There are emotionally manipulative people in varying degrees all around us. When we were young, we thought we were immune to psychological pressures that confuse, manipulate, and affect others. Part of our real maturity as individuals involve understanding how our environment drives us, how we are affected by others, and how our human needs affect us.
Humans can be manipulated because we share innate psychological characteristics that make us all vulnerable to manipulation to a certain extent. Although some people are naturally more prone to giving up, others have higher immunity levels to external pressures that can make us do something we wouldn't usually think of doing.
However, assuming we are immune is naive and makes us a victim of manipulation. Here is an example:
Emotional manipulation to death
On November 18, 1978, in downtown Jonestown, Guyana, a member of the Jim Jones cult - known as the People's Temple - ordered people to drink poison to end their lives. If you were there, what would you do?
Of course, you wouldn't drink poison, would you? Who is Jim Jones to ask you for something like that? You are not a robot that can be programmed to kill yourself against your will and desire.
Did you know that 907 people obeyed his orders and died on that fateful day? Many of those people poisoned their children before they committed suicide; those people who wanted to live and wanted their children and spouses to live.
Why did they do that? Why did the men, women, and scholars allow themselves to be abused and brainwashed by this man? Why did they agree to sell their houses and give all their possessions and money to this person and the temple?
Were these people of abnormally low intelligence? Were they mentally ill? Or was Jim Jones a skillful emotional manipulator? Did he know how to control people's emotions and get them to poison their children before ending their lives?
This is just an example, but many similar incidents have happened throughout history and will happen again. You can think of other examples where people were voluntarily forced to end their lives. The examples might not be like the Jonestown story.
Although they might go by different names, the exact subtle psychological mechanisms are used to manipulate people. Understanding these mechanisms can help you avoid psychological manipulation that is less obvious and that we all experience daily, as well as manipulation by cult leaders.
Basic human needs
Jim Jones was good at deceiving people by pretending to be able to give them what they needed. This is crucial to understand, as we all have innate human needs. If your basic psychological needs as a human being are not adequately met, or if you don't understand precisely what is going on and respond appropriately, you will be motivated to cling to any resource that seems to satisfy those needs.
Here are some of your basic human needs:
- A safe environment to grow in.
- Feeling independent and in control of your life.
- A sense of self-worth gained through creative problem-solving and achieving personal goals.
- To be part of a broad, like-minded community.
- Realizing the status within social groups (which includes feeling influential or respected somehow.)
- Being emotionally attached to certain people (family, friends, etc.)
- Both meaning and purpose arise from being able to make a difference.
Once again, if any of these basic needs are not adequately met, you will be inexplicably drawn to anyone who promises to provide what you lack. Realizing that can save you a great deal of trouble.
Most of Jim Jones' followers were chosen from a group of disaffected people who did not have fulfilling lives or whose basic needs were not met healthily. They were people who faced turbulent times or uncertain futures and had low self-esteem, negative self-image, etc.
Jones promised a sense of certainty, social acceptance, belonging to the community, self-respect, purpose, and safety within his temple. Some beliefs must have been ingrained in these people's hearts because - in the end - they followed Jones' orders.
Applicability and acquiescence
It is simple to understand why it might seem irresistible if someone promises to meet your needs appropriately when your needs aren't being adequately met healthily.
If you disagree, consider the following: On a conventional level, consider the number of neglected spouses who cheat on their partner after meeting someone who listens to them, compliments them and treats them kindly, etc.
Rational justifications for irrational behavior
We all need a certain amount of quality attention, and we strive to fulfill this need in different ways. However, our thirst for it can blind us to the immoral aspects of the person (or entity) who seduces us.
Our emotional drive is so strong that it will get help from the conscious mind to devise convincing rational arguments supporting what we feel compelled to do. Indeed, Jim Jones' followers developed a belief system and sincerely believed they had rational arguments.
It's easy to say afterward: "How could we have been so foolish?" Extreme incidents, like the Jonestown massacre, show how powerful the mind-numbing drive to satisfy our basic human needs can be. It could overshadow clear thinking, just as a person dying of thirst in the desert would drink a bottle of chilled poison if offered.
In conclusion
There are emotionally manipulative people of varying degrees all around us. When we were young, we thought we were immune to psychological pressures that confuse, manipulate, and affect others.
In this part of the article, we discussed emotional manipulation and mentioned the example of the Jonestown story. Then, we talked about basic human needs and applicability and acquiescence. Finally, we mentioned the rational justifications for irrational behavior. In the second part of the article, we will discuss other ideas. So, stay tuned.
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