Power, Control, and Manipulation Wheel

Here are some tactics that people may use to manipulate others in conspiracist movements:

Chart showing use of power, control, and manipulation in conspiracy theories - The first section is Using Emotional Abuse: the examples are • Puts you down • Name calls • Plays mind games • Dismisses your thoughts and feelings • Controls the meaning of information • Manipulates • Verbally berates • Uses fear, isolation, or guilt The second section is Using Fear: the examples are • Exaggerates rumors of impending danger • Incites feelings of anxiety • Overwhelms you with negative news • Fosters a culture of worry around ambiguity • Provides anxiety-inducing explanations for complex and ambiguous problems The third section is Using Hierarchy: the examples are • Uses a power hierarchy to make you feel obligated to carry out their orders • Name- calls, degrades, and hazes you as part of an induction • Reduces your sense of personal responsibility for your actions by asking you to carry out orders The fourth section is Using Empathy: the examples are • Uses empathy for children against you to encourage you to agree with the conspiracy theory • Convinces you to care about a problem by using loaded language to manipulate you to support a cause • Misdirects your empathy into unrelated causes The fifth section is Using Guilt: the examples are • Makes you feel selfish, immoral, or evil for not giving them what they want • Makes you feel responsible for the wellbeing of others at the expense of yourself • Makes you feel like you owe them or owe the cause • Uses sarcasm towards your efforts The sixth section is Using Isolation: the examples are • Decreases amount of time you spend connecting with loved ones • Creates an us vs. them mentality with those outside of the conspiracy • Makes you feel like part of the “in” group • Makes it difficult to maintain relationships with anyone in the “out” group
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