Bonobo Radical Collective

Confirmation Techniques

Suppression technique
Counter Strategy / Confirmation technique
How confirmation feels
Making invisible
Demand your place / Make Visible
Feeling seen and heard
Ridicule
Questioning / Respect
Feeling respected, important and safe
Withhold Information
Cards on the table / Share information
Feeling well informed and able to make competent decisions
Double bind
Set your own priorities / Double reward
Feeling good about choices and priorities
Blame & Shame
Set reasonable standards / Intellectualize
Not feeling ashamed guilty for about your choices and action
Objectifying
Reclaim / Subjectify
Feeling agency, important and respected
Force and threats of force
De-escalate / Respect physical autonomy
Feeling safe and comfortable to act and speak

The master suppression techniques are strategies of social manipulation used to maintain power and domination in a established or unexposed hierarchy.

They are also called ‘domination techniques’ or, in Norwegian, hersketeknikker.

They were originally coined by Norwegian scientist and politician Berit Ås. She described the tactics used by her male colleagues in Parliament to keep her and other women out of influence. But the techniques are used by all genders, individuals and groups as a method to establish power over others.

What can we do when we experience master suppression techniques? A set of confirmation techniques and counter strategies have been proposed by several people. We have collected them in an overview here - please see links for further reading.

Much has been written about the suppression techniques. Here are a few links to more learning: