Not every emotional appeal or persuasive design is manipulative. A theory needs both a way to identify the mechanism and a reason it can be wrong. Benefit, consent, transparency, and vulnerability are relevant without individually settling every case. A helpful outcome can still leave questions about whether the chooser was treated respectfully.
Imagine an organizer seeking sign-ups by accurately describing a useful activity. Contrast presenting a fabricated deadline or making refusal feel socially humiliating. The same participation rate could result from very different relationships to the participants’ judgment. Ask whether the organizer could explain the technique openly, whether the benefit matches participants’ considered goals, and how easy it is to decline. Those questions make respect concrete while leaving room for ordinary persuasion and helpful reminders.