Title: Are You Being Manipulated? | Psychology Today
Headings: Are You Being Manipulated?
Darlene Lancer, JD, LMFT
Are You Being Manipulated?
How to recognize the motives and tactics of manipulators.

Content: Parents routinely manipulate with bribery – everything from, “Finish your dinner to get dessert,” to “No video games until your homework is done.” Manipulators often voice assumptions about your intentions or beliefs and then react to them as if they were true in order to justify their feelings or actions, all the while denying what you said in the conversation. They may act as if something has been agreed upon or decided when it hasn’t in order to ignore any input or objection you might have. The “foot-in-the-door” technique is making a small request that you agree to, which is followed by the real request. It’s harder to say no, because you’ve already said yes. The reversal turns your words around to mean something you didn’t intend. When you object, manipulators turn the tables on you so that they’re the injured party. Now it’s about them and their complaints, and you’re on the defensive. Fake concern is sometimes used to undermine your decisions and confidence in the form of warnings or worry about you. Emotional Blackmail
Emotional blackmail is a form of manipulation that is emotional abuse.