Operation Warp Speed: Moolah Edition - Money Magnet 5.11G

[Shannon]

I would adjust your definition slightly to this:
"An intentional distortion of how others perceive the situation, great enough to lead a reasonable person into making a different decision from what they would have taken without the distortion, which in some way benefits the person committing the distorting of perception in the other person or people."

If that's the case, what is your word for the kind that does not benefit the person committing the distortion?

Manipulation ALWAYS benefits the person doing it in some way.  The question is, does it benefit you from a conscious point of view, or a subconscious point of view?  A lot of people like to play innocent at a conscious level (and they may even actually believe themselves to be, consciously), while they connive and manipulate like crazy subconsciously and in subtle ways.

Creating such a distortion without benefit isn't manipulation.  It's usually insanity and self destruction, in my experience.