What Psychological Traits Does the Con Artist Look for in Victims? | Big Think

TL;DR

Con artists manipulate by gaining your confidence and making you willingly give, not take.

Transcript

One of the hallmarks of the good con artist is that it never feels like they're taking advantage of you. They are never taking anything from you. You give it to them willingly. So actually the term confidence artist came out of a man in the 1800s in New York City who would walk around on the streets of Manhattan dressed as a very dapper gentleman a... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧑‍🎨 Con artists make victims willingly give valuables by gaining their confidence and making them feel in control.
• 🤩 Machiavellianism is a key aspect of con artistry, involving manipulation without the target's knowledge.
• 💄 Victims often believe they are exceptional and deserving of exceptional things, making them vulnerable to manipulation.
• 🎮 Con artists create situations where victims think they are making decisions, leading to a false sense of control.
• 🎮 People are more willing to give when they believe they are in control of the situation.
• 🤔 Victims often believe a con is legitimate because they think the idea or proposal was their own.
• 🧑‍🎨 Con artists are skilled at making victims believe they are receiving a favor, enticing them to willingly give valuables.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do con artists manipulate victims into willingly giving them valuables?

Con artists use tactics like gaining trust by appearing trustworthy and pushing victims to willingly hand over possessions or money in a way that makes them feel in control of the situation.

Q: Why do people fall for the manipulation of con artists?

People often fall for the manipulation because con artists make victims believe they are exceptional and deserving of exceptional things, leading them to willingly give without questioning.

Q: What is Machiavellianism and how does it play a role in the art of the con?

Machiavellianism involves manipulating people for personal gain without their knowledge, allowing con artists to control victims and make them believe they are acting on their own accord.

Q: How do con artists make victims feel in control even though they are being manipulated?

Con artists set up situations where victims believe they are making the decisions, planting ideas so that victims think they are proposing the actions, leading to a false sense of control.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Con artists gain trust by posing as trustworthy individuals and manipulate victims into willingly giving them valuables.

• Victims willingly hand over possessions or money, believing they are making a choice, not being taken advantage of by the con artist.

• The manipulation tactics involve making victims believe they are in control of the situation, even though they are being deceived.