12 Ways to Know If Someone Is Manipulating You
One of the most challenging aspects of being manipulated is that you never really know until it’s too late. It could also happen to anyone and by anyone. Your loved ones or your closest friend could be manipulating you, but you wouldn’t know until you’ve already had your heart broken. Here are some ways to know if someone is manipulating you so you can prepare yourself better and deal with them calmly.
They Use Guilt As A Weapon
If you’ve ever been strong-armed into doing things you don’t want, then you know that guilt is usually the prime convincing factor. Manipulative people love using guilt as a weapon; they hold out past experiences and mistakes over people to ensure they get what they want. They’ll manipulate your emotions and try to guilt you into doing things you expressly wish against.
They Gaslight You Constantly
Manipulative people tend to gaslight everyone around them. While they usually gaslight to save themselves from humiliation and confrontation, manipulative people might even gaslight you about small things to take advantage of your naivety. The constant gaslighting gives them an upper edge; they can easily influence and manipulate the emotions and perspectives of others around them.
They Withhold Information
You’ll know someone is manipulating you when they refuse to share information that might give you an upper hand. For example, a colleague who doesn’t want you to succeed might manipulate the situation by refusing to share an important strategy or a deadline. They’ll also refuse to confide in you and keep things from you to prevent you from succeeding.
They Twist Facts
The easiest way to manipulate someone is by twisting the facts. A master manipulator won’t wait for you to figure out the facts; they’ll twist the facts to align with the situation that favors them the most. Twisting the facts helps manipulators keep the situation under their control, preventing others from coming up on top. If you find even the tiniest bit of information that counters what you’ve been told, you better stay alert.
They Play On Your Insecurities
People who love manipulating also love highlighting other people’s insecurities. You’ll know you’re talking to a manipulative person when they frequently use your weakness to make you feel down. Their words will hit a nerve, and often on purpose, just so you won’t feel daring enough to push these people out of your life.
They Give Backhanded Compliments
A sincere person always means their compliments. But a manipulative person masks insults and taunts within their compliments. They’ll give backhanded compliments like “I like your dress; it has such a 1950s vibe,” where they’ll mask an insult (the dress looks old) with a compliment (they like it). Such compliments won’t make you feel good and bring out your insecurities.
They Use Silent Treatment
Manipulative people love the silent treatment because it allows them to rile others up. You’ll spend hours riddled with anxiety and fear, worrying about why you’re being given the silent treatment before you finally figure it out. But by then, it’ll be too late because a manipulative person will use the silent treatment to their advantage and prove you wrong.
They Threaten Consequences
No sincere person will threaten others with harm. But if someone, who usually spends their time trying to manipulate the situation around you sweetly, becomes desperate enough, they’ll switch to directly threatening you with consequences. They could threaten to go no contact or stop inviting you over if you refuse to fall for their manipulative tactics because they can’t bear not being in control anymore.
They Isolate You From Others
Manipulative people usually can’t handle someone else sharing the spotlight, so they’ll try to keep them away from you. You won’t know it at first, but you’ll find yourself lonelier and lonelier day by day. By the time you realize you’ve been manipulated, you’ll already have lost your friends and family. Keeping others isolated keeps manipulative people in power.
They Overreact To Criticism
While a manipulative person loves criticizing others, they’re never able to bear criticism themselves. If you point out something in a manipulative person’s behavior, they’ll overreact and try to make you feel bad for helping them out. Their overreaction stems mainly from being unable to accept that they’re not the ones making others feel the way you’re making them feel.
They Shift Blame
If you manage to catch a manipulative person in a mistake, you’ll notice that they won’t accept the consequences or take accountability, for that matter. They’ll shift blame and try to convince others of their false innocence. They’ll blame the situation, the circumstances, or the people around them, claiming they were forced to make a mistake. They’ll do anything but take responsibility for their actions.
They Use Triangulation
Triangulation is a tactic where a manipulative person involves others to gain leverage over you. They usually do this when they know their old manipulative tactics aren’t working anymore; they’ll approach someone else in a position of power and manipulate the facts to make you look bad. They could even spread rumors and start negative gossip in hopes of involving others.
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This article was first published at Rbitaliablog.
