This is a free masterclass by Chase Hughes.

Are you being manipulated without even realising it? Manipulation Playbook — a detailed guide to recognising the 20 indicators of reality control used by media, corporations, and even governments to shape what you think, feel, and do.

From fear tactics and emotional scripts to the overuse of authority and timing tricks, this video breaks down how these strategies work and how you can spot them in real-time. Using the F.A.T.E. Model.

Resist manipulation, think critically, and stay in control of your perspective.

This isn’t just about uncovering the lies, it’s about empowering yourself with tools to stay grounded in a world full of noise and hidden agendas.

Thanks to Russian BaZa for bringing it up!

Machine-generated transcript of the video

Bonus: Download our exclusive PSYOP Detection Tool in the description to rate manipulation tactics on a 1-100 scale.

If this is the end, if the stars fall and the earth, it begins to bend.
The intelligent minorities can engineer consent through the use of manipulation, propaganda
and control.
And we should do it.
People have got to know whether or not their president’s a crook.
Well, I’m not a crook.
We are in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding
with decisive action.
I know that the American people share my deep belief that if a danger exists in the world,
it is a danger shared by all.
We need to actually double down on the public health measures.
You can’t look at that television and say, nothing happened on the 6th.
I would like for you to answer the question.
Okay, it’s very simple to answer.
That’s why I asked it.
It’s very simple.
You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell you that.
If this is the end.
Most people have no awareness of how easily our behavior and even our identity can be
completely taken over.
But people are waking up.
I spent 20 years in the US military.
I’m a behavior expert.
I’ve trained PSYOPs.
I’m the best-selling author in behavioral psychology.
I want to show you exactly how to identify what we call engineered reality or what some
people call PSYOPs.
At the end of this, I’m going to give you a tool that’s literally going to give you
a score out of 100 that shows you how likely something is to be a PSYOP.
Let’s do this.
So the first thing you need to know is following the FATE model.
Focus, authority, tribe, and emotion.
This is what triggers the mammalian part of our brain that makes all of our real decisions.
The first part is focus.
PSYOPs always aim to hijack your attention with repetition, shocking visuals of fear-inducing
scenarios.
Some examples are like 24-7 media coverage of a crisis or constant repetition of terms
like unprecedented.
So with this, pause and ask, why is this message being pushed so aggressively?
So compare how much airtime different stories are receiving and note any disproportionate
focus.
The second part here is authority.
Trusted figures might shift their tone or positions unnaturally to support the narrative.
So watch very closely for expert panelists or endorsements where authority figures might
speak outside of their expertise.
Pay close attention to that one.
Then we have tribe.
So messages that polarize opinions or create stark in-groups versus out-groups or exploit
our tribal instincts.
For example, labeling groups as patriots versus traitors or scientific versus deniers.
Be very careful when you hear that language.
Finally, we have emotion.
So be wary of any communication that triggers strong emotions like fear, hope, or outrage
without any clear, verifiable evidence.
So emotional responses suppress critical thinking.
Emotional responses suppress critical thinking.
So as a tip here, analyze the evidence that’s presented to you.
If facts are replaced by appeals to emotion, you need to be very, very cautious.
As an example of this, think about like a news channel repeatedly showing images of
empty grocery shelves and panicked shoppers during a food supply scare.
It dominates every broadcast and it pushes people into fear-driven behavior.
Next, question novelty.
Our brains are wired to focus on sudden or unusual changes because they signal potential
threats or opportunities.
And this is an evolutionary survival mechanism.
Psyops exploit this by creating events that break normal expectations like unexpected
crises or dramatic revelations.
So ask yourself, why is this new?
So consider if the event or somebody’s message has been artificially manufactured or timed.
Look for patterns like sudden shifts in public opinion, trending hashtag that are unusual
or viral videos that seem very coincidental.
So for this one, just picture a new viral video just claims to expose a government cover-up,
but it conveniently comes out the exact same day that there’s some damaging evidence against
some high-ranking official.
The timing shifts public focus.
All of this is part of the NCI system I developed for teaching tradecraft and extreme psychological
operations.
And there’s even a gigantic textbook for all of this stuff in the description.
Definitely not for everybody, but it’s definitely the most comprehensive guide in the world
on this stuff.
So next item, look for multiple sources.
Centralized narratives create an echo chamber and they silence dissent and they narrow perspectives.
For example, if all media outlets present identical talking points, it is a humongous
red flag.
So actively seek out contrarian or independent voices, even if they challenge something that’s
already in your head.
So in reality, an example, during a maybe breaking health crisis, all the major news
outlets report on the exact same study, but independent researchers revealed the study
was funded by a company selling the solution.
So watch for that group speak.
Next is identify cognitive dissonance weapons.
Let’s talk about how this works.
So cognitive dissonance comes up when new information clashes with our identity or our
beliefs.
So psyops exploit the hell out of this by including micro agreements.
Micro agreements are little, small, seemingly harmless concessions to shape your identity.
And over time, you’re going to unconsciously align your behavior to reduce that internal
conflict.
And as a weaponization example of this, a psyop might present you as a part of moral
or intelligent enlightenment, like only good citizens do, X, Y, Z.
If you disagree with that, you risk some identity conflict there.
So reflect on your identity and ask, am I being nudged to identify with some other group?
So be very careful of any campaigns that are asking for seemingly minor commitments there,
like signing petitions, changing your profile picture that evolves into some bigger compliance
or demand later.
As an example of this, let’s say a company launches an ad campaign and they claim real
patriots by local.
If you disagree with their product, it feels like rejecting your identity as a patriot.
So this pushes you to conform.
Be very, very skeptical about those identity statements.
Next is looking for those emotional scripts.
And what I mean by this is the scripts that were written in our brains by our ancestors.
So manipulated narratives trigger instincts like the fear of loss or scarcity, social
rejection or danger.
For example, a media story about food shortages might activate survival scripts that cause
panic buying and stuff like that.
And we have scarcity fear.
This is sudden warnings about limited resources like water or medicine also sparks that kind
of behavior.
And then we have tribal rejection.
These are threats of being socially outcast, like you’re selfish if you don’t comply.
And those things override logic every time.
And as a tip for this, break the script by focusing on the facts, like what’s the likelihood
of this scenario?
So compare the claims with other sources.
For this, just picture where a politician says something like, if we don’t act now, our
children will not have a future.
This taps into survival instincts, those ancestor scripts in our head, and it’s tied to protecting
offspring.
It creates urgency without any facts.
Next is follow the money.
So there’s a trail of beneficiaries here.
So identifying who benefits always is going to reveal the motive.
So look for funding sources like sponsorships or political connections that are tied to
the narrative.
So use tools like OpenSecrets.org or public financial records to see who profits from
this.
So for policies or campaigns, identify the industries like pharmaceuticals, tech companies,
et cetera, that stand to gain the most.
So to illustrate this in your mind right now, picture a charity that’s promoting clean energy
awareness, and they seem noble until an investigation is showing that it’s funded by a solar panel
corporation that’s lobbying for subsidies or something like that.
Next, and this one is very important, is analyze the contact boundary.
The mechanism here is context, and context defines what is permissible.
So manipulative people shift contexts to normalize extreme behavior.
As an example of this, in emergencies, people accept surveillance or martial law that they
normally would completely resist.
So ask, what is the context?
Compare some similar events in different settings to see if the rules or responses seem
disproportionate.
Look for contradictions.
So for lots of the students who are brand new to NCI University, this right here is
the most massive realization.
When they realize that the ability to weaponize cognitive dissonance and then shift the context
can get anyone to do almost anything.
As a hypothetical example of this, let’s say there’s a major cyber attack.
The governments are now justifying some sweeping surveillance laws to protect the citizens.
This changes the context to make previously unacceptable actions seem absolutely necessary.
Next, spot the use of archetypes because they’re woven into our brains.
PSYOPs simplify narratives by using archetypes like heroes and villains and saviors.
Some examples are like portraying one leader as the sole solution or demonizing dissenters
as the enemy.
Deconstruct the story.
Ask, who are the characters and what roles are they playing?
Simplistic like good versus evil stories usually signal manipulation just about every time.
So always seek nuance there.
In the real world, you’re going to see something like maybe a leader is repeatedly portrayed
as a savior fighting something that’s pure evil and the narrative ignores their mistakes
and oversimplifies the conflict to prevent a lot of scrutiny.
Next, evaluate the frame.
So let’s do a step-by-step evaluation here.
First one is expectation.
What are you expected to believe or do based on this thing that you’re exposed to in the media?
Next is belief.
What assumptions are being made about you like your values or your fears?
Then we have perception.
So how is reality being shaped like selective facts or missing contexts?
And definition is the final step here when it comes to a frame.
What truth is being asserted as something that’s completely unchallengeable?
This comes up with information suppression.
So really look for topics that are being avoided, critics that are being silenced.
If somebody needs to be silenced in order for an idea to make it, then the idea is not good.
So alternative viewpoints being discredited, that’s a big one to look out for.
So cross-check timelines of events and notice if critics are labeled conspiracists
or if algorithms are suppressing some kind of specific search.
And this is a big one, especially in today’s time.
So to get a good example of this, during maybe a corporate scandal,
the company’s PR team frames these critics as disgruntled employees with a grudge.
So this shifts the focus away from the legitimate concerns to the motives of the critics.
And it does it almost without us realizing that that’s happening in our brain.
So next, be alert to rapid compliance shifts.
This one is scary and it’s happening every day.
PSYOPs create urgency to drive rapid compliance.
And these tactics are stuff like emotional appeals, staged group behaviors or false consensus.
For this, it’s really important to slow down and resist the pressure to act,
to question the conformity as much as possible and test the message, engaging the skeptics there.
So in the real world, this might look like maybe a viral social media challenge
urges all these users to adopt this brand new symbol or profile picture or hashtag kind of overnight.
And it creates a wave of compliance.
So later, this is kind of like a foot in the door technique.
It’s tied to some divisive political agenda.
Next, study the timing of the events.
And this one’s huge, especially right now.
Timing is everything.
Ask yourself, why is this happening now?
So what other events or scandals might this thing be distracting everybody from?
So look for very coincidental timing with unrelated major news stories or political movements.
PSYOPs can very often be smoke screens.
And in real life, you might see stuff like a huge celebrity breakup
floods all of the headlines exactly as some major investigative report
about government corruption is about to be released.
Coincidence? Probably not.
The next thing I want you to do is to sharpen your brain to start hearing and understanding these manipulation tactics.
And one of the biggest things that you can do, the most effective way that I could train you right now,
just you and me, is to teach your brain to recognize logical fallacies.
So let’s go through these.
Because PSYOPs very often use these flawed arguments to convince people.
And if you know how to spot them, it makes you a lot harder to manipulate.
Let me give you 10 of these so that your brain gets hardwired to start seeing everything a whole lot differently.
So the first one that you’re going to see all the time, appeal to emotion.
So this uses fear and anger and hope to bypass logic.
So like, if you don’t support this, children are going to suffer.
Next is the straw man argument.
This misrepresents somebody’s argument so they can attack it better.
So somebody might say they oppose the lockdowns because they don’t care about lives.
Think about that one.
Number three is the bandwagon fallacy.
So this claims that something is true because everyone supports it.
And this is, you hear this all the time.
Millions of people agree with X, Y, and Z.
You should agree with it too.
Number four is the false dilemma.
This presents only two extreme options and it ignores alternatives.
So it’s the either you’re with us or you’re against us fallacy there.
Number five is the ad hominem attacks.
This is the attack of the person and not the argument.
Be very observant for this.
So this is when you hear you can’t trust her.
She’s not a scientist.
You can’t do X because they’re not qualified based on X.
Ad hominem is very common and I want your brain to be able to spot it.
Number six is appeal to authority.
And this is a claim that something is true because an authority figure said so.
So like Dr. X supports it, so it’s absolutely right.
You have to trust the science.
Number seven is the slippery slope.
These are claims that one action is going to lead to some extreme negative outcome.
So you’ve heard this before.
Somebody says something like, if we allow this, we’re going to lose all of our freedoms.
All of our freedoms are gone.
The country is gone.
All of that kind of talk like that.
Be very attuned to when you hear that and very cautious when you hear that.
Number eight, hasty generalizations.
And these are broad claims that are made with very little evidence.
So the example is two politicians lied, so all of them must be corrupt.
So giant claim, tiny bit of evidence.
Two politicians might have lied, so they’re all corrupt.
Number nine is huge.
It’s the red herring.
So this distracts people with irrelevant information.
You’ve heard this maybe as an example when somebody says,
why are we worrying about climate change when we have so much crime going on right now?
It’s an argument of distraction.
Number 10 is false equivalence.
This compares two things as equals when they’re absolutely not equal.
So you’ll hear somebody say something in the news that’s both sides have extremists,
so they’re exactly the same.
That’s a very damaging one.
I know there’s a lot of information here,
so I want to give you access to the actual tool that we use to identify psyops
that even rates the likelihood on a 1 to 100 scale.
I’m going to add that into the description right below this video.
But keep this in mind.
Throughout history, the people who stood tallest in the storm
were not the ones who knew all the answers.
They were the ones who asked the right questions.
They weren’t the loudest voices.
They were the calmest.
They were the people that had composure.
Thanks for spending some time with me.
One love.