Do You Have An Emotionally Manipulative Partner? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
popular

Do You Have An Emotionally Manipulative Partner?

If you feel like something isn't right, you may be dealing with emotional manipulation.

3911
Do You Have An Emotionally Manipulative Partner?
Pexels

Are you having doubts or concerns about your relationship? Do you feel like something isn't right? You may have an emotionally manipulative partner.

Emotional manipulationis a form of social influence. It can include

using pressure to control someone’s thoughts or behaviors through crafty, abusive or other underhanded practices. Emotional manipulation happens when someone uses deception, or similar mechanisms, to exploit another person’s vulnerabilities to achieve his own goal.

Someone who is emotionally manipulative will typically use their partner's insecurities and twist their words back on them to make them feel vulnerable, only to apologize and promise to change when their partner wants to leave.

How can you tell if your partner is emotionally manipulative?

Here are some of the warning signs behavioral experts tell us to look for:

1. Does your partner often put you down or make fun of your insecurities?

If you are dating someone who is often insulting you, or bringing up things that hurt your feelings or make you insecure, you may be involved with someone who is emotionally manipulative. They often use these put-downs as a way to lessen your self-confidence, making you more dependent on them.

2. Does your partner downplay or invalidate your feelings?

Do you often find yourself wondering if you're overreacting or have no reason to be upset? Does your partner cause you to second-guess yourself and your feelings? Emotional manipulators want you to feel insecure in your feelings because they want to control how you feel.

3. Does your partner blame you for their bad behavior?

Do you feel that your partner is blaming you for something they've done, or trying to justify that action based on your behavior? An emotional manipulator will often not take responsibility for their actions, which is another way they can make your feelings seem invalid.

4. Does your partner make you feel guilty frequently?

Do you often feel that your actions are connected to the happiness of your partner? Does your partner often make you feel sorry for them? This is a common tactic used by emotional manipulators to make you feel bad for doing things like going out with friends, staying late at work, or just taking some time for yourself.

What can you do if you have an emotionally manipulative partner?

First, remind yourself that your feelings are valid. Remember who you are, and don't let that person tear down your self-confidence.

If you want to stay and try to work things out, let your partner know how you feel and try to come up with a solution for creating better communication.

However, not all relationships are safe or healthy. Recognize that your mental health is most important, and know when you need to leave a potentially harmful situation. If you find it impossible to create better communication, or the person is constantly belittling you or making you feel insecure, get out. Talk to family and friends and create a support system during your transition to being without that partner.

The most important thing is to never blame yourself for their actions. You are not responsible for their actions.


Emotional Abuse Hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE (4673)

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

5126
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments