Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. You may not like them, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful to you, or at least keep you at bay. Here are four clever psychological tricks to turn them into allies.
How to turn your enemies into allies #darkpsychology #psychology#manipulation #psychologyfacts#anime
This post is part of our Evil Week series on Lifehacker, where we look at the dark side of getting things done. Sometimes evil is justified, and sometimes knowing evil means knowing how to defeat it. Want more? Check out our evil week tag page.
It’s possible to find enemies anywhere in your life. It could be a friend of a friend who regularly disrespects you, a classmate who gossips about you behind your back, or even an in-law who just doesn’t seem to like you that much. And let’s not forget the office: your boss and coworkers are some of the most common enemies you’ll encounter. They may refuse to give you projects for no reason, take credit for your ideas, or otherwise hinder your career. Anyone who has cheated on you, bullied you, betrayed you, slandered you, used you, or consistently disrespected or criticized you could be considered an enemy.
Identifying your enemies isn't always an open and shut case, though. As Paul Dobransky, MD, explains to Psychology Today, sometimes you have to look past their facade and look at their actions toward you:
