Introduction

While Psychology can be defined, in general, as the study of human

behavior and the functioning of the mind, Dark Psychology studies the
human condition, concerning man’s natural unconscious and emotional
predisposition to prey and subjugate others.
Dark Psychology, persuasion, and manipulation are everywhere: in
friendships, in love relationships, in advertising, in the workplace, in the
news, etc. It doesn’t matter where you look or who you’re talking to. The
situation is, either you are going to persuade someone, or someone will
persuade you. Think about it for a moment, if you don’t convince your boss
that you deserve a raise, he will convince you that you are not ready for it.
So, you will walk out of his office thinking you need to work another year,
or even longer, before you deserve it.
This penchant for Dark Psychology is innate within each of us. As people
get smarter and smarter and want to prey on us, we also, must adapt our
responses to these deviant behaviors. That’s why I decided to write this
book.
Dark Psychology & Manipulation is the result of 7 years of studying the art
of influencing human behavior and research in the psychological and social
fields. This book will reveal all the mechanisms that psychologists have
discovered in recent years to manipulate and persuade people’s minds to do
what you want them to do, as well as the most effective strategies to defend
themselves against mental control.
In the next chapters, you will find a collection of the most powerful
persuasive and manipulative techniques used by advertisers, emotional
predators, vendors, politicians and all those who are able to change the
thoughts of an individual or a group of people. You can use these
techniques both to protect yourself from manipulation by narcissists, or
social predators, and make a person do something they would not do.
Knowing these techniques will allow you to succeed in relationships in
general and especially at your work. Whatever your motivation is, in the
following pages, you will find the tools you need.
Whether you are conversing with your friends, your partner, writing a work
email, telling a story, or selling a product, you need to know the methods
that the masters of persuasion use to change people’s thoughts and make
them act.
This book is not designed for academic purposes. My goal is to present
persuasive language and behavioral patterns with many practical examples,
and begin to apply them immediately after reading them. These tools can be
so effective and powerful, so please use them ethically because it can be
good or do a lot harm to those around you.
Be careful! This book may hurt some people’s feelings. Please read it only
if you really feel prepared to improve your communication with an
ambitious goal. If you are a sensitive person, this book is not for you.
Everything you will learn here is simple, easy to put into practice and
works. You will learn to take advantage of our natural decision-making
process. It has been shown that decision-making is primarily based on
emotions and assumptions rather than logic—in the following pages, you
will learn how to take advantage of this “glimmer.”
If you want to move mountains, you have to be able to move people first.
Most people try to motivate others by praying them until death. When that
doesn’t work, they despair and start reprimanding, imposing, or deceiving
to get the results they want. If you try to motivate people directly, you will
fail. If you have already tried to change someone’s behavior, you will know
that this is painfully true. As an old saying goes, “You can take a horse to
water, but you can’t force it to drink.” However, you can make him thirsty.
Consequently, the secret of motivation, influence, and persuasion, lies in
learning to create the conditions for the mind to become “thirsty” so that the
body follows it. The good news is that most minds are already thirsty in
some way. We all live our lives driven by a series of necessities and desires,
and you just need to go a little deeper to find those needs and take
advantage of them. How? Through the use of language patterns and
cognitive shortcuts that I will reveal to you.
Our brains love shortcuts. The world is a complex place, and your brain is
constantly being attacked by an enormous amount of sensory information,
for which it has a series of pre-programmed responses to help you resist this
deluge. That’s why when you hear a sudden loud noise, your body jumps.
When you see good food, your mouth produces saliva. When the room is
dark and warm, you get sleepy. It all happens automatically. You don’t have
to think about it, it just happens. These “conditioned responses” are
activated because your brain has learned to anticipate what comes next. So,
is it possible that there are such “cause and effect” answers when we listen
to certain words? Or is it possible that certain parts of human
communication universally command a specific “shortcut” reaction?
The short answer is YES!
The interesting thing is that every time you talk to someone, consciously or
unconsciously, you are influencing that person’s mind. Even if you choose
not to talk, your own silence can affect them. Your verbal and non-verbal
communication changes the neurochemistry of those around you. People
normally do not want to accept this truth because they are afraid of being
considered manipulative. Some people don’t like the idea of influencing
other people’s thoughts for obvious ethical reasons, and some simply don’t
want to accept this responsibility. However, to communicate effectively,
you must accept this fact. Whether you try it or not, you are manipulating
the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others.
When we think in manipulation, we think of some manipulators in history,
such as Adolf Hitler, Frank Abagnale Jr., Bernie Madoff, or any other
people who use the same skills to sell our used cars in bad condition, get
guilty people acquitted or cheat millions of poor people. But let’s not forget
the other great manipulators of history, such as Mother Teresa, Martin
Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Gandhi and many others who have used
the power of words to move people to fight for human rights, to abolish
slavery, to give more power to the weak or to initiate political reform.
Both groups have influenced the thoughts, emotions, and actions of
hundreds of thousands or millions of people, but the difference lies in the
intention. No one doubts that communication is a powerful tool. Like any
other tool you have at home, communication can be used to build or
destroy. In the hands of a chef, a knife is a useful tool, while in the hands of
a murderer, it is a deadly weapon, but what matters is not the knife itself,
it’s the intentions of the person who uses it. In the rest of this book, I will
provide you with powerful tools that will allow you to get what you want.
Surely you’ve already imagined what you can achieve when you’ve
enhanced your powers of persuasion and manipulation, so now I’ll tell you
what will happen if you don’t, that is to say, without these abilities:
- If you’re an employee, you won’t get a raise from your boss;
- If you’re a parent, you won’t be able to get your kids to make their bed;
- If you’re a victim of a manipulator, you won’t realize it, and you won’t be
able to react to get rid of his negative influence;
- If you’re a salesman, you won’t be able to sell your products easily;
- If you’re a team leader, you won’t be able to motivate your team members
to work harder or more efficiently;
- If you’re completing a negotiation, you won’t get any concessions from
the other party;
- If you’re an entrepreneur, you won’t get your employees to accept your
vision;
- And the list goes on.
As a result, without the capacity for manipulation and persuasion, you
simply will not be able to influence people’s behavior. Therefore, improve
these skills by reading this book, and you’ll get pretty much anything you
want.
So, are you ready? Now it’s time to begin this fantastic “journey” into the
human mind to discover its secrets.
Happy reading!

Chapter 1
The Fundamentals of Dark Psychology
What is Dark Psychology?
To understand what Dark Psychology is, we must, first of all start from the
basics and understand what Psychology is. It can be defined as the science
that deals with the study of human behavior, that is how people perceive,
think, and react to various situations based on emotional, cognitive, and
social elements.
Dark Psychology, instead, can be defined as the study of the human
condition about a man’s natural unconscious predisposition to prey on and
subjugate others for personal gain.
The use of Dark Psychology can be found everywhere—in love
relationships, at work, in relationships with friends, on TV, in advertising, in
politics, etc [1] .
This dark aspect of psychology is inherent within each of us, no one
excluded, and is part of the most unconscious part of our mind.
How is it possible to use psychology to take advantage on others? Simply,
by using devious techniques of influence and mental manipulation to induce
others to do something they would not normally do. Many psychological
experiments show how it is possible to do this, and in the course of the
book, I will give you a proof of this!
The secrets of Dark Psychology, lies in the knowledge of hidden
psychological principles. Some of these powerful techniques and tactics are
used by influencers to manipulate other people’s minds to influence their
choices.
Dark Psychology, as well as the principles and techniques that surround it,
can be used in romantic relationships and help in your career path. Of
course, this is not to encourage you to become an emotional or social
predator; however, knowing these techniques will give you a great
advantage from others.
Why do we need to understand Dark Psychology? This is present every day,
in everything around us and therefore, cannot be ignored by us.
At this point, you have the power to choose whether to continue to ignore
the secrets of Dark Psychology with the consequence of becoming its
victim, or decide to know about it and exploit it to your own advantage,
either to protect yourself from mental manipulators, or to influence others
to do things they would not generally do.
Perception
This is a set of cognitive abilities that allows us to acquire the information
that comes from the outside and is re-elaborated in our mind. Perception is
therefore that process by which everything we see, hear, and perceive with
all our senses is then modified by our brain so that everything we perceive
can have some meaning.
Man, by natural predisposition, tends to save cognitive energies through
what are called “cognitive or reasoning shortcuts”, to conclude with a
minimum of effort in the decision-making process as fast as possible. The
effort is a cost and our brain tends to limit it as much as possible. Laziness
is deeply rooted in human nature.
During human evolution, we have developed a capacity for reasoning. This
decision-making capacity allows us to be extremely effective and fast.
Since prehistoric times when there was the appearance of danger, for
example in front of a starving beast, the man did not think about all the
possible options. Still, he chose from a few available options:
1) or either run away from the lion (escape);
2) or attack the beast (attack);
3) or he would freeze to avoid detection (freezing).
This speed of decision-making, on the one hand, has obviously allowed us
to evolve but, at the same time, generates what is called COGNITIVE BIAS
that is the cause of many errors of logical, cognitive, and above all
decisional type [2] .
In other words, this reasoning capacity exposes us quickly to the possibility
of being conditioned and influenced by others in our choices.
All the mental influence’s techniques will be revealed to you in this book,
leverage a series of cognitive automatisms to influence a person’s decision-
making process. Anchoring Bias, Ingroup Bias, Halo Effect Bias,
Bandwagon Bias, Confirmation Bias, are some Cognitive Bias that will be
explained in the next chapters.

Persuasion
“Persuade” and “manipulate” are two verbs that are often used as
synonyms, but which, on the contrary, have very different meanings!
As we will see shortly, the difference between Persuasion and Manipulation
lies fundamentally in the “techniques” and “methods” used to convince
another person.
Persuasion is the art of changing someone else’s attitude or behavior
through a mutual exchange of ideas. Unlike manipulation, it uses only
words and logical arguments to put the interlocutor into a specific state of
mind to which the persuader points. It can be said that persuasion aims at
obtaining approval and trust through a gradual and systematic work of
conviction.
Richard M. Perloff [3] defines the persuasion as “a symbolic process in
which communication seeks to convince other people to change their
attitudes or behaviors about a problem through the transmission of a
message in an atmosphere of free will.” In persuasion, the person makes his
choice of his own will, even when the persuader uses persuading tactics to
guide the subject in a certain way. The person will still be able to choose the
direction he wants to take.
The art of Persuasion can be compared to a knife. It can be used either to
cut a cake or food or to kill a person. Objectively the knife is not made to be
a weapon but could be used as a weapon. In the same way, also persuasion
techniques can be used for both “good” and ethical purposes (e.g. to defend
yourself against those who want to use them against you), or they can be
used for “evil” purposes.
So consider this book as a real knife and learn to use it in the right way.
Everything will depend on you!

Manipulation
Unlike persuasion, Manipulation is a type of social influence aimed at
changing the perception or behavior of others using linguistic tricks,
devious schemes, subliminal, and deceptive methods that can also lead to
both psychological and physical abuse.
Manipulation can be said to be aimed at the coarse reworking of elements,
mostly for tendentious or fraudulent purposes.
Etymologically, manipulation means “forcing someone by force to do
something.”
The Manipulator tries to lead the other towards his own ideas for personal
gain and very specific interest and can do this either, by using sneaky
manipulation techniques or by using extreme persuasion techniques. In any
case, most of the tactics he will use will be deceptive and exploitative.
But how do you manipulate a person? Manipulation often occurs through
the use of deception or illusion, i.e., by altering or distorting the vision of
the person’s reality you want to manipulate, to the point of using coercion
and punitive practices.
But how exactly manipulators create this illusion of reality? The first tool
most used by manipulators is the use of the lie to deceive others.
Lying, deception, generating guilt, fear, or even more serious anger, are all
tools used to manipulate people.
In addition, manipulators in action will resort a series of underhand
manipulation techniques such as intimidation, emotional blackmail, or
methods of mind control or brainwashing.

Dark Psychology vs. Covert Emotional

Manipulation
What is the difference between Dark Psychology and Occult Emotional
Manipulation?
Dark Psychology can be defined as the process of mental influence that
consists of making people do things against their self-interest. So this lacks
morality, precisely because its function is immoral.
Secret Emotional Manipulation is the process in which a person tries to
influence another’s decisions and feelings in a hidden way, not necessarily
for immoral purposes. Basically, Secret Emotional Manipulation involves
masking the real intentions of the manipulator. This type of person focuses
on the emotional side of the individual because he knows that a person’s
emotions are the key of their personality.
While secret manipulation focuses on an individual to achieve the ultimate
goal, Dark Psychology can be used on a person, but it can also be used in
larger groups to influence an entire group or, sometimes, a society to
influence their thinking. This shows how frightening and dangerous dark
persuasion can be because it can be used to change the minds of groups of
people altogether.

The History of Persuasion

Throughout time, persuasion has evolved and changed from its early days.
For many years, this has existed; it has indeed existed since ancient Greece.
That doesn’t mean the art and persuasion process is exactly the same as
before. Nevertheless, the art of persuasion and how it is used in today’s
times have changed considerably.
Richard M. Perloff spent quite a while researching traditional ideologies,
how they are used, and how they can affect culture as a whole. He has
written a book entitled The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and
Attitudes in the 21st Century [4] . The book discusses the five different ways
in which current values are used than in past times. They include
the number of messages considered as persuasion has risen in precarious
numbers. In ancient Greece, this was used only in writing and in debates
between the elites. There wasn’t much influence, and you wouldn’t see it
very often.
Without some persuasion message accompanying you in modern times, it is
difficult to get anywhere. Consider the different types and sources of ads
that exist; up to 3000 of these are found every day in the United States.
Besides that, people knock at your door or you might run into on the street,
often try to make you buy something, believe in what they are selling, or try
something new. This is, more than ever in history, a part of the modern
world.
Persuasion, can be said, that it travels very fast, it could take weeks or
longer to get a persuasive message from one point to another in ancient
Greece.
The power of persuasion was, therefore, limited as most people could not
get the message. In the sense of face-to-face contact, many acts of
persuasion had to be undertaken this way. In modern times, the use of the
Internet, radio, and television is a reasonable source of persuading messages
in hardly any time over a long distance.
In just seconds, political candidates can be able to appeal to their
constituents all at once, and each message can be quickly transmitted. This
plays a significantly greater role if it can be distributed too quickly.
Persuasion can also mean a lot of money—businesses have learned the
power of persuasion, and they do all they can to make it work for them. The
more successful they are to persuade consumers to buy their goods, the
more money they get.
Many organizations are only interested in the persuasion process, including
public service firms, marketing companies, or advertising agencies.
Other companies will be able to use the persuasive strategies provided by
these organizations to meet and surpass their marketing targets.
Persuasion has become subtler than it was in the past: at the start, the
persuader will make his points of views clearly to the whole group, to make
everyone change their minds. Those days have passed, and the persuasion
process is far more discreet, and hidden.
 Chapter 2
The 6+1 Weapons of Influence by Dr. Robert
Cialdini

Dr. Robert Cialdini is an international expert in the field of persuasion,

conditioning, and negotiation. He is a professor of psychology at the State
of the University of Arizona and his most important book, written in 1984,
is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion [5] . The book is an exhaustive
collection of studies, tests, experiments, and theories of many researchers
who want to explain how and why you end up saying YES.
People are surrounded by stimuli that increase more and more every day,
that’s why our brain reduce the fatigue of the active decision-making to
simplification mechanisms. Without the instinct, we’ll succumb to
information overload, so we use mental shortcuts (cognitive bias) [6] .
Today, the evolution of technology is very rapid. Our natural ability to
process information risks to be increasingly insufficient to handle the
overload of changes, choices, and novelties of modern life.
We have created our own inadequacy by building a world of radically
greater complexity.
But why talk about these topics? Because an unconscious level of decision
making gives 95% of our choices.
Let’s see in detail the 6+1 universal rules of persuasion discovered by
Robert Cialdini and the respective psychological mechanisms of mental
influence that underlie them.

1. Reciprocity
The “reciprocity rule” is according to which if a person receives a gift, a
concession, or a favor, which he perceives as spontaneous or disinterested,
he feels obliged to reciprocate.
This psycho-technique is based on the fact that we feel instinctively
inclined to reciprocate what a person has given us or the favor we have
received, as we have been educated from an early age by our society to
reciprocate a gift received.
A strategy of persuasion that exploits this principle is the “tasting
technique.” At the supermarket, they invite you to taste a product so that
when you feel you have received a gift you feel almost obliged to return it,
and the purchase of the package is almost guaranteed.
Or think of the street stalkers, those who ask for alms with various excuses
and pretend to give you a small thing by putting it in their hands, as a
flower; if you notice, as soon as you take it they start asking you for money.
Remember that you often return the gifts you receive unfairly, that is, by
exceeding their value, because psychologically you want to repay them in a
dignified way. And this mental trap is often exploited by those who want to
manipulate us.

How to Defend Oneself from the Rule of Reciprocity

If a person makes a favor, don’t feel obliged to return it. If he does it with
his heart, he won’t want anything in return, but if he wants something back,
avoid falling into it.
In fact, it is good to avoid accepting those gifts or those offers that give you
the suspicion that they are oriented towards a profit. So if you have the
impression that whoever is giving you a gift is not a benefactor but a taker,
you can easily refuse the gift with good assertive communication.
Also, when someone gives you a positive identity, they sometimes will
make it to manipulate you. If, for example, a person says to you, “You, who
are a smart person will surely approve...” don’t fall for the trap! He might
do it to push you to act in line with the image he’s given you. And you who
are a smart person certainly won’t fall for it.

2. Scarcity
The rule of scarcity is that mental concept whereby we tend to attach
greater value to everything that might run out before we can take advantage
of it or to what is rare.
According to this principle, the more something is scarce, the more it is
desired. It is the assumption that underlies collecting.
Marketing experts know that a product becomes more attractive when its
availability is limited.
There are two strategies to create scarcity in a sale:
1) Create a “time restriction” of the special offer, for example: “offer valid
until tomorrow night” or “offer valid only for a few days”;
2) Use the “product limitation,” e.g., limit the special offer “only to a
certain number of items” or “only to the first 20 calls.”
This is what happens on travel sites like Booking when we’re trying to book
a room in a hotel and a pop-up says “only 3 rooms left available.”
Also, this is what happens on airline websites when we are trying to buy a
ticket and a pop-up appears with the words: “last 5 seats available.”
The rule of scarcity acts deep in the consumer’s psyche because it leverages
on his fear of losing the product, or the opportunity to save money if it does
not act quickly.
How to Defend Yourself Against the Scarcity Rule
When an opportunity is limited in time, this does not mean that it has to be
precious and to be seized at once. Evaluate if you really need that product
or that information and don’t let your instinct advise you.
3. Social Proof
On average, when people are confused or in a situation with a lack of
information, they tend to consider the behavior and choices made by a large
number of people to be more valid. This rule exploits the cognitive
“Bandwagon Bias”.
It’s a bit like what happens when we get out of the subway, not knowing in
which direction we have to go to find the exit, we instinctively follow the
flow of people, believing that they know the right path.
If I have to buy a product on the internet, I will not only choose the one
with the best reviews, but I’ll go for the one with the most ratings.
This is what happens on Tripadvisor with the reviews and opinions that
customers give about the restaurants or hotels they have gone to [7] .
The same thing happens for the number of “Like” on a Facebook page
because their high number gives the idea that people like it, or try to think
about the high number of views of a video on Youtube.
In practice, the mechanism works like this. If interest or behavior is very
widespread among people, automatically it will appear more interesting and
attractive for us too. If you think about it, “fashions” work exactly like this.
This stratagem is used in political elections with polling data, if those say
that a certain political party is very successful among the people, I will have
the feeling that it is worth voting for it too.
This technique is also often used in marketing: when you see a line of
people outside a store, you feel more like going in, because you ask to
yourself: “What on earth will be in there? I’m going in there too!” The
same thing happens in a disco, where they keep people outside to create the
“queue effect,” even if there’s nobody in the club. On the contrary, when
you walk into a restaurant and realize there was no other customer, you will
leave; I have done it before. It happens because, in cases like this, we are
led to think that there is something wrong, and when we are in doubt, we go
away.
How to Defend Oneself from the Rule of Social Proof
Try not to fall into the trap of “If many people think so, then it’s right.” If,
for example, they recommend a restaurant, a movie or a book, the one
preferred by more people is not always the best.
4. Liking
As a rule, we tend to like people we like, attractive people in general and
those similar to us (in clothing, interests in opinions, hobbies, etc.) and for
this reason, we are more inclined to follow them and accept their offers.
This rule exploits the cognitive “Halo Effect Bias”.
By working on building a bond of “sympathy” and “similarity” between
persuader and victim, it is easier to achieve results than a change of attitude.
This pleasantness can involve many other things, it can be physical
attractiveness, sympathy, familiarity, a form of kindness, all things that
make a person-pleasant, and it is natural to follow from different points of
view.
How can it be created? By identifying the points in common with the
interlocutor, deepening on them, bringing them to the foreground, and then
leveraging them: it is a confirmation technique, in practice, one does
nothing but reflect the other.
To build a “bond of sympathy,” we can make appreciations. It is quite
natural that I have more sympathy for those who compliment me, who
esteem me, or who love me in general.
To build a “bond of similarity,” we can bring out one or more things in
common, similarity is a mutual in persuaders, if you tell him for example
“I’m from New York,” if he can’t tell you he’s from New York, he’ll say: “I
visited it last year it’s a beautiful city and I’d like to live there,” in this way
he’ll immediately appear more sympathetic and you’ll tend to follow him.
Declination of the rule of sympathy and pleasantness is the “identification
mechanism” that lies at the base of what is called “Influencer” or
“Testimonial,” that is the person known who openly recommends a certain
product praising its qualities or indirectly as he does in the various Social,
publishing photos with a certain product to influence his followers to buy it,
for a process of identification [8] .
How to Defend Oneself from the Liking Rule
If someone you've just met sells you a product or service and you realize
that you like it too much compared to others, turns on a "wake-up call". To
do this, try to separate the “product or service” from the “person proposing
it,” to objectively assess what he or she is proposing. If you take some time
to evaluate the purchase calmly, without the presence of the person who
might influence you.

5. Authority
In general, we have a sense of deference to authority, so we tend to follow
orders given by a person in uniform or advice given by an authoritative
person in a particular field.
This is why in marketing we use dentists in toothpaste or toothbrush
commercials, chefs to recommend a kitchen brand or sportsmen and women
to advertise products for those who practice certain sports.
A recent example of a company that has turned its fortunes around through
an important figure is Herbalife with Cristiano Ronaldo.
In order to appear authoritative, a persuader could adopt a decisive attitude,
and a posture that imposes itself. He could display his diplomas or
academic titles on the wall of his office, conveying an idea of
authoritativeness all the more so if, for example, he wears a uniform.
I have always been struck by the fact that two different lawyers, separately
from each other, told me that they could not wear a shirt worth less than
$100 because otherwise, they would lose clients because, indirectly,
wearing that shirt testifies to their professional success.
How to Defend Oneself from the Rule of Authority
When an idea or behavior is suggested to you by someone of authority, it
does not mean either that it has to be the right one, nor has to be the wrong
one. Let me give you this advice as an expert on the subject.

6. Commitment and Consistency

The “rule of Commitment and Consistency” is based on the fact that people
tend to be consistent with what has been said or done before.
We are all instinctively inclined to take positions, in general, because we
give a vague opinion about something. But once we have committed
ourselves, especially if we have done it in front of more than one person,
we automatically tend to maintain it. It’s as if something inside our mind
makes us do it. This happens because psychologically, we need to feel and
appear consistent with the choices we made previously.
The “rule of commitment and coherence” is much more effective if the
commitment is made, and besides being said, is also WRITTEN is good
thing. Also, if what has been said and written and also is made PUBLIC,
then the technique becomes extremely powerful [9] .
The mechanism of this persuasive technique consists in making a person
express a general judgment on anything and then immediately attach a
request to it.
A strategy that is used on the street by those who want money, is to ask the
first passer-by things like: “Excuse me, do you have something against drug
addicts?” The average person will answer no, and then invite him to put a
signature in favor of, for example, a popular petition to promote the social
reintegration for drug addicts, and then ask him and then a small offer in
support of the initiative he signed a few seconds earlier.
The secret lies in using an argument the interlocutor will certainly agree.
For example: “Are you in favor of saving poor children who are dying of
hunger?” or “are you in favor of protecting the environment and avoiding
pollution of the planet?” The answers to these questions will, on average,
always be in favor. So the trap of commitment and consistency with the
demand for money to support the initiative will be set. The passer-by is,
therefore, likely to agree to give the offer to be consistent with what was
said just now.
This technique works even better if the person you want to persuade
responds publicly in front of several people or in the presence of a friend
because in order not to make a bad impression, they will try to be consistent
with what they have said until the end.
Another way to exploit this rule, consists of a manipulative technique called
“Foot in the door” which aims to create a contact with the interlocutor, a
small glimmer, and then gradually make him accept something more
challenging [10] .
A typical example of “Foot in the door” is the pitfall technique or asterisk:
it is an offer at a very low price with an asterisk (*) next to it. For example,
imagine you see a sign in the window of a travel agency with a sign saying,
“Flight to and from Miami at $97.00 (*).” Attracted by the offer, we decide
to enter and ask to buy a ticket, but when we read what the asterisk
indicates in small letter, we discover that the offer is valid only under
certain conditions and does not include taxes, etc. so the total cost of the
ticket is $ 197.00. In these cases, it is very likely that having entered and
having asked the agent to want to buy a ticket, for consistency, we also
decide to pay the much higher amount.
How to Defend Ourselves from the Rule of Commitment and Consistency
Countering the “rule of Commitment and Consistency,” is very difficult,
and to say NO, you have to be very aware of what is happening.
Consistency is the element that makes us decide automatically, allowing us,
in most cases, to make the right decision quickly.
To avoid being a victim of this kind of manipulation, therefore, it is
necessary to be aware of the processes behind this principle to understand
that you can get out of this trap at any time you want.
If, for example, a decision is no longer optimal for us, no matter how much
energy we have spent to achieve that goal because it will probably be more
advantageous to let it go. If, on the other hand, you realize that you are a
victim of this kind of manipulation, you can use appropriate assertive
communication to tell the person you are interacting with that you are not
willing to fall into that kind of trap and that you are not willing to be
manipulated.
After the fear of scarcity, the praise for sympathy, the deference for
authority, and the power of reciprocity and consistency, I will deal with the
last rule of persuasion stated by Robert Cialdini: Units.

7. Units (The Community Effect)

The seventh rule is a rule developed by Robert Cialdini later, precisely in
2016 in his last book Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to
Influence and Persuade [11] , i.e., the idea that by sharing an identity
with someone else, one is then more inclined to accept his requests. This
rule exploits the cognitive “Ingroup Bias”.
Communicators who can identify “Units” will be able to get positive
responses to their proposals and recommendations. A tool used to study
(and exploit) the units are certainly the Facebook groups, capable of
triggering a sense of belonging such that commercial proposals are not only
accepted but desired.
There are many examples, but one of the most striking is certainly the
Apple that gathers a group of people who identify with the values of the
product, makes them similar to each other and that has managed to make
the same group of individuals also have a “common enemy,” embodied in
Android devices.
"Groupthink" or "group thinking" has been the subject of many experiments
that have shown how individuals are strongly influenced by group opinions,
perceptions, and behavior (Bias Ingroup).
Solomon Asch, a Polish social psychologist, demonstrated its validity in
1956 through one of his experiments [12] . This consisted of including some
subjects in small groups where shown three lines of very different lengths,
they were asked to indicate which of the three corresponded to, for
example, one meter.

The other members of the group, accomplices of the experimenter,

unanimously gave an obviously wrong answer. Well, 33% of the subjects let
themselves be conditioned by this answer and indicated the clearly wrong
length.
If the answer socially accepted by the group, even if wrong, is that the
normality is to wait for months to collect the salary, a great number of
subjects will let themselves be conditioned by such an answer.

How to Defend Ourselves from the Unity Rule

Contrasting the rule of “unity,” is very difficult because belonging to a
“community” in which we reflect and identify ourselves, conditions us both
in ideas and especially in purchasing choices.
Therefore, to avoid being a victim of this type of manipulation, is necessary
to be aware of the processes underlying this rule in order to understand that
it is possible to get out of this trap at any desired time. If, for example, a
product or service is not suitable for us, either because of its quality or cost,
it will be more advantageous not to buy it.