Most of us are sensitive to manipulation because this was the way we were socialized: “Good children listen to their parents.”

Manipulation has a hidden agenda against straightforward communication. It has to be covert because it serves the manipulator’s interest in direct opposition to the target’s desires.

“She had me twisted around her little finger until her every whim was met and then she dumped me.”

"My husband often compares to his mother who was perfect, or his sister who does no wrong, and I am really resentful. How can I show him what this is doing to our marriage?”

I believe I am one of the few people who are the most committed to positive psychology. I am an incurable optimist.