#research9

After the lecture, I was really intrigued by the types of communication that were covered. The growth of both design and the ways in which people control others was what I was particularly drawn to. Thus, this week I have decided to look further into the ideas behind psychological manipulation.

To start my research I decided to look at what psychological manipulation was. Throughout many sources a common theme emerged, that of partially veiled aggression- this was seen as the most successful way to manipulate  There seemed to be many reasons as to why people manipulated, whether is be for personal gain or because they feel as though they cannot gain the friendship they want through un-manipulative means. The ways in which a manipulator uses others is wide ranging, but a key emphasis on guilt seemed to be an underlying factor.  (Together, n.d).

I decided to look into the type of manipulation that was present within some relationships between friends. When looking into what could cause manipulative behaviours between people the word ‘Machiavellianism’ popped up. When looking into this jargon I found that  ‘Men and women with high levels of Machiavellianism, characterised by emotional detachment, cynicism, and a manipulative interpersonal style’ (Abell, Brewer, Qualter & Austin, 2016). While this definition sounds as though people who have high levels of Machiavellianism would not be partaking in friendships, this is not the case. 

Within female relationships, it is much more likely for Machiavellianism, and the associated emotional manipulation to be present. This is because they place a higher focus on interpersonal relationships. These interpersonal relationships are often developed through gossip and rumours. Because of this, trust is needed within the relationships. Because typical elements of friendship building within female relationships are mirrored within Machiavellianism, often other, smaller signs will go unnoticed (Abell, Brewer, Qualter & Austin, 2016).

The manipulation of others using carefully constructed, derogatory language is also an element making up manipulation as a whole. The use of swear words, although it is expressive, it is less so than using personalised slurs. A particular slur (in certain situations) is the use of the word ‘Nigger’. Within the article an exchange within the Big Brother House (a tv show) is shown where the term was not used in the right context, resulting in offence and outrage by the public. This breakdown of communication really interested me as it showed that it wasn’t used in the context that the contestant was assuming (Archer, 2015)

Resources:

Abell, L., Brewer, G., Qualter, P., & Austin, E. (2016). Machiavellianism, emotional manipulation, and friendship functions in women's

Archer, D. (2015). Slurs, insults, (backhanded) compliments and other strategic facework moves. Language Sciences, 52, 82-97.

Rook and Raven

Marita Fraser and Nancy Milner: Ittenology