Prospecticide is a manipulative technique that aims to keep another person completely under one's control. It is typical of the sects. Find out what it consists of!
Last update: May 18, 2022
Manipulation is the result of a series of strategies that aim to condition the behavior of the other without his being aware of it. It is closely related to the concept of human being as an object to be manipulated. In this article we talk about one of the most extreme manipulation techniques, the so-called prospecticide. What exactly does it consist of, how does it work and how do we realize that we are victims of it?
What is prospecticide?
This is undoubtedly a neologism, although the term has long been used to refer to brainwashing prisoners of war. It is also used to explain the psychological mechanisms that lead a person to fall into the net of a cult.
One of the consequences of prospecticide is, in fact, the loss of perspective; we come to develop the conviction that we are not entitled to a point of view or an opinion, because we are not up to it. Through this process, we can lose our point of view and even forget our beliefs.
By doing so, we end up embracing the ideas, ideals or goals of the person who is trying to dominate us. At the root there is a renunciation of our desires, needs, even the loss of personal identity or the feeling of the ego.
What is the mechanism of prospecticide?
The phenomenon of prospecticide it implies a toxic relationship, of control, domination and manipulation from one subject to another (or to a group). Over time, the victim ends up changing their way of thinking and acting, influenced or even dominated by the person who has power over them. The manipulator becomes the submissive's point of reference: he decides what he should think or do and, of course, has the reins of the relationship.
How can we see, it is not a mutual or two-way influence, in which both parties exercise a role or dominion. In this case the relationship is one-way and one of submission, control and domination. In other words, on the one hand there is the manipulator, on the other the victim or submissive subject.
The victim's world shrinks
The manipulator, in a progressive way, performs a "brainwashing" of the victim, until it completely loses its identity. The submissive person loses the ability to decide because the manipulator gradually narrows her world.
In this way, the victim finds himself in an increasingly reduced reality, aimed at the world of the other. What are the consequences? The person is unable to receive support, help or feedback from the people around them, and they find themselves increasingly isolated.
Ultimately, her loved ones cannot alert her to the danger she is in. What the manipulator does is impose his own worldview, his own ideas, and this has a significant effect on the way the victim perceives reality.
Strategy prospetticide
Prospecticide can be present both in relationships between couples and friends, in family and, of course, in sects. Some of the strategies or actions used by the manipulator are as follows:
- Obsessively controlling the victim.
- Establish the terms and "rules" of the relationship.
- Deciding how the victim should spend their time (and with whom).
- Altering the victim's concept of himself and even his way of being.
Are you a victim of prospecticide?
Do you have the doubt of being the subject of prospecticide? Here are some signs that can be alarming:
- You feel more and more unsure of your decisions.
- You have the feeling that you are losing points of reference.
- You feel unable to achieve your goals on your own.
- You begin to doubt your opinions and abilities.
In order to determine if this process is in progress, it is necessary to hear these “symptoms” or alarm bells at the base of the manipulation. That is, they arise as a consequence of the interaction with the other person, they are not present outside the relationship.
If you feel in this situation or think someone is manipulating you, distance yourself and seek help. It is not easy to get out of the grip of a manipulator, but identifying the signals and becoming aware of what is happening to you is the first step.
