Friday, March 25, 2011

Negotiation Secret # 89:
Opposite Facing Arms Akimbo
























This is a rare photo, as it shows an example of two variations of "Arms Akimbo" in the same moment on the same person. Karima El Marhrough, who has been accused of being Silvio Berlusconi's (Italy's Prime Minister) underaged lover, has her right hand on her hip in a fingers-forward position, while her left hand is displayed in a thumbs forward fashion (see Negotiation Secret # 555: How Facial Expressions Correlate with Palm Position). While the left hand demonstrates a supportive and fostering mindset (beta personality), her right hand shows a defensive, assertive, alpha mindset. Although I do not know the context of this image, it is almost certainly a moment of transition from when she felt relaxed-supportive and was confronted with something unpleasant.  In another few seconds, both hands will be fingers-forward.