Have you ever wondered what manipulators’ weaknesses are? Manipulators are generally viewed as supervillains in life who can control minds and do dark stuff.
Well, these guys are real-life villains but not invincible and have weaknesses. And if you are aware of their loopholes, you’ll have a much easier time saving yourself from falling victim to them.
And that’s exactly what we are going to do in this article.
Within the next few minutes, not only will you learn about the weaknesses of manipulators, but also arm yourself with the knowledge to see through them and destroy their attack.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
What is Manipulation?
Manipulation, simply put, is influencing someone to do something against their consent for one’s benefit. It involves deceit or coercion to exploit other people’s feelings, behavior, or thoughts without letting them know about it.
The covert nature of this crime is what makes it the most dangerous since you don’t know if the suspicious person is a manipulator planning to hurt you or if you are thinking too much. Dealing with a manipulator can prove to be mentally draining.
If you try to do it forcefully, it can easily escalate the situation and have you dig your own grave. Some people vouch that ignoring a manipulator is the way to go but that’s not the case either.
Not all manipulators are equal and not everyone will react the same to being ignored. Some may get bold and attack you with greater force that leaves you wishing you should’ve never ignored them.
Therefore, it’s important to know what you are doing since dealing with a manipulator is like playing with fire. One wrong move and you get hurt.
Why Understanding Manipulators’ Weaknesses Is Important
Just as I told you above, not all manipulators are equal but they are not invincible either. Manipulators, when doing their job, leave a trail and if you can pick up these clues, it will immediately expose them to you.
And the key to this is the manipulators’ weaknesses. Knowing their weaknesses, you will understand their modus operandi.
You will be able to uncover the ways they walk, the words they utter, and the cards they play to gain an unfair advantage, enabling you to devise a perfect strategy.
It will help you to see through the friendly façade they project and nullify their attack effortlessly.
Inside The Mind of a Manipulator
Let’s first understand what runs inside the mind of a manipulator and get familiar with their operation. Manipulators are good at figuring out your weaknesses and exploiting them to their advantage.
They usually prey on insecure people with low self-confidence since they are very easy to control. Though there are multiple ways of manipulating, a common cycle of manipulation goes like this:
- A manipulator analyzes you and studies your weaknesses.
- He builds rapport with you by appearing likable and agreeable. The idea here is to make a good impression on you.
- He will keep behaving in a likable manner till you start trusting him and lower your defenses.
- Once he wins your trust, he’ll pull out a dagger from the velvet glove. He will propose to you something of his interest but very subtly and even indirectly.
- Since he has already built a trust foundation with you, you are not likely to suspect him much and begin to accept his words and behavior.
- He will keep using the trust as a smokescreen and exploiting you to get what he wants.
Once he’s done with you, he’ll dump you and move to his next victim.
What Are Manipulators’ Weaknesses?
So far, we have understood how a manipulator operates. But their working methods are not foolproof and have various weaknesses that you can use to see them from a mile away.
So, without wasting any time, let’s jump to the manipulators’ weaknesses.
1. Lack of Empathy
A manipulator is always brimming with charm. They seem so charismatic, confident, and agreeable that you can’t help but be pulled towards them. How could someone not like them? Their aura is so magnetic that it feels unreal.
That’s what a usual manipulator is or at least appears to be. However, if you pay close attention, you can see their mask leaking. They might be sporting a great smile and have a strong presence but they don’t seem to be emotionally connected to you.
We humans are emotional creatures and we make good use of these when interacting with others. When someone tells you a sad story, you will feel sad or even cry. These are your mirror neurons in action that help you put yourself in the shoes of others.
However, that’s not the case with the manipulator. A manipulator lacks empathy. As you talk to him, notice how he carries his body language.
The expressions he is giving off will not be aligned with what he’s saying. His mouth might be smiling but not his eyes. He may be congratulating you for your accomplishment but his voice tone will be dull. It’s like there is an emotional disconnect with him.
And this weakness of the manipulator is something he doesn’t have very much control over. So, you should keep it in mind when scanning manipulators in your life.
2. Need for Control
If you go above and read how a manipulator operates, you will notice that he needs to control you to have any effect on you. This leads to predictable behavior and turns into one of the biggest manipulators’ weaknesses that you can use to detect them.
A manipulator has a strong desire to control the masses as it gives him a sense of security. He will exert his controlling behavior in subtle ways like trying to take charge of the conversation or interrupting you when talking. He may even withhold the information to keep you dependent on him.
The reason for this is to control the information and situation to twist the facts as he likes and make you believe what he wants you to believe. If you know someone like that in your circle, be aware of him!
3. Fragile Self-Esteem
As we saw in the last point, a manipulator needs control and it stems from a fragile self-esteem. Psychologically, you want to control a situation when you are afraid that if things don’t go your way, you won’t be able to handle the situation.
If you look closely, you will understand that their charm, their loud and energetic personality is nothing but a way for them to seek admiration and approval from others. They want to feed on the external validation to feel good about themselves.
They have very thin self-worth and aren’t confident in themselves at all. This weakness of manipulator is why they control and manipulate others as they aren’t confident in their abilities and have to play dirty tricks to get their way.
When interacting with them, watch for some clues. As you disagree with them or tell them their idea isn’t so bright, they will take it straight to the heart and begin to react personally. They just can’t seem to take criticism as it is poisonous to their shallow foundation of self-esteem.
4. Isolation and Loneliness
Imagine a person suffering from fragile self-esteem who can’t forge meaningful bonds with people either. What would his life be?
Very lonely of course since everyone, including those who are introverts, requires a certain level of social bonding.
This makes loneliness one of the core manipulators’ weaknesses that you shouldn’t miss. And if you take a deeper look, you will find they have inconsistent pasts related to long-lasting friendships and relationships.
They may claim to have many friends in their lives but hardly any old friend is still with them. This also leads us to a clue that if such a person appears so likable and pleasant then why is his past so barren?
If you encounter someone like this who appears to you bigger than life and impresses you with their charm, but they have a barren past regarding meaningful relationships, be prepared to walk away at the first instant.
5. Fear of Exposure
Imagine lying and deceiving all around while hoping every day, “Let’s not get caught today”. What would be the life of such a person? Of course, he would feel frightened to his core not to get caught. That’s what a manipulator has to go through every day.
He fears that someone will find the lie he told some time ago to break a fight and weaken the team or fake persona he projected to get the promotion.
This is the reason a manipulator goes a mile to make sure no conflict arises. He’ll also avoid situations where possible conflict can break out and this makes it one of the major weaknesses of a manipulator.
For example, a manipulator is telling you made-up stories about someone to make you think I’ll of him. If you say, “Let me confirm this from him”, he will immediately try to change the topic or convince you that’s not needed since it’s an old topic.
This is the reason the manipulator prefers to lurk in the shadows and play his tactics behind closed doors. If you come across such a person, be cautious, as he can be a dangerous manipulator.
6. Predictability
Manipulators mostly have a trick or two up their sleeves which they have mastered over time. However, these seemingly invincible tactics deployed by the manipulators are quite predictable.
They may try to attack through a different direction every time but more often than not are going to use the same method.
Once you get the idea of their work, they become quite predictable. You will be able to see through them miles away.
Let’s say a manipulator’s tactic is to instill doubts in you to bring you down. Once you get the idea of his ways, it will be quite easy to spot it.
Every time he tries to belittle you, instead of getting affected by his words, you’ll laugh at his petty ways.
7. Lack of Long-Term Success
Last but not least on the list of manipulators’ weaknesses is their lack of long-term success which may be a result of their own actions. A manipulative individual may enjoy short-term benefits due to their manipulative actions but get diminished in the long run.
They may deliver a perfect lie, twist the facts, and deceive everyone around BUT only so much. It’s only a matter of time before their victims realize the reality. The word spreads quickly, and everyone around them becomes wary of them.
Their deliverables don’t align with their promises and their perfectly crafted persona gets demolished. All of these things keep piling up only to restrict the chances of success for the manipulative individual. You may find people in your life who are big talkers and claim to have ruled the world but they have nothing to their names.
Though it could be the case of someone excessively praising himself but is also one of the manipulator’s ways where someone may ask him if he’s so brilliant, why isn’t he successful and he blames on some external thing to save his face.
How Do You Beat a Manipulator?
Let’s take a quick look at how to defend yourself against manipulation. This deserves a guide on its own but let’s quickly discuss it.
To beat a manipulator, you first need to decode him. You need to understand why he is doing what he’s doing. Once equipped with this knowledge, you’ll be able to create your workaround.
Decoding A Manipulator
To decode a manipulator, understand three core principles.
- Why do people manipulate? It will help you understand the psyche of a manipulative individual.
- What benefit will the manipulator yield? It will help you understand his affiliations and goals.
- How do people manipulate? It will help you understand his ways.
Now let’s discuss all 3 in detail.
1. Understanding Why Do People Manipulate?
Generally, people manipulate because they lack self-confidence and don’t believe in their abilities to do the job. They could also be suffering from trauma like fear of being abandoned, prompting the person to become clingy.
Your best shot is to look at the recent past of the individual and analyze it. It will be very helpful to know about their childhood too if you can. Doing this will help you grasp the psyche of the manipulative individual.
2. Finding Out What a Manipulator Wants?
The second step is to find out what does manipulator wants. This may be a bit tricky but can be done fairly easily. The best way to do it is to observe the baseline behavior of the person.
Once you know what is a normal behavior for him, you should notice when he deviates from it.
What are the topics and situations where his eyes will sparkle or he will accumulate a sudden burst of energy? Or what are the topics he seems to be more interested in than usual? These questions will help you decipher the desires of a manipulator.
3. Understanding The Modus Operandi Of a Manipulator
Just like a serial killer, a manipulative person has his own set of ways in which he operates. He will always adopt the strategies that lie in his comfort zone.
For example, if he is a gifted communicator, he will manipulate through his words.
Therefore, the first place you should look to understand the working of a manipulator is his strength areas. Pay attention to how he navigates in these domains.
Also, a manipulator targets the weak areas of the victim therefore you should keep an eye on your challenging areas as well as you will be expecting them there.
FAQ
Conclusion
Manipulation is a way of exercising power over someone by exploiting their feelings, behaviors, or thoughts to their advantage.
These bad guys may seem intimidating but have various loopholes in them and if you know about the manipulators’ weaknesses, you would know clues to detect them. In this context, we discussed the weaknesses of manipulators in detail that will help you spot these guys from a mile away.
Then we discussed how can you beat a manipulator by focusing on his psyche and working methods. Though this wasn’t in the scope of this article, we discussed it to give an idea about it.
So let’s wrap it up for now. What do you think about the manipulator’s weaknesses?
Which one of these loopholes do you think is the most common one? Let us know in the comments below!
Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends to know what they have to say about it.
Leave a Reply