Mastering the Art of Manipulation

Cheaters who are not manipulative enough easily get caught in their game. It is no wonder then the art of manipulation is something that has to be mastered by a cheater to evade discovery. Manipulation is primarily psychological in nature.

Psychological manipulation seeks to influence the perception of another through deceptive means. In trying to manipulate someone, the motive is hidden so as not reveal the purpose for such actions. Manipulation in relation to infidelity aims to deviate the attention of the faithful partner that will effectively prevent confrontation where infidelity doubts exist.

The manipulative cheater can use different tactics to achieve his/her goal. These would include lying, lying by omission, denial, rationalization, minimization, diversion, intimidation, evasion, guilt tripping, shaming, vilifying, and blaming. He/she can also resort to playing the victim role, feigning innocence or confusion, or selective inattention. The extreme forms can also be used such as seduction or extreme violence. All these are done to prevent the doubtful spouse from finding out the truth by blocking investigative efforts.

These tactics and strategies can be quite effective especially when used on doubtful spouses who abhor confrontation. Doubtful spouses know the consequence of going against what is being presented by the cheater. Cheaters know this and use this weakness to their advantage.