All of the dark arts associated with the alchemy of negative manipulation (those employed by politicians, cult leaders, womanizers, etc.) foster a seductive self-deception.
At their heart is a lie, but it is not a lie about the externals. It is a lie about the internal. The force of their “evil” is derived from the strength of their victims’ self-deception. Our self-deception is the epicenter of our vulnerability.
