6 SHOCKING SIGNS THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH AN EMOTIONAL MANIPULATOR

I am very sure in one way or the other, you have found yourself in a situation where you constantly find yourself doing things, that you never thought of doing. Emotional Manipulation is very subtle that most times we never recognize it for what it is.

 This article will focus on common signs of emotional manipulation and how to recognize them.

 What is Emotional Manipulation:

 This is the kind of intrusion done to influence the decision-making process of another person, usually, without his approval, it implies the use of morally questionable tactics such as deception to change the behavior and perception of others.

 Emotional manipulators usually use all manner of vile tricks to get what they want, usually to the detriment of others.

 Emotional manipulation is a very devious act that is sometimes difficult to recognize, however, if you know the signs, You can learn to protect your sanity.

 1) GASLIGHTING:

This refers to a specific type of manipulation, where the manipulator is trying to get someone else to question their own sanity, Have you ever confronted a friend/ colleague about the wrong thing they do? And instead of them to own up to their actions, they remind you of a time where you did something like that, if not worse, and you are the one that has to apologize over something that you seemingly did, but no matter how hard you try to recall the said action, you can’t remember, chances are that you have been gas-lighted.

 2) LOVE BOMBING: Ever had a chance to ask victims of emotional abuse why they are still with their partners? Most of them will say, I don’t know when he changed, when we started the relationship, he was the most caring guy, I have ever met, we used to go out on dates, he will shower me with gifts, he was very loving then, all of a sudden he changed, my dear, he didn’t change, he is only showing his true colors now. Love-bombing is a trick used by emotional manipulators to ensnare their prey, and get their attention, once they have achieved this, they know that it will be very difficult for the victim to leave them.

 3) TRAUMATIC BONDING: This occurs when we go through periods of intense love and excitement with a person followed by periods of abuse. Let’s use the case of an abusive relationship, you do something small and the next thing the guy does is to beat you up to the point that you need to be hospitalized, then the next thing you know, he is showing up with tears in his eyes, A bouquet in his hands, on his knees begging you to take him back, that he won’t do it again, It was the devil’s hand-work, you take him back because at that point he seems sincere, This is just an act, because before you know it, he is beating you up again at the slightest provocation, and the cycle continues.

 4) THE VULNERABILITY APPROACH: Emotional Manipulators, like to appear honest by revealing sensitive details about their life early on, such details are rarely true, they do this to appear sensitive and vulnerable so that you can let them into your heart, and in turn confide in them, Most times, when you confide in them, they tend to use it to hurt you later on.

I have seen situations, whereby, a lady will reveal to her boyfriend what her body count is on the basis of trust, only for the guy to mock her with that information, alongside his friends.

5) THE EVASIVE TACTIC: This is a tactic used by emotional manipulators to avoid being confronted and having to take responsibility for their actions. Another term for the Evasive Tactic is the Distraction Tactic. They do this, by subtly changing the subject with something they know that you have interest in, Let’s say that you are angry with them about something they did or said, they can confuse you by complimenting you with remarks that they know you would love to hear. This is just a tactic to make you forget the reason why you were upset in the first place.

 6) THE BLAME GAME: We all have that individual in our lives, that never accepts blame for anything they do wrong, they never accept responsibility for any of their hurtful actions. When you confront them about their wrongdoings, they get defensive and look for a way to turn it against you. Let’s use a relationship as a case study, your partner forgets your anniversary, and when you confront them with it, they say things like, I have been stressed lately with work, but I remember just last month, I took you out on that fancy date when they do things like this, it starts to get to you, you make excuses for their actions and tell yourself that maybe what they did isn’t that bad, that It is your fault for not recognizing the fact that they are going through a lot, you might even end up apologizing for not being considerate.

 The fact still remains, that there are still a lot of signs to enable you to recognize emotional manipulation for what it truly is, but sadly I can’t go through each and every one of those signs.

 The key factor to avoid being emotionally manipulated is by being observant, the signs are usually there if you allow yourself to see it, I hope when we recognize the fact that we are constantly being emotionally manipulated, we have the courage to leave such toxic relationship.