The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Law number 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the
Mirror Effect The mirror reflects reality, but it is also
the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they
cannot figure out your strategy.
The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact.
By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share
their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson.
Few can resist the power of the Mirror Effect.
Example: Early on in his career, the ambitious statesman
and general Alcibiades of Athens (450-404 B.C.) fashioned a formidable weapon that became
the source of his power.
In every encounter with others, he would sense their moods and tastes, then carefully tailor
his words and actions to mirror their inmost desires.
He would seduce them with the idea that their values were superior to everyone else’s,
and that his goal was to model himself on them or help them realize their dreams.
Few could resist his charm.
The first man to fall under his spell was the philosopher Socrates.
Alcibiades represented the opposite of the Socratic ideal of simplicity and uprightness:
He lived lavishly and was completely unprincipled.
Whenever he met Socrates, however, he mirrored the older man’s sobriety, eating simply,
accompanying Socrates on long walks, and talking only of philosophy and virtue.
Socrates was not completely fooled—he was not unaware of Alcibiades’ other life.
But that only made him vulnerable to a logic that flattered him: Only in my presence, he
felt, does this man submit to a virtuous influence; only I have such power over him.
This feeling intoxicated Socrates, who became Alcibiades’ fervent admirer and supporter,
one day even risking his own life to rescue the young man in battle.
Alcibiades then charmed the Athenians, got accused of profaning sacred statues and fled,
he then charmed the Spartans, impregnated the king's wife and fled and lastly he charmed
the Persians, secretly helped the Athenians win their war with Sparta and, well fled Persia,
but returned back home where the Athenians embraced him with open arms in 408 B.C.
Wherever Alcibiades went, whoever he had to deal with, he would leave behind his own values
and appear to share the values of his victims.
No one could resist a man who not only concurred with them, but also admired their ways of
living, seeming to be one of their own.
This mirror effect, this very early discovery of what some call a neuro simplistic programming
technique today, was way more effective than any sharpened sword and shield Alcibiades
could have wielded.
Greene describes these Four Main Mirror Effects 1.
The Neutralizing Effect, 2.
The Narcissus Effect, 3.
The Moral Effect and 4.
The Hallucinatory Effect.
All good and well, but what does that mean illacertus?
I am so glad you asked.
1.
The Neutralizing Effect Do what your enemies do, following their actions
as best you can, and they can't see what you're up to as their strategy for dealing with you
depends on your reaction.
2.
The Narcissus Effect You look deep into the souls of other people;
fathom their inmost desires, their values, their tastes, their spirit; and you reflect
it back to them, feeding their narcissism. 3.
The Moral Effect You mirror what other people have done to
you, and do so in a way that makes them realize you are doing to them exactly what they did
to you.
4.
The Hallucinatory Effect comes from creating a perfect copy of an object,
a place or a person.
Mirroring people is extremely effective You give them the feeling that you share their
thoughts and goals.
If they suspect you have ulterior motives, the mirror shields you, preventing them from
figuring you out.
By playing the double, you steal their thunder, suck away their initiative and make them feel
helpless.
You also gain the ability to choose when and how to unsettle them.
The mirror saves you mental energy: simply echoing the moves of others gives you the
space you need to develop a strategy of your own.
But tread lightly Mirrors contain great power but also dangerous
reefs.·
You can often back into a mirrored situation without fully understanding it.·
Most often you suffer by the comparison, seeming either weaker than the previous occupant of
your position or else tainted by any unpleasant associations that person has left behind.·
Avoid the association-effects like the plague.
· In a mirrored situation you have little or no control over the reflections and recollections
that will be connected to you.·
Any situation beyond your control is dangerous.
· Doesn’t matter if the person or event has positive associations, you will suffer
from not being able to live up to them, since the past generally appears greater than the
present.
· If you recognize people associating you with some past event or person, do everything
you can to separate yourself from that memory and to shatter the reflection.
As always thanks for watching.