Psychological Features of the Relationship between Manipulative Inclinations and Interpersonal Relations of Students

Introduction. The article analyzes the problem of manipulation and the influence of students’ manipulative inclinations on interpersonal relationships. A theoretical study of this problem shows the existence of opposite points of view on the phenomenon of manipulation, where, on the one hand, it is considered as a destructive process that destroys interpersonal relationships, and on the other hand, when used for humane purposes, leading to positive results in relations between people. Materials and Methods. The results of an empirical study of the manipulative qualities and interpersonal relations of students of various areas of training using a set of methods are presented: methods of manipulative attitude (according to the Bant scale); methods of diagnosing interpersonal relations T. Leary; test for Machiavellianism (Mac-V); statistical data processing methods: Mann – Whitney U-test, Pearson correlation analysis. Results. Statistically significant differences between manipulative inclinations and Machiavellianism of students of various areas of training were revealed. With the help of correlation analysis, statistically significant relationships were established between students’ manipulative inclinations and a low level of friendliness and a high level of dominance in interpersonal relationships. Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained confirm the assumption that the manipulative tendencies of students of various areas of training negatively affect the nature of interpersonal relationships, since they are largely based on an unfriendly attitude towards others and the desire to dominate other people.