Manipulation is generally considered a dishonest form of social influence as it is used at the expense of others. Manipulative tendencies may derive from personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, or antisocial personality disorder.
Manipulators typically exploit the following vulnerabilities:
| Vulnerability | Description |
|---|---|
| Naïveté or immaturity | People who find it too hard to accept the idea that some people are cunning, devious and ruthless or are “in denial” if they are being taken advantage of.[14] |
| Over-agreeableness | People who are too willing to give another the benefit of the doubt and see their side of things.[14] |
| Low self-esteem | People who struggle with self-doubting, lacking in confidence and assertiveness, and who are likely to go on the defensive too easily.[14] |
| Over-intellectualization | People who try too hard to understand and believe others have some understandable reason to be manipulative.[14] |
| Emotional dependency | People who have a submissive or dependent personality. The more emotionally dependent a person is, the more vulnerable they are to being exploited and manipulated.[14] |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulation_(psychology)
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