Yes!!!! I call it watching patterns. I learned it from my children. They could push the pendulum to the extreme. But then I saw there was a pattern to the method of operation. My children have been my best teachers.
It's scary/amazing the many buttons all humans have and how oblivious we can be to their use both for and against us and our behavior.
On one hand, the best leaders, parents, teachers, coaches, military commanders, etc. use this knowledge to "create" champions, to their benefit and to the benefit of all.
On the other hand, also be sure that people like marketers, career politicians, serial daters, etc. have this stuff down cold and use it so well, even instinctively, that only they are aware of what they are doing.
A dumbed down population, especially if a "crisis" is involved, is no match for people with those skills, perhaps a few names come to mind.