CHARM, CONTROL, AND COMPLIANCE: PSYCHOLOGY OF GROOMING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Grooming, a term long associated with child exploitation and coercive relationships, has recently entered academic discourse as an essential concept in understanding emotional manipulation within higher education. This chapter explores the psychology of grooming in academic spaces, focusing on how charm, control, and compliance operate as sequential and interconnected processes in the manipulation of students and early-career scholars. Through the lenses of social psychology, attachment theory, and institutional analysis, the discussion reveals how hierarchical power, admiration, and dependency can evolve into emotionally exploitative dynamics. Grooming in academia often begins with charmthe intentional construction of emotional trust and admirationprogresses into control through manipulation and dependency, and culminates in compliance, where victims internalize subordination as loyalty or gratitude. The chapter concludes with ethical recommendations for prevention, emotional awareness, and institutional accountability, asserting that understanding grooming psychology is vital for fostering genuine mentorship and psychological safety in higher education.