Who Can You Trust? (Part 5)

Mandell gives a bad name to motivational speakers, to personal coaches[ing], and to some aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy. The idea that my mission could be synonymous with sociopathic behavior is very troublesome.

What kind of world do we live in where the passionate causes of good, altruistic people can themselves be mistaken as fraudulent advances? I like to teach and I would love to get up in front of a group and speak fervidly about the virtues of positivity, of meditation, and of visualization. My aim is not to take or steal: I aim to give back. Now I realize in the midst of my outpouring someone could raise their hand and say “are you trying to scam us?” That’s a reasonable question because Ross Mandell is high-profile precedent.

The reality is no matter how strongly we may feel about altruistic causes, those on the outside may (and perhaps should) always question our true intentions.

As a more general statement, intersubjectivity (described here) is one way to check fraudsters at the door. My true intentions cannot be verified because nobody can read my mind. A better understanding could be gathered by studying my behavior over time and across situations for consistency. This is how we get to know people on a personal level.

Intersubjectivity is one reason awareness was given as a way to combat fraud. “Only a very small percentage of people ever report… fraud… As long as that continues, fraudsters… will continue…” Share with others and talk about it. That is intersubjectivity at work.

Intersubjectivity was also discussed as one of your strongest defenses against fraudsters based on the way con artists “separate you from your friends and family by placing extreme secrecy on all facets of the deal.”

Intersubjectivity is also discussed in the last post:

      “The next step is to make himself or herself appear to be
      the only person on whom you can rely for the fulfillment
      of your wishes, desires, and/or personal safety…”

The emphasis is mine.