Whenever we interact with other people, we influence them—and they influence us. Within this sphere, neutrality is an impossibility. Instead, we must learn to think in terms of good and bad ways of influencing, and here the keyword is respect. The need for respectful influence is no less critical when dealing with religious influence, especially in the relationship between children and adults. In this book, longtime director of the Christian Institute of Education in Denmark, Carsten Hjorth Pedersen, provides valuable guidance for parents, educators, teachers, club leaders, and preachers who influence others in work or leisure. In a language accessible to all readers, the author shows the way to a healthy balance—a balance that relies on the will to confront, but without letting down the other person, neither through intimacy nor desertion.

A great deal of scholarly attention has been paid to coercion. Less attention has been paid to what might be a more pervasive form of influence: manipulation. The essays in this volume address this relative imbalance by focusing on manipulation, examining its nature, moral status, and its significance in personal and social life.