Is it hard to read?
No, the direct prose and introductory explanations make it approachable without prior knowledge of psychology. It takes an instructional approach, pairing explanations of manipulation with practical advice.
Nonfiction · Psychology · Self-Help · Popular psychology
Dark Psychology
Reading facts
✓ Checked- Reading effort
- 29 / 100Light
- Length
- 486 pagesIndependently Published · 2019
- Reading time
- 9 h 45 minat 50 pages an hour ·
- Pace
- Moderate
- Emotional intensity
- 2 / 5
About 9 h 45 min · at 30 minutes a day, about 20 days
Estimated from the page count of this edition. Dense books can take longer than the estimate.
About the book
Modern Psychology Publishing examines manipulation as something to recognize in others and practice yourself. Dark Psychology covers charm used to build trust before a scam, subliminal messages, hypnotic suggestion, and influence through advertising, news, and social media. It presents neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, as a toolkit for changing behavior and steering conversations, combining advice on resisting pressure with methods for applying it.
Reader notes
The self-help guide takes a direct, instructional approach, pairing introductory explanations with practical advice. Its purpose extends beyond self-protection into deliberately influencing other people, and its promises of control should be read as the guide's claims about what its techniques can achieve.
How it reads
- Writing style
- Direct
- Tone
- Earnest · Unsettling
- Driven by
- Ideas · Information
- Practical orientation
- Actionable
- Nonfiction form
- Explanation synthesis · Prescriptive how to
Reading complexity
- Writing
- 2 / 5
- Ideas
- 2 / 5
- Structure
- 2 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Themes
- Knowledge and truth
- Power
Content notes
- Violence
- None
- Sexual content
- None
- Swearing
- None
- Substance use
- None
- Abuse
- Mild
- Self-harm or suicide
- None
Questions readers ask
Is it mainly about protecting myself from manipulation?
No, self-protection is only part of its purpose. Alongside advice on recognizing scams and resisting pressure, it offers methods for deliberately influencing other people and steering conversations.
How practical is the advice?
The guide pairs introductory explanations with advice on resisting pressure and applying influence. It presents neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, as a toolkit for changing behavior and steering conversations.
How should I approach its promises of control?
Treat promises of control as the guide’s claims about what its techniques can achieve. Its instructional approach extends to deliberately influencing others, so that distinction matters when considering its advice.
How long is it?
About 486 pages in the Independently Published 2019 edition.
Which edition is shown here?
Independently Published · 2019 · Paperback. ISBN 9781701851412.
How long does it take to read Dark Psychology?
About 9 hours 45 minutes at 50 pages an hour, based on the 486-page Independently Published edition. Dense books can take longer.
If you liked this
Edition and details
- Publisher
- Independently Published
- Publication year
- 2019
- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 486
- ISBN
- 9781701851412
- Edition language
- English
- Original language
- English
- First published
- 2017
- Genres and form
- Nonfiction · Psychology · Self-Help · Popular psychology
- Editions
- 2
- Languages
- 2 (English, Unspecified)