Here is the full transcript of corporate dramatist David McCubbin’s talk titled “Are You Being Manipulated?” at TEDxBurleigh Heads 2024 conference.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
The Power Game of Artificial Integrity
The power game that worries me most is AI. Now I’m not talking about artificial intelligence, although I did see the latest Terminator film and I could see that that could become rather tricky. I’m talking about something deeply rooted in human nature that right now affects us all: Artificial integrity.
When someone projects that they are intrinsically motivated to serve you or others when in truth, their actions serve themselves. It’s a seduction strategy that delivers power to someone whether they have the wisdom or the compassion to use that power well. And I know that I’m not the only one who sees this.
In responsible journalism, in activism, in advocacy, brave, brilliant people call out abuses of power. But something’s missing. Because the impact of artificial integrity is rising, employed as it is by politicians, business leaders, and people heading towards domestic violence.
In the week that I sat down to start collecting my thoughts for this talk, a young woman was brutally murdered by someone who used to be her intimate partner. And I discovered that on average that happens every week in this country. We know we have a problem, but we haven’t cracked it yet. Something’s missing.
And that’s why I wanted to describe artificial integrity in a way that exposes it for what it is and offers some suggestions for how to disarm it. I’m a dramatist. I trained at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art. I worked as an actor, a writer, and a director. And now in business with leadership communication. And the combination of those lived experiences, the deep exploration of character and motivation, and the deep engagement with the characters who run corporations, I think it’s given me an acute sensitivity for the way that people use psychological action in order to win and wield power.
Communication is action. It’s what we do to other people in order to get them to do what we want. Think Newton’s first law. It’s what we do to other people. And if we agree that we should be accountable for what we do to other people, then we need to recognize that there is a problem and that there are a lot of actions that go undetected.
Physical vs. Psychological Actions
I mean, physical actions, they are visible. So punch, handshake, a poke, a warm embrace. This is received as sensation in the nervous system, and if that activity reaches the brain and influences perspectives, opinions, and behavior, then it is a psychological action. Many psychological actions, in fact most, require no physical contact. Sight and sound, without touching any of you, I can welcome you, I can thank you, I can warn you. Or I can compel you.
And even though they are harder to detect and name than physical actions, psychological actions can have equal, if not greater, impact. When I first started helping people in business with leadership communication, I noticed what was almost a universal blind spot. And that is what it means to suit words to actions and actions to words. People with excellent intentions struggled when the moment arose to act. They were unnerved by boardroom presentations and selection interviews and performance conversations. You know, cross-examination in front of the media or a Senate inquiry.
Now, that’s challenging stuff. Right from the start, I could see that there were limitations from simply advising people to stand tall and speak from here and tell a story that related to moral values. I mean, that is excellent advice for someone with a moral compass who knows why they are standing tall and who can give voice to impulses coming from their heart or from their gut.
But it’s not good for any of us when this advice, this power is shared with psychopaths, narcissists and predators who can practice standing taller and speaking in a deep, reassuring prosody. It’s like giving the nuclear codes to a lunatic. Tyrants and kleptocrats rise because they can and bullies exert coercion and control when it is their path of least resistance.
The Entitled Toddler
And as I recently discovered on a trip to my local supermarket, artificial integrity doesn’t start and stop with middle-aged white guys like me. I was on a mission to get some sun-dried tomatoes, except the checkout queue had ground to a halt as a rigid three-year-old screamed, “I’m running!” The parent, “AJ, not now.” I thought I’d been hit! “AJ, this is not a nice way to behave.” “I am running!”
Now, this is a very human drama. And what is remarkable is that the toddler doesn’t need to be taught how to access this kind of power. I mean, life was seriously tough for Paleolithic toddlers. And so, evolution has granted them this superpower. No, the power to cause a ruckus over a piece of bone marrow could be the difference between life and death. Now, today, it’s akin to surprise. It’s not life and death.
But AJ’s emotional, primitive brain says it is, authorizing AJ to tap into the power of unsubstantiated entitlement. “I just want it, and I want it now!” “AJ, I’m sorry, you can’t have it.” “But I’ve been really good.” Yeah, quite intuitively, AJ turned it into a moral argument. “I’ve been good, how’s that fair?”
Now, here I think it’s useful to reference the work of Jonathan Haidt and colleagues who established moral foundation theory. They defined six common, heritable, ethical intuitions. And, yes, fairness is one of them. And there is authority. And there is sanctity. And there is care, stroke aversion to harm. There is in-tribe loyalty. And there is freedom. Psychological actions that resonate with these moral overtones, they breach our rational defenses.
This is why the entitled toddler has so much power. “But I’ve been really good.” “Sorry, AJ, you can’t have it.” “But I’m hungry.” It’s an appeal to care. “Now, AJ, we’re going home.”
Learning from Interactions
As we grow, we learn from interactions like this how to acquire and wield power. Now, we hope that AJ learns a valuable lesson. Seems I’m not entitled to the kinder supplies and behaving like that won’t get me what I want. Or maybe AJ learns a different lesson. The problem is that they don’t think I’m entitled to the kinder supplies. If I can solve that, AJ can have anything I want. Now, let’s hope that AJ never sees this presentation because artificial integrity solves that entitlement problem and I’m going to show you how it works. I’m going to tell you a story in three parts.
Now, don’t think a story structure is merely organizing information. Stories are vehicles that deliver psychological actions into the minds of your targeted audience. And like a wiry boxer combines a jab, cross, uppercut for maximum impact, potent story structure is that sequence of psychological actions that appeal to moral values.
So, action number one, I am going to destabilize you by playing on your fears. “This world, your world, is a dangerous place. There are other people who want to hurt you and take from you. What is yours?” Second action, I am going to reassure you, presenting myself as your only option. “And I alone have the power to protect you. I’m made of the right stuff, like you. I believe in us.”
Okay, third action, I’m going to coerce you into a contract in which I have control. “The only way I can protect you is if you follow the rules and do as I say. Which is only fair given what I am doing for you.” And that’s it, three psychological actions camouflaged in a story that perversely appeals to freedom when the outcome is oppression. You love freedom, you want to be free, you must submit to me.
The “I and I Alone” Story
And that is the general form and nature of artificial integrity and there are some people in our world who are playing it dangerously well. I mean, have you ever heard a candidate for political office say, “There are bad people who want to hurt us and only I can protect you.” A business leader who says, “I am what is keeping this company afloat, so we do it my way. Is that clear?” We know that the “I and I alone” story is used to coerce and control an intimate partner. “You are a danger to yourself and your friends and family, they are just undermining us. Sweetheart, I can take care of everything, but from now on you have to tell me exactly where you are at all times and who you are talking to, okay?”
Now what’s really frightening is that when I do this, I feel good, I feel strong. Reward systems activated, dopamine delivered, not because it is true, but because playing these psychological actions is viscerally energizing, which is affirming, I see power over people within reach and I just want it. And there are some people who have been using artificial integrity for so long that they believe this story to be true, which does not make it true, nor right, nor just.
Disarming Artificial Integrity
So what do we do about it? First, recognize that artificial integrity is a strategy, it is not a person. It is not what they are, it is what they are doing. If you challenge someone’s integrity, you will get drama. And that’s what plays and films are for, drama. We don’t want drama, we just want them to stop. Recognize that it is a strategy based on a lie, the “I and I alone can protect you” story. Your aim is to safely deconstruct that story in a way that neutralizes that power grab.
Two, disarm a story, ask genuine questions. “How is the world dangerous to us?” That’s not a question, that is a challenge. Communication is action, ask. “How is the world dangerous to us? How is it that you are the only one who can provide protection? How is me giving power to you going to work?” Now they will have answers for everything. And, if you are not convinced, if you are unmoved, hold your ground and speak the truth. “I’m not convinced.” I mean, they’re not going to like that. But with humility, that’s not a challenge, it’s a fact. “I wish I was, I’m not convinced I should be destabilized. I’m not convinced by your reassurance. I’m not convinced that I should agree to your terms.”
We are entitled to know our own minds, and the truth is, their psychological actions have not moved you. Now, if you’re the recipient of an “I and I alone can protect you” story, I won’t pretend that I know how complex, how frightening, how tiring that must be for you. So my only suggestion is, don’t try to handle this on your own. Share your experiences and your thoughts with people who you know have your best interests at heart. If you observe it happening to somebody else, just like you would not allow physical aggression to go unaddressed, I urge you to act against this pernicious psychological aggression. Disarm the story by asking questions and holding your ground. Disarm that story, and illegitimate power crumbles.
A Call to Men
Not for a minute do I claim to speak for all white middle-aged males, or men with beards, for that matter. But being one, I’ll say, I remember the times that I have resorted to artificial integrity. Did I get what I wanted? I’m left with nothing but regret.
Guys, let’s acknowledge the fact that we have been gifted with the potential to get what we think that we want by playing this three-card trick. I know that we don’t have an exclusive license, but admit it, we can get pretty good at it. We will be rewarded for it. I get the appeal. But to take power over other people in this way is to succumb to the dark side. And there are other ways.
There are other power games to play, better ways to achieve that minimize the impact of blind privilege and bias. And the truth, it starts with making the truth a priority. And the truth is that relationships are more functional and fulfilling. They create more health, wealth, love, safety, legacy, and freedom when power is shared. Thank you.