Using books on "power" to kind of fight power?

[mjr]

Do you think this is possible?

For instance, I was just checking on Amazon (because I do this, and I'm oddly curious on the subject) and stumbled across a book called "The 48 Laws of Power". It's basically one of those "how to keep and maintain power" type of books.

Others I've seen are "The Prince" (Machiavelli), and "The Art of War" (Sun Tzu).

Do you think it's possible to read these books to at least recognize when someone is trying to use those techniques?

What I'd really like (and need to check for on Amazon) is books on how to counter those techniques.

[csquared]

You counter by applying the same techniques or by not giving the opponent a chance to use them first. i.e. Establishing supremacy first.

[morgana]

A place to start would be one of the "Verbal Self-Defense" books by Suzette Elgin. I have used her techniques to great effect. () Amazon has five or six of them.