Psychological manipulation is not only a psychological process, but it is a communicative process: a good communicator is the one who manages to convey simple,even if deep and surprising, concrete and credible messages, leveraging emotional factors and with an easily reproducible narrative modality.

In this regard it can be very useful to know the six principles of social persuasion:

1) Reciprocity: a principle of "I offer you a finger to take your arm", indicates our tendency to return a favor that is offered to us. A persuasion technique that uses this principle is that of free samples, customers are provided with a small quantity of product with the "innocent" intention of informing the public, while this sets in motion the obligation to return the gift.

2) Commitment and consistency: the need to appear consistent with what we have done leads us to a mental change that overcomes personal and interpersonal pressures, in an effort to be consistent with that commitment. A persuasive tactic that exploits this principle is the "foot in the door" technique which consists in obtaining big purchases starting with a small one.

3) Social proof: sometimes, in deciding what is right for us, it helps to try to find out what others consider right. For example, we tend to consider an action more appropriate when others do it too. The use of testimonials in advertising is one of the practical transpositions of this principle, another example is the fake laughter in sitcoms.

4) Sympathy: as a rule, we prefer to agree to the requests of people we know and like, or who we perceive as similar to us. Husbands who fell victim to the Tupperware parties will recognize the dramatic effects that this seemingly harmless principle has on our patience.

5) Authority: a principle of the galactic mega director, indicates the sense of deference towards the authority for which we tend to follow to the extreme the order of an authoritative person (or presumed such) in a given field. This is why dentists are used in toothpaste commercials.

6) Scarcity: a product becomes more attractive when its availability is limited.This principle also represents an excellent deterrent to procrastination: have you ever heard of the "race to the last purchase"? Based on this principle, sellers frequently use limited number tactics, or offer valid for a few days.

Finally, let's move on to the description of the psychological characteristics of the manipulator: if this is the career you want to undertake, it might be helpful to have personality traits related to the Dark Triad, or a construct used to describe a constellation of three personality traits:

- Narcissism: personality trait that describes individuals who tend to appear ambitious, determined and dominant in interpersonal relationships, up to exhibit a sense of superiority.

-Machiavellianism: personality trait that describes individuals with a strong tendency to cynicism, to a lack of consideration for ethical and moral principles,with a tendency to manipulate others to achieve their goals.

- Psychopathy: it is considered the most malignant trait of the Dark Triad, it describes people characterized by low levels of empathy, combined with high levels of impulsiveness and search for excitement. Many of these individuals manifest frankly antisocial conduct.

Now that, in this short guide, we have illustrated the main theoretical knowledge on psychological manipulation, we are sure that your trust in mankind has certainly not increased.

However, we believe that knowing these processes is the necessary prerequisite for being able to defend oneself, reminding the reader to be on guard when our interlocutor evokes feelings of insecurity or frank threat, or when seductive behavior is followed by requests for commitment (economic, affective, working...), to which he feels he is struggling to escape.

The questions to ask in these cases are

"What is he trying to achieve by addressing me in this way?",

"Is it really impossible for me to escape?",

"Are there contrary arguments to oppose?".

Recognizing the manipulative behavior is the first step to be able to escape from it;with the necessary firmness that derives from the awareness of one's rights that never have to be trampled, both within the walls of the house, and in the courtrooms.

However, psychological manipulation is part of life, and we don't want to invite the reader to become paranoid in an attempt to defend himself against unknown threats.

Leaving aside extreme cases such as police interrogations, being persuaded, but also letting yourself be pampered, are common experiences; for those who have a business it is not uncommon to suffer a scam from a customer or supplier, as well as for those in search of the love of life, it is not uncommon to suffer the charm of people with less noble intentions.But these experiences, however unpleasant, are not the proof of a defeat: we can take sporadic blows without losing confidence and positivity in facing life, aware that the world is not always a reassuring place to live.