Otherwise known as "The Forer Effect" after the guy who first demonstrated it, this is the means by which fake astrologers can appear to make amazing comments about you, which they could not possibly have known. Bertram Forer presented his class with what he said was a personality assessment created for them individually. In fact every paper was the same. They were all told :
"You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic."
This was cobbled together from astrology newspaper columns. They were asked to assess its accuracy and they rated it to be over 85% accurate based on their own view of themselves, all of them!
What does this show? It means that human beings will like to have their own view of things reinforced, and are susceptible to con tricks based on their own self image.
Now consider how the Watchtower Society uses the Scriptures to show "conclusively" that we are living in the "Last Days"...Based on a literal reading of 2 Timothy chapter 3, the Watchtower describes our days as
"Critical times, hard to deal with , when men are self assuming, haughty, disobedient, lovers of money, unthankful , disloyal etc etc......."
Now, to a person who feels they have been passed by in the rat race of life - and imbued with a whinging personality, this is music to their ears!
"Yes, Yes, Yes! that is exactly how life is today - The Watchtower is right"..They have personally validated the fulfilment of the text based on their own perception of life , coupled with the rosy view of the past that is presented by the WTS.
In reality the descriptions of human nature may be applied to any time period in history , if you want to. There have always been a number of people like that, and always will be
Where does this leave the WTS - as spiritual leaders and reliable teachers of the Word of God?
Or cheap tricksters using the basic techniques of 'snake oil salesmen' and hucksters