tconsidered"real"torture.Peopleoftendismiss

mentalanguishbecause"it'sallinyourmind."Butastheseexamplesshowwillshowyou

here,yourmindisactuallytheworstplacetogethit.

Anothershockinglycommonpracticeistheuseofwhitetorturetechniquesin,ofallplaces,

"troubledteens"facilities.Theseareplacessuchasteenagebootcamps,religiousboarding

schools,andotherorganizationswhereteenagerswithacriminalordisciplinaryhistory(or

whoseparentsaresimplytiredoftakingcareofthem),getdroppedoff.Inthenameof"tough

love,"thekidsendupsubjectedtoallmannerofwhitetorturetechniques,combinedwith

peerpressureandgroupsocialviolence.Thechildrenareencouragedtoparticipateineach

other'storment,suchasencirclingthevictimandharassingthem,andtheeffectisacult-like

atmosphere.Activistsareworkingtoteardownthelegalprotectionstheseorganizations

have,butsofarthey'reentrenchedintheAmericanjuvenilesystem.

So,withoutfurtherado,hereareanumberofpsychologicalattackswhichcanbeappliedin

variouscontexts:

Gaslighting

Gaslightingisaformofmentalabuseinwhichthevictimistrickedintodoubtingtheirown

sanity.Itsnamecomesfromthe1938stageplay"Gaslight"whereamanslowlydriveshis

wifeinsanejustbydisturbingherreality.

Anexamplewouldbeifagroupofpeopleinyourhomedecidedtotakesomethingofyours

whenyou'renotlooking,thenwhenyouaskedwhereitwas,everyonewouldconspireto

pretendasifitneverexistedandyouweremakingitup.Or,youmightdecideto"haunt"

somebodywithaguiltyconsciencebymakingghostlysoundeffectsand"unexplained"

startlingevents,toconvincethemthataghostwashauntingthem.

Manipulativespousesandparentspullthiskindofstuntwithimpunity.Someparents,intent

onkeepingafamilysecret,willdothistoconvincethechildthattheyhavefalsememories.

Forinstance,adivorcedparentwithanewspousemightworktoconvinceayoungchildthat

thenewspousehadalwaysbeenamemberofthefamily.

Fordomesticabusers,allittakesisapatternoftwistingthetruth.Theabuser,afterbeating

thevictim,tellssuchexcusesas"youmademedoit,"convincingthevictimthattheviolence

wastheirownfault.Aconsistentprogramoftwistingthetruthcanplayquiteanumberona

personwhoishelplesstoescapethesituation.It'stheprimefactorbehindsucheffectsas

StockholmSyndrome,wherethevictimdeclaresaninseparableemotionalbondtothe

attackerandswearstodefendthem.Somesociopathswhokidnaphostagescaninvoke

StockholmSyndromeinamatterofdays.

Anothertechniqueofmentalabuseissettingthevictimuptofail.Anabusermightgivethe

victimaseeminglysimple,butactualimpossibletask,suchasdoingallthelaundryinone

hour.Butthentheysabotagethewashersotheclotheshavetobecleanedbyhand.The

victimisthenconvincedthattheyfailedandreceivesa"punishment"theyhave"earned."

Itisalsoquiteeasytogaslightsomeoneinnocently.Inpsychiatry,oneexampleisthe

"MarthaMitchellEffect,"inwhichasaneperson'sclaimsarechalkedupbyamis-diagnosis

asbeingtheproductofdelusionsorhallucinations.It'snamedafterMarthaMitchell,wifeof

JohnMitchell,Attorney-GeneralintheNixonadministration,whoseclaimsofWhiteHouse

officialsengaginginacriminalconspiracywerefirstputofftoparanoiddelusions.Later

whentheinfamousWatergatescandalbrokethenews,Mitchellwasvindicatedandwas

afterwardsknownasthe"CassandraofWatergate."

AnevenmorehandyexampleistheAschConformityExperiment,developedinthe1950s.

Thisisverysimple:Youhaveatestroomandmultiplestudents.Anelementaryproblemis

putuponthechalkboardfortheclasstosolve.Yetonlyonestudentistheactualtestsubject

-theotherstudentsareactuallypartoftheexperiment.Alloftheplantedstudentsareto

answertheproblemoutloud,givingtheWRONGanswer.Thetestsubjectwill,moreoften

thannot,changetheiranswertoconformtothegroup.There'snothingsubtleaboutthis:The

problemcanbeasobviousasansweringwhichofthreelinesisthelongest.Theanswercan

clearlybe'B'butiftheotherstudentsallanswered'A',thetestsubjectwouldreversetheir

answerto'A'too.

InGeorgeOrwell'sdystopiannovel"NineteenEighty-Four,"aprisoneroftheoppressive

governmentistortureduntilhelearnsto"reason"thattwoplustwoequalsfive.Thisissuch

awell-knownexamplethat"2+2=5"isnowanInternetmemeforforcedinstitutionalized

brainwashing.

Speakingofwhich,gaslightingisanimportantstepinbrainwashing.Sinceyou'retryingto

changeaperson'swholeframeofreality,ithelpstobreakdowntheirpriorsenseofreality

firstsoyoucanrebuildtheminyourideal.

Youalmostcan'trunoutofvariationsonthethemeofgaslighting.Infact,someformor

anotherisemployedwheneverapersoninauthorityleadsthoseunderthemtoadeliberately

wrongconclusion.Intheworkplace,abossmaygaslightasecretarytheydon'tlikeinorderto

trytoforcethemtoquit.Inschool,agroupofstudentbulliesmaygangupononestudent

andgaslightthevictimasjustonemoreimaginativestepintheircampaignoftorment.Inthe

military,adrillsergeantmaygaslightoneprivateunderhischargeasamethodofdriving

themtoeithershapeuporquit.Anythingyoucouldqualifyas"headgames"canusuallybe

classifiedasgaslighting.

Now,itisunlikelythattheaverageindividualhastheresourcestoenactsomeelaborate

campaignofslowpsychologicalabusecompletewithGothicperiodatmosphere.Butsmall

change,casualincidentsofshapingsomebodyelse'srealitycanbepulledoffwithlittle

preparation.Theeffectmaynotbelasting,butapatternofcumulativeeffectsovertime,if

carriedoutinadedicatedmanner,canadduptothetargethavinganincreasinglyslippery

grasponreality.

Whilegaslightingcannotactuallyinducepropermentalillnesses,itcanproduceaneffect

similartoadelusionalstate.

Take-aways:

Useyourenemy'spronenesstoquestiontheirownrealitytoyouradvantage.

Dependonpeoplenotpayingcloseattentiontogaintheupperhandinsituations.

Whereverpossible,usegaslightinglogictoconvinceyourenemythattheconflict

wastheirfault,thatyou'vejustdonethemafavor,etc.

Use"headgames"sparingly,butsurgically.

Catfishing

Ifgaslightingistheactofcreatingfalseeventstofoolsomeone,catfishingtakestheextra

stepofcreatingawholefakeperson!Catfishingisamorerecentinvention,namedaftera

2010documentaryfilmcalled"Catfish,"inwhichapersonisledastraybythecreationofa

fakepersona.

AnyonewhohasusedtheInternetisfamiliarwithcatfishing.Allittakesisthecreationofa

fakesocialmediaprofile,throughwhichyouinteractwithsomeoneelsewhileconvincing

themthatthey'reinteractingwitharealperson.Inotherwords,it'ssimplylying,buttaking

theextrastepofcreatingavast,elaboratesystemofliestothepointwhereyou'vefabricated

anentirefalselife.

Onlinedatingsitesarepositivelyriddledwithcatfishers,andmostofthemarescammersin

thirdworldcountries.Thescammercreatesafakeprofileandsendsromanticcome-ons

throughthedatingnetwork,enticingpotentialvictimstogetinvolved.Soonthe"incidents"

and"accidents"begin,inwhichthefalseprofilewasjustabouttomeetwiththevictim,but

hadaflattireorgotkidnappedandneedsthevictimtosendmoneytohelpthemout.Various

scamsareconducted,thentheprofileabandoned,leavingabewilderedtargetwonderingif

thereeverwassuchaperson.Ofcourse,therewasn't.

Catfishingisrelatedtogaslightinginthatitcanbeusedforotherpurposesbesidesjust

scammingsomeoneoutofmoney.Forexample,acommontechniquewithInternettrollsis

tocreateseveralfalse"sockpuppet"accounts,thenbombardatargetwithmanyharassing

messagesfromwhatappeartobenumerouspeople.Comingfromonetarget,attacksareeasy

todismissas"somenutharassingme,"butwhenitlookslikefivepeoplearetellingyouthe

samething,you'remorelikelytoretreatfromthesituationinconfusionatleast.Ifso,you've

justbeengaslighted,becausetheapparent"crowd"ofpeersalljeeringatyouhasmadeyou

questionyourtakeonreality.

AswementionedearlieraboutInternetastroturf,catfishingisalsocommonlydeployedby

companies,organizations,andothergroupstopushanagendaontheInternet.Except

catfishingsuggestsamoreinvolved,personalcampaign.

Cyberbullyinglaws,infact,arestartingtorecognizecatfishingasaformofInternet

harassment.OnesuchlawpassedinsomeUSjurisdictionsin2007wasinspiredbythe

suicideofMeganMeier,ateenagerwhowasdriventosuicidebywhatturnedouttobean

adultwomanwhodidnotlikeher,andcreatedfakesocialmediaaccounts,includingafalse

boyfriend,toharassMegan.Thisgoestoshowthatgamesplayedwithsocialmediaaccounts

cangetdangerousveryfast.

Catfishingisevenusedbylawenforcementasameansofentrappingpedophiles.Vicecops

createfakeprofilesforunderagechildrenandinteractwithchatroomsandmessageboards-

whentheyattractapedophileattemptingtomeetthesupposedminorforsexualencounters,

thepedophilemeetswithasetofcuffsinstead.Privatedetectivesinvestigatingspouses

accusedofcheatingwillsometimescreatefakesocialmediaaccountsforthesamepurposeof

entrappingthetarget.

Onceyou'reawareofhowcommoncatfishingis,it'shardnottobealittleparanoidofonline

interactions.Infact,humannatureandthelawofaveragesindicatethatyou,thereader,have

probablyengagedinsomeformofonlinedeceptionyourself,howeverinnocentlyorplayful,

andknowhoweasyitis.Don'tworry,weknowbetterthantoassumeeverybodywhoclicks

an"I'mover18"buttonislegit!

CatfishingmakestheInternetsoundlikeagreatevil.Shouldweblamethismedium?Ifyou

thinkso,you'reabouttohaveyourlittlemoralpanictheoryblowntosmithereens.

TheInternetandvideogamesarejustmedia.Beforeboth,peoplestillactuallyfoundother

waystoescaperealitybeforetheinventionofhomeconsumerelectronicdevices.Moral

guardianscomplainthattheInternetisahotbedoflasciviousdesire,temptingouryouthto

sin.ButpornexistedasTheSpiceChannelwhencablerolledout,nudiemovietheaters

beforethat,pornmagazinesbeforethat,livenudegirlsperformingbehindsmeary

shatterproofglassbeforethat,allthewaybacktocavepaintingsinTassilin'Ajjercirca

Neolithicera.

BeforetheInternet,peoplewereengaginginsociallynastybehaviorandallmannerofcons

bothlongandshort.

Everygenerationhashadits"socialill,"itsmediaobsessionanddiversionthatwasacquired

cheaply,practicedsolo,andhadaringofmoralguardiansarounditdecryingthatitwasthe

endofhumanity.Therehasneverbeenaparadiseofcrystalspiresandtogasintheclouds

wherepeoplewerefreefromaddictionsandobsessively-pursueddiversions.Humans,once

theygetthebasicneedsmetatthebottomoftheneedspyramid,becomelotuseaters,one

andall,nomatterwhat'savailable.We'vesurviveditbefore,we'resurvivingitnow,we'll

surviveitinthefuture.

Ofcourse,wehavealsoalwayshadourProfessorHaroldHillsandourJackThompsonsand

ourTipperGoresheretopreachatusaboutthelatestentertainmentandhowit'sdoomingus

alltobehairy-palmedfreaks-unless,ofcourse,wesaveourselvesbybuyingtheirsnakeoil.

SoweliveinaworldwithInternet-useitwiselyanddefensively.

Take-aways:

Ifit'sadvantageousinyoursituation,usecatfishingovertheInternettocreate

anonymouspersonastargetedatthepersonyou'retryingtoinfluenceortheenemy

you'retryingtosubdue.Itdoesn'tgetanystealthierthanthat!

Propaganda

Ourfirsttwoexamplesareallabouttheindividualtarget,butpropagandaisthesameidea

targetingthegeneralpublicoratleastalargetargetdemographic.

Propagandaisafascinatingsubjectdeservingatleasthalfasemesterofmediastudiestofully

appreciate.Butbasicallyit'sallaboutspreadingliesoratleastabiasedversionofthetruthto

twistandspinthefactstoyourliking.

Allgovernments,inbothwarandpeace,aswellasallreligionsandallcorporations,engagein

propagandaofonekindoranother.Therearenoexceptions.Afewpagesbackwetalked

aboutInternetastroturf,whichisrelatedtopropagandainthatit'sthesameintenttospread

misinformation,butdonecovertly.Keepinmindthatpropagandaneednotbefalse,just

misleadingorone-sided.Thepointisthatit'sintendedtoleaditsaudienceintoacertain

opinionorframeofmind.

Governmentpropagandaandespeciallyduringwartimehasalongandwell-documented

history.WorldWarIIgaveusawealthofpostersandothermedia.AuniqueassetofWWII

propagandawasthatevencartoonsgotinvolved,showingsuchfamiliarfacesasBugsBunny

andDonaldDuckdefeatingtheAxispowers;thesecartoonssurviveonYouTubereplay

indefinitely.

Theaimofpoliticalwartimepropagandacanvary.Itcanbeaimedatthe"homefront,"to

galvanizethetroopsintoactionagainsttheenemy.Itcanbetargetedabroad,tomakeclaims

orstateacaseagainstthecountry'senemy.Itcanbeaimedatdiscouragingalliances.Orit

canbetargeteddirectlyattheenemycountry.OnecommonexampleistheUSdropping

leafletsovercountriesinconflict,whichspreaddisinformationtodemoralizetroops.

Whetherusingpropagandainpsychologicalwarfareordefendingagainstit,youshouldknow

thatpropagandauseslogicalfallaciestomakeconvincingclaims.Here'sabrieflistofthe

morecommonlogicalfallaciesusedinwartimepropaganda:

Adhominem-Attackingthetargetinsteadofwhattheydoorsay.Blaringly

obviousinwarpostersthatpaintinsultingcaricaturesofMussoliniandsoon.

Appealtoaccomplishment-"We'reallinthistogether!"Rousingthetroops

towardsagoal.Theaimisalwaysacalltoaction.

Appealtofear-Theenemyisalwayspaintedasascary,immediatethreat.

Moralhighground-Ofcourse,oursideisalwaysthesideofjusticeand

freedom,isn'tit?

Misleadingvividness-Usinggarishandshockingdepictionstooversellyour

case.

Thefulllistofcollectedlogicalfallacieshasgrownsovastovertheyearsthatthere'sevena

fallacyaboutbeingtooconcernedwithfallaciesoutthere,aslampoonedintheInternet

webcomicstrip"DoomedtoObscurity"byPeteTrbovich.Sowecan'tlistthemallhere.But

propagandawithlogicalfallaciesisalsousedinanon-warcontext,suchasinadvertisingor

high-profilemediacases.Anexampleis"cherrypicking,"whenproducersofcertainproducts

showaclinicaltestthatshowstheirproducttobemoreeffective,whileneglectingtomention

theothertrialswhereitfailed.

Onapersonallevel,propagandaismoreproperlycalled"gossip."Tryitaroundyouroffice,

andyou'llsoonbecaught.Butifyou'recarefultoinsinuatesmalldetailsintoconversations,

youcanspreadsomeinterestingideasaroundwithoutanybodyquiteknowinghowtheygot

started.

Take-aways:

Alwaysgiveyourselfandthepeopleyouwanttoinfluence"goodpress."

Spreadanyuntruthyouwanttobewidelyaccepted.Dothisaheadoftimeifitwill

comeinhandy.

Usepropagandatechniquesoflogicalshort-circuitstophrasedebates.Thishelpsto

influencepeoplemostofthetime.

Studypropagandawhereveryoufindit.Askyourself,howisthisintendedtoshape

thoughts?HowcanIusethesametechnique?

Brainwashing

Brainwashingisthedarkestandmostdamagingformofpsychologicaldomination.A

brainwashedpersonisthepuppetoftheirmaster,nolongerathinkingpersonontheirown.

Brainwashingisthetechniqueofreligiouscults,manyofwhichhaveprovedtohave

disastrousresults.

ThePeople'sTemplecultofJonestown,Guyana,in1974undertheleadershipof

"Reverend"JimJonessawthemasssuicideofover900people.Allofthesepeople

wereconvincedtostandinlineanddrinkpoisoneddrinkmix,someevengivingit

totheirbabiesinarms.

In1993,theBranchDavidianscompoundinWaco,Texas,hadabloody

confrontationwithanFBIstandoff.Inareversechargeintotheircompound,

alreadyonfire,80membersdiedratherthansurrender.

From1994to1997,theOrderoftheSolarTempleattemptedseveralglobalmass

suicides,with74deathsfallingonthedatesaroundtheequinoxesandsolstices.

In1997,aCaliforniacultofUFO-worshipingwebdevelopersknownasHeaven's

Gatecommittedmasssuicide,withall39membersbeingfounddeadafterbeing

convincedbytheirleaderthattheywouldallbespiritedawayonaspaceshipflying

behindthecometHale-Bopp.

Allofwhichgoestoshowthelethalpowerofbrainwashing.Onafarmoreminorscale,some

groupswouldarguethatallchildhoodreligiousindoctrinationisbrainwashing.Andsome

abusersorserialkidnap-rapistshavegonetothislength,claimingonevictimatatimeto

keepasavirtualslavewhowasbrainwashedusingtheStockholmSyndromeeffectinto

simplyacceptingtheirkidnapperastheirpartnerinlife.

Completebrainwashingandcontrolofcultsubjectsfollowsaveryrigorouspattern.There'sa

methodestablishedbyallsuchpersons:

Thoughtreform-Fundamentalchangestothewaythetargetthinks.Seeearlier

sectionsonpropaganda,gaslighting,andsuch.

Isolation-Thisisthemostimportantfactor.Inordertocontrolsomeone

completely,youmustcutthemofffromalloutsideinfluence.Frequentlycult

membersareforbiddenfromwatchingTVorfromcommunicatingwiththeir

family.

Induceddependency-Makingthecultleaderthesolesourceoflivelihood.Cult

membersareforbiddenfromhavingtheirownmoney,andmustlivewiththecult

leader,onlyeatingwhattheyallow.

Dread-Rulingthroughfearisthekeytoolofcultbrainwashing.Thecultleader

convincesthemembersthatthereisagravethreattothemoutsidethecult

compound.Thecultleaderalsoharshlypunishesalldisobedience.

Demandsofdedication-Finally,thecultmembersmustpledgetheirlives,brain

andblood,tothecauseofthecultleader.Theydedicateeverywakinghourto

servingtheirleader'smission.

Keepingpeopleinacultistheultimateinpsychologicalwarfare.Itisalsobeyondtheskillset

ofmostpeople,whichisagreatblessing.However,brainwashingisabitmorecommon,but

alsofarmoreinvolvingthanmostpeoplewouldundertake.

Fortunately,thisistheendofourexploration.Thereisnohigherlevelwecanfind.

Take-aways:

Hopefullyyouneverneedtogothisfar!

Butlearnfrombrainwasher'stechniquesanyway.Itisallaboutcontrollingpeople,

afterall.

Conclusion

Wehopeyou'veenjoyedandbeenenlightenedbyourtouroftheworldofpsychological

warfare.You'velearnedsomeverydirtytricksandencounteredsomescarycapabilitiesof

mentalcombat,hopefullynottoexploittheknowledgeandbecomesomebodywereadabout

inthepapertomorrow.

Canpsychologicalwarfarebeusedforgood?Certainly,asthesectiononpoliceinterrogation

showed,itcanbeusedtohelpcapturecriminals.Ifyoubelieveyourgovernmentisdoing

good,thenusingpsychologicaltacticsinthecourseofwarfareisbeingusedforgood.Ifyour

greatercauseisjustifiedenoughthatremovingthesnoopyofficeclerkwhoisobstructing

yourplansiswellworththebother,thenit'sforthegreatergood.Ifithelpedyouwinafight

withyourchild'sschoolprinciplewhentheywerebeingatypicalobstructivebureaucrat,then

that'sagoodthing.

Ispsychologicaldominationimmoral?Besidesjustifyingit-aslongasyouaren'tleadinga

suicidecultorruiningsomeone'slife,isitreallysodifferentfromotherformsofconflict?

Certainly,youdon'twanttogoaroundpunchingpeople,soifyougotwhatyouwantedwitha

kindword,that'scertainlynotoutsideofmoralbehavior.Theworstpeoplecansayaboutyou

ifyoufollowthemethodsandexamplesinthisbookisthatyouaremanipulative.That'sa

characterflaw,tobesure,butnotonethatCEOs,politicians,religiousleaders,oreventhe

occasionalcatcan'talsobeaccusedof.

That'swhytheskillsinthisbookhavetobeappliedwithyourconscience.

Itisnotourmoraldutytowithholdinformationjustbecauseitcanbeusedtodowrong.Just

asopeninformationintheartoflock-pickinghelpsthesecurityindustryknowhowtodefeat

alock-picker,theopenexposureofpsychologicalmanipulationtacticshelpsyoubecomea

strongerindividualagainstthesametricksbeingusedonyourself.Thebadguysalreadyhave

allofthisinformation,restassured.

Doespsychologicalwarfarealwayshavetofeelnegative?NO!Attheoutsetofthiswork,we

outlinedhowsimplybeingasociablepersonwhoiswell-likedisthebestkindof

psychologicaldominationthereis.

Butagreaterforcethanthisbookhasalreadylaidthatgroundworkforus.Weowealotto

DaleCarnegie's1936ground-breakingbook,"HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople."We

cannotrecommendCarnegie'soriginalclassictoohighly-ithassold15millioncopies

worldwide.

AsecondgoodreadoninterpersonalrelationsisEricBerne's1964book,"GamesPeople

Play."It'safurther,in-depthanalysisofthekindsofone-on-onepsychologicalcombatpeople

engageintheirdaytodaylives,writtenbyoneofthefirstpsychiatriststothinkaboutthe

subject.

Athirdandfinalrecommendation,whichwillseemanoddpitch,isBarbaraWalters'book

"HowtoTalkwithPracticallyAnybodyaboutPracticallyAnything."Waltersisthesame

famousnewsanchoryouknowfromABCnetwork'snewsprogram"20/20."Waltershas

interviewedeveryonefromallwalksoflifeandsharesgreatsocialtricksonconversationwith

them.Followingheradviceisalsogreathelpbothforyoursocialskillsandtogetatoeinthe

doortowardsinfluencingpeoplewithouttheirknowingit.

Ifnothingelse,thisbookshouldgiveyouconfidenceinyourdaytodayaffairs.Remember,

youdon'thavetogooutandconquertheworldorstartaninternationalconspiracyorbea

masterspytobeagoodpsychologicalwarrior.Youcanjustpolishthingsoffinyourdayto

daylife,havingthatlittlebitofanedge,thatinsightintowhatmakespeopletickandhow

theycanbewoundandwheretolookforthesqueakygears.Trythosepalm-readingtricks

backinchapteronesometime.Youcanatleastbethelifeoftheparty.

Don'tbeambitiousandtrysomethingyoucan'thandle.Giveitpatience.BetheZenmaster.

Waitforthetimetotakeseed.Psychologicalwarfareisanartmorethanascience,soyour

gutwilltellyouwhentomakemoves.Don'tdistrustyourgutinstinct:That'sjustyourbrain

tellingyousomethingwithoutbotheringtoexplainthedetailstoyou.

Rememberalsothatmanypeopletrythesetechniques,butdon'tknowwhatthey'recalled.

Yourco-workermightjockeywithyouwhilecompetingforyourpromotion.Yourbossmight

belookingforawaytobypassyoutopromotehisnephewoveryou.Yourphonecompany

customerservicerepresentativemightbetryingtopressure-saleyouintoanewdataplan.

Butyou'llbewisetoallofit,ifwe'vedoneourjobatall.

We'llsayagain,thanksforsharingthistimewithus.Andstayalertoutthere!