Deconstructing with Della: How We Get Manipulated
March 06, 2017 |
| Don't Think of an Elephant! Photo Credit: Rainforest Alliance |
George Lakoff, cognitive linguist from University of California, Berkeley has been getting a lot of press explaining exactly how and why many of us are being manipulated through language and specific techniques used today. Mr. Lakoff presents compelling evidence about how repetitive words stick in our brains and become normalized. I am fascinated with this kind of research and have counseled many clients to never repeat negative words or phrases in interviews for exactly this reason. Anytime someone wanted to run one of those myth / reality campaigns, I would stress how repeating the wrong information would get reinforced.
Mr. Lakoff is the author of 18 thought provoking books including Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. What pops into your head when someone tells you not to think of an elephant? Exactly.
Perhaps with some of the antics playing out in the current political scene, people will get wise to how much they are being manipulated. I heard a recent, local example of how the denigration of media has spilled over into our community. One of our clients had a slightly sensitive issue come to the forefront via the media. The public reaction online focused on the "rotten" media versus the issue. This is why negative political campaigns tend to work. If you are told over and over someone has an Achilles' heel, you start to believe it. My sister sent me an article from Thought Catalogue written by Shahida Arabi outlining the 20 diversion tactics highly manipulative narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths use to silence you.
Mr. Lakoff is the author of 18 thought provoking books including Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. What pops into your head when someone tells you not to think of an elephant? Exactly.
Perhaps with some of the antics playing out in the current political scene, people will get wise to how much they are being manipulated. I heard a recent, local example of how the denigration of media has spilled over into our community. One of our clients had a slightly sensitive issue come to the forefront via the media. The public reaction online focused on the "rotten" media versus the issue. This is why negative political campaigns tend to work. If you are told over and over someone has an Achilles' heel, you start to believe it. My sister sent me an article from Thought Catalogue written by Shahida Arabi outlining the 20 diversion tactics highly manipulative narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths use to silence you.
To deconstruct, I selected a few to highlight:
1. Projection. Blaming everyone else for their issues. This is a difficult scenario to identify early in relationships. Yet, if you listen carefully you will not get caught up in the form of manipulation.
2. Changing the subject to avoid accountability. We know who is the master of this domain on the world stage. But, are you experiencing it in a micro level in your home or business? Watch out for this one and circle back to focus the discussion.
3. Name calling. These are people who label others as stupid or are looking to hurt the credibility of people around them. We have a rule in our facilitated sessions to challenge ideas, not people. If you witness this behaviour, don't accept it. Resist.
As Mr. Lakoff notes, we should also be acutely aware of language and how it impacts our thinking. The example he uses in this interview is a political leader who says he will decrease regulation in health and pharmaceutical industries making it sound like a good thing. Yet, if he said it would reduce your protection in those areas you might not feel so warm and fuzzy.
The more we understand about language and manipulative techniques the better we can protect ourselves. Take care of yourselves out there.
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