People Reading: Control Others

This is a very interesting read. Practical and useful info on why and how people behave the way they do,and how it affects others.

Both theoretical and practical, this book discusses the motivations behind peoples' manipulative behavior, both conscious and unconscious. It offers some advice for controlling or changing this behavior in others and in ourselves. Basically, people develop manipulative behaviors because these behaviors offer some kind of psychological reward. The way to undo these manipulations is to refuse to respond in such a way as to deny the reward that is expected. The book offers ways to do this, such as listening objectively, delivering a surprising response, holding back approval, etc. Also discusses such issues as blaming, discordance, marriage and divorce, children, alcoholism, etc. There are no ground-breaking ideas here, but the book accomplishes its aims in a very clear and accessible fashion, without psychological jargon. Some of the examples are outdated, as when it refers to the "establishment," "the sexual revolution," and the war in Vietnam. There is no bibliography.