Photo: Ba Tik

Am I in a manipulative relationship?

A common sign of manipulation in relationships is when you start losing a sense of who you are after following someone else's overt or covert demands to give up your opinions and interests. In some romantic couples, one partner may adopt the other person's lifestyle and interests to avoid conflict, for example.

psychcentral.com - 6 Signs of Manipulation in Relationships - Psych Central

What do boys find attractive?

10 things men find attractive about women Embracing the style. ... Being an equal. ... Taking the lead. ... Being confident and smiling. ... Laugh...

Last updated Apr 18, 2018

How do you tell if a guy wants to sleep with you?

He might try to “accidentally” brush his skin against yours. Or he may also look for opportunities to wrap an arm around you or give your shoulder...

Last updated Oct 20, 2019

Promotion

Being on the receiving end of manipulation tactics in a relationship can have an impact on your mental health. But by learning to identify the signs, you can protect yourself and act on the situation. Some manipulation tactics can be so subtle that you may end up constantly examining your own behavior rather than the other person’s. Are you feeling confused or guilty and not sure why? You could be sensing manipulation. Identifying the signs can help. Manipulation isn’t exclusive to family and romantic relationships. It can also turn up in friendships and even work-related relationships. Persistent manipulation in relationships can affect your self-esteem and may cause you to experience symptoms of anxiety or depression. Psychological manipulation often refers to words, omissions, and actions that attempt to control how another person feels, thinks, and behaves. This may affect their perspective of themselves, the relationship, and the world in general. There are several signs to look out for that may indicate you’re experiencing manipulation in your relationship.

1. You try to ignore your gut

The first red flag may be that gut feeling that something isn’t right or that you persistently end up doing things you don’t want to. You may ignore this feeling and try to convince yourself that everything’s OK. The phrase “trust your gut” is particularly useful when you think you might be experiencing manipulation. For example, say you’re upset because it seems that your partner is always on their phone during your dates. You bring it up with them, but you notice that they get really mad, really quick. The conversation then turns to how you seem to have ruined your special date by causing an argument. So, you forget about what you wanted to say and try to appease them instead. Meanwhile, your partner checks their phone again. “What just happened?” you ask yourself, but brush it off because you don’t want to create more friction.

2. You wonder: Is it you?

If you’re starting to doubt yourself and your own motives, you may be on the receiving end of a manipulation tactic. Maybe you were once confident in your ability to handle a particular situation, and now you’re beginning to question your capabilities. You may even question whether you’re “the problem” in the relationship. For example, you try telling your partner again how you feel about them spending so much time on their phone. But they say that you do it too and that you’re always trying to find a reason to fight. You don’t feel this is actually the case, but after the third time you hear this argument, you wonder if the problem is you’re not letting go of the small things. Maybe you could just “chill” and enjoy the evening.

Should I text her everyday?

Should I Text A Girl Every Day? It's normal for people to text each other daily in many connections, whether that connection is romantic or just a...

Last updated Jul 9, 2021

Why a man leaves a woman he loves?

Why men leave the women they love could be any number of reasons. Toxic relationships, being used, feeling emotionally spent, or meeting someone...

Last updated Feb 24, 2022

Promotion

3. You feel guilty

A common sign that someone may be emotionally manipulating you may be that you’ve started to feel guilty or embarrassed for acting in certain ways in the relationship. For example, you work two jobs and hardly have time for yourself. Then comes your first day off in months, and you decide to spend it at home, in your PJs, watching TV. When you tell this to your mother, you notice she seems upset. When you ask her what’s wrong, she tells you she can’t believe you’re not coming to visit her on your day off. You suddenly feel so guilty that you end up spending your day helping her around her home. Although this scenario can play this way for many different reasons, it’s a red flag if you persistently feel guilty for not saying or doing what you want to. The manipulator is expressing displeasure about something you say or do, particularly when you attempt to establish boundaries. Then, you end up giving in to make the other person happy and relieve your guilt.

4. Your sense of self is blurred

A common sign of manipulation in relationships is when you start losing a sense of who you are after following someone else’s overt or covert demands to give up your opinions and interests. In some romantic couples, one partner may adopt the other person’s lifestyle and interests to avoid conflict, for example. It may be that your partner persistently avoids spending time with your friends and family or doing things that you enjoy. If you want to spend time with them, you seem to have to do what they want. In family relationships, it may be that you don’t feel you can fully express who you are as a person as well as your life choices, and you may act differently when you’re around them.

5. You walk on eggshells

Perhaps you think of fear as an intense emotion or reaction to a threat. But fear can also manifest as a hesitation to act or say certain things in order to avoid conflict or friction. You may not even be aware of how you feel — you just automatically avoid certain topics or actions.

Can you feel if a man loves you?

If he truly loves you, you will simply feel it. You will see a consistent pattern. He will do things for you he wouldn't do for anyone else, and he...

Last updated Sep 26, 2019

What to call a person your not dating but more than friends?

A situationship is that space between a committed relationship and something that is more than a friendship. Oct 3, 2019

Last updated Sep 9, 2019

Promotion

Some people may use anger as a manipulation tactic. Their outbursts can get other people to back off or change their behavior to avoid the reaction. You may see this dynamic when a parent warns their child not to do something or else the other parent may get mad. As an adult, you may also become hyperaware of your behaviors or experience signs of anxiety without a clear trigger. You could think about every decision in terms of, “What will the other person do?” For example, you may want to go to your friend’s birthday party, but you know your partner doesn’t like them. Last time you spent time with your friend, your partner didn’t speak to you for hours. This time, you think about it twice before accepting the invitation, anticipating that you may have to deal with your partner’s displeasure if you do.

6. You begin to question your mental health

Not only can manipulation cause stress and anxiety, but it can also make you feel confused and insecure about your behaviors and emotions. You may begin to wonder if your reactions are symptoms of mental health conditions.

Manipulation tactics like gaslighting are most often the cause of these feelings.

For example, you’re discussing your next vacation with your partner, and they ask why you’re not considering Cancun. You remind them that when they visited last time, they say they had a terrible time. They reply, “I never said such a thing! You imagined it.” You’re convinced they did complain several times and said they wouldn’t return to this place. But maybe you did imagine it? After all, according to your partner, it seems to happen to you often. When someone constantly gaslights you, you start to question your memory and well-being to the point that you’re not sure whether certain things happened at all. “Curiously” enough, it only seems to happen to you around this person.

psychcentral.com - 6 Signs of Manipulation in Relationships - Psych Central

What can a lack of respect lead to?

A lack of respect can have devastating consequences – such as highly demotivated people, who feel that their bosses treat them unfairly by failing...

Last updated Nov 3, 2020

How long does it take to repair a broken trust?

Rebuilding trust takes a significant amount of time and patience. It might take us several months or even years to fully be able to trust our loved...

Last updated Oct 4, 2022

Promotion

How do boys fall in love?

Physical attraction, sexual compatibility, empathy, and emotional connection are key to making a man fall in love with a woman. Nov 25, 2022

Last updated Nov 16, 2020

Promotion

Does love fade in long-distance relationship?

If a long-distance relationship lasts a long time, love and feelings can fade away. To maintain feelings in a long-distance relationship, you need...

Last updated Aug 28, 2020