Manipulation...

From an email from a friend this morning: With the help of specially trained psychologists the advisers of Acta are taught how they shall win the full trust of their clients.

There is no doubt that psychological competence can contribute to the training of sellers.

"There has been a lot of research on how to influence other people, without the influenced noticing that she/he becomes manipulated,"

a psychologist says.

He has seen how sellers use psychological competence.

“With technical language this technique is called neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP. In the clinical psychology such techniques are used without the patient being clear over this [not clear over what's happening]. You try to bring peoples' thoughts, and create feelings, in certain directions. But then [in this circumstance] they are used with a good aim [but is it better in this or any other circumstances?]. It is unethical using these techniques in selling businesses, [especially] when they are exclusively used in winning purposes [gaining money!?]”

this psychologist means. He thinks it’s important that people are aware that techniques like these exists.

“You need to have counter-knowledge, so you are better prepared in meetings with trained sellers,”

he says.

I wonder what Alice Miller has written about NLP and manipulation once again… Maybe I will look for this later. See articles by and about Miller and her ideas here, here and here.