How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 39
8. The law of expectation
If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you
are capable of becoming, I help you become that.
—JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
Effective manipulators understand that people normally behave according to the expectations set by
others. They will use this to their advantage by unconsciously sending persuasive signals of
expectation towards their Victim which are based on their psychological desires and wants. Moreover,
they utilize the expectations and opinions of others (people with psychological influence over their
Victim’s lives) to maneuver their Victim into a decisive frame of mind.
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