Are You Being Influenced or Manipulated? (2024)

Summary.

There is a thin line separating influence from manipulation. And while the differencemay be nuanced, it’s in your best interest to understand these subtleties from the early stages of your careers.

• Influence is a neutral term indicating a person’s capacity to have an effect on another person. Simply put, influence is what can move or sway someone to a desired action. Influence on its own is neither negative nor positive. It is not designed to force or obligate the other person to follow.
• Manipulation has many negative connotations, including carrying out devious behaviors designed to exploit and control others.Typically, it’s about using emotional and psychological tactics to change or alter someone’s perception or behavior in an underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive way.
• Manipulators use various tacticsto change your perceptions of them or to get you to do things that may not be in your best interest. They may overtly nag or criticize you in order to cast self doubt. They might use praise and compliments to get you to accept responsibilities beyond your role. Some may make you feel inadequate and push you to do things their way by constantly comparing you to an “ideal” type.
• To protect yourself from manipulators, deliberately observe the behavioral patterns that make you uncomfortable. When you’re confused or annoyed by someone’s behavior, take it as an emotional cue that you need to stop, deliberate, and rethink your relationship with that person.