Manipulative Personality?

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Anyone here have a naturally manipulative personality? I resist at most times, but manipulating people is like a second nature. I don't do it much because of guilt, but I do enjoy it. Certain people are just soooooooo tempting. I don't know why I'm like this, or whether I care about it. I know this can't have anything to do with AS, but what could it be then? Of course, maybe I learned from my little brother. He's a master of manipulating my mom, but she's still in denial about that. Anyways, brothers can pick up each other's traits, right? He defanitely has some shadow AS traits. Then again, I used to manipulate him all the time. I probably still do. Or maybe he convinces my mom it's I who started the manipulating? Either way, it's a second nature for me that I sometimes have to resist. It really doesn't happen much. But thanks to school, the stress from supressing "Dark Ben" is starting to get to me. The darker side of my personality is really close to surfacing and it's freaking me out. Their's too many stupid people in this world, and I hate having to deal with thme all. I just want to convince them all to go kill themselves or jump off a bridge. But I won't, because that'd be mean. So many idiots, so few intellectuals. Highschool is close to being over (9 months! ), and I can only hope that I can withstand torturing the idiots with insane rants of logical-ness while I'm still stuck here. I'm so annoyed by society right now, it's not even funny. People just don't get it! AHHH!! !! !! !! QUIT BEING AN IDIOT!! !

I should probably ask the question again. Anyone else have a naturally manipulative personality?

I don't, I'm rather anti-manipulative. But my sister is a master manipulator. My Mom called her a manipulative little snot, and it stuck, so now we all call her the manipulative little snot. She even calls herself that.

Would somebody please define manipulation?

As far as I can tell from common usage, it means consciously taking action that produce a desired response from another person. It's generally considered immoral - but isn't it a necessary component of every human interaction? Is an action only moral if it's done without awareness of the probable results?

That said, the people who know me best have said they're amazed how manipulative I am. Yet my social skills are crap and I still sometimes have to psych myself up to have a normal conversation. Go figure.

I'm generally pretty unassuming and guileless, but I occasionally have trolled a few sites on the Internet to pass the time. I don't frequently use deception, favoritism, or promises to "get my way." My mom says I tend to complain a bit much, and this tends to get things my way a little, so I guess I'm not completely unmanipulative. Manipulation is highly correlated with a cynical outlook on life, a sense of superiority, indifference for rules, and good social skills in general.

Manipulation is associated most with the Cluster B personality disorders but can be an aspect of any personality disorder to a lesser extent.

Sooooo.... do you think it's also correlated with the Nietzchean will to power?

gaaaaaaaaAAAH... Thats what my parents call me when they get angry. And if I try to tell them I'm not manipulative they tell me I'm trying to manipulate them into believing I'm not manipulative. Its a double bind. I hate it.

No. Nietzsche specifically stated that lying and vanity are aspects of slave morality rather than master morality. The most noble spirits are self-assured but not vain. They make rules, but they are not indifferent to them; most of all they recognize a hierarchy of power. Truth is strength for the noblest spirits. Nietzsche, of course, believed master and slave morality, despite his making the distinction, are merely the poles of morality; and most people mix them. Indeed, a mixture of morals may lead to the extramorality Nietzsche predicted would pervade the Europe after the twentieth century.

I like to think not, but to be honest, I can be.

Good question.

"Consciously taking action that produces a desired response from another person" is good. To be manipulative been to not be totally honest with the other person....to lie or to withhold info they need to make an informed decision.

To tell someone they are are wonderful artist and imply they can make a living as an artist (even though they stink at art) in order to convience them to pay tutution to your art school is manipulative. To tell them that they will never be able to make a living at art but your school will enhance the skills they do have, is better, more moral.

To manipulate is to arrange things so that both parties are not on even footing.

BeeBee

edited to add: I learned how to be manipulative as a child. I try not to be manipulative now.

i am, but then capricorns tend to be. i have to be in my job. and i don't always see it as a negative thing - the word has become associated with negative stuff, but sometimes, one HAS to do this.

anyone with a 2 year old knows exactly what i mean...

I've surprised myself at how manipulative I am, or try to be... And I'm equally surprised that no one (that I know in person) has noticed it that much...

GA

that's cos you're good at it, hon

i'm the same...

It scares me sometimes...

GA

But almost no communication is totally honest. My art school wants students because they can pay money and because as alumnae they might get prestigious jobs which would increase the school's reputation. But of course no professor says that. At a class critique, people don't give their honest opinions, they carefully say one positive thing and then one negative thing. Besides, it's impractical to give all informed decision info - no one would ever get anything done.

I don't have a manipulative personality, but my b*tch mother sure does.

I have been called manipulative twice in my life, though, and it left me kinda scarred.

Last edited by tokaia on 20 Aug 2005, 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've been accused of being maniuplative in some situations were I had not been doing anything, but as a rule I don't try to maniupulate people. When I do try, I tend to be too darned subtle or. . . .not so darned subtle. I find it better and more efficent to just ask someone straight out (as difficult as that is) for what I want/need.