Introduction:
Manipulation means using strategies and behavior to influence or to have control over someone else. These actions are used to damage the mental and emotional well-being of another individual. Emotional manipulation may affect the relationship. An individual engages in harmful actions to manipulate others, which may result in depression, leaving an individual in a devastating state, confused, and isolated.
What Is Manipulative Behavior?
Manipulative behavior shows the tactics of a person to have power over the other person. These actions include lying, denying, remaining silent, becoming aggressive, gaslighting, criticizing, withholding, blaming, and getting a person out of their comfort zone to give themselves an advantage. Manipulation may occur in close or casual relationships and is more common in close relationships.
Individuals with this condition face difficulty in identifying and expressing their wants and needs exactly and healthily. Emotional manipulation may feel like the person is playing mind games because it can cause
-
The person to think about what is happening in the relationship.
-
Fear and doubt.
-
Losing trust in self and others.
This condition helps the manipulator control the other person and affects the other person’s to think rationally. Manipulation may be delicate and precise or overt. Anyone can be at the receiving end and any age group, gender, or race can be affected. Other names for manipulators are emotional manipulators, exploiters, or controllers.
What Are the Types of Manipulative Behavior?
Manipulative behavior and emotional manipulation go together. Forms of manipulative behavior are
-
Gaslighting: Manipulation that occurs in an abusive relationship.
-
Passive Aggression: Indirectly telling negative feelings instead of saying them directly.
-
Criticizing: Telling the faults of someone in a disapproving way.
-
Lying: Saying untrue statements about someone.
-
Shaming: saying or doing something that embarrassed someone.
-
Isolation: The process or fact of isolating (keeping away).
-
Denial: A statement that is not real or true.
-
Avoidance: The action of keeping away from something.
-
Intimidation: It includes actions of abuse and harassment.
-
Victimhood: Considering themselves a victim of negative actions.
-
Flattery: The act of excessive compliments.
What Are the Causes of Manipulative Behavior?
Causes of manipulative behavior include
-
Dysfunctional Relationships: Dysfunctional relationships during childhood may cause this condition and result in unhealthy communication and behavior.
-
Personality Disorder: Individuals with personality disorders like borderline personality disorder and narcissistic traits are more prone to show manipulative disorder.
-
Abuse History: Individuals with a history of abuse may not tell directly what they actually need. They show this type of manipulative behavior.
What Are the Characteristics of Manipulative Behavior?
Individuals with manipulative behavior generally have common characteristics like
-
They knew the weaknesses of the opposite person and tried to exploit them.
-
They try to use the insecurities of the other person.
-
They try to convince others to drop something important.
-
If they are successful in their trials, they keep repeating this with another person.
What Are the Symptoms of Manipulative Behavior?
It is always easier to identify others having emotional manipulation than one’s self-being in emotional manipulation. Symptoms of manipulative behavior are
-
Wants and needs cannot be expressed properly.
-
Giving excuses, minimizing, and rationalizing.
-
Lying, denying, and deceiving (the act of making a person accept false things).
-
Crying and episodes of rage.
-
Use of language that is difficult to understand.
-
The act of frightening the opposite person.
-
Keeping silent and not showing affection.
-
Judging, making fun of someone, and criticizing.
-
Feeling guilt about some action and final decision.
-
Keeping silent after an argument with someone.
-
Laughing or making fun of when hurtful things are being said.
-
Being afraid to speak up or address the gatherings.
Each individual is responsible for their actions, like how they communicate with others or treat them.
How to Diagnose Manipulative Behavior?
Manipulative behavior can be recognized by observing an individual
-
Those who do not respect boundaries.
-
Those go after what they want.
-
They may question the reality of another person.
-
They always try to change the path of blame.
-
They try to justify their behavior.
How to Treat Manipulative Behavior?
Manipulative behavior, which is long-standing, may affect close relationships like between friends, colleagues, and partners. This type of behavior may affect the quality of the relationship, resulting in poor mental health and the ending of relationships.
Dealing with such conditions is very challenging. Treatment depends on the root of the issue.
-
Taking professional help to solve the problem.
-
Taking responsibility for one’s self to save the relationship.
-
Learning to communicate healthily and to know about the boundaries in relationships.
The actions of manipulative behavior are very destructive, but one can change themselves by adapting to good behaviors.
How to Cope With Manipulative Behavior?
It is difficult to deal with manipulative behavior though they have an important role in an individual’s life. One may not realize that someone is manipulating that person. It is very challenging to know about this behavior and prevent it. But one can protect oneself from this.
-
This can be done by carefully empathizing with the other person without engaging in arguments that may lead to harmful behavior.
-
Telling the other person clearly about what the person does not like and what he/she needs.
-
Set boundaries and tell them that no further argument will be continued.
-
To find someone who is not influenced by the manipulator to take advice.
If someone is trying to manipulate the person, it is not their fault. Hence one should make the healthiest and safest choices to deal with such individuals. If a person feels that someone is trying to manipulate him/her, help should be taken. The person should seek help from trusted sources. This includes:
-
A relationship counselor.
-
Therapist.
-
Friends.
-
Trusted family members.
-
National abuse hotlines.
Conclusion:
Manipulative behavior is a tactic used by a manipulator to control the other person. Human beings are social creatures. Hence they have to come across many individual behaviors in day-to-day life. Hence it becomes important to know about this particular behavior, its causes, types, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments. Knowing about it helps identify the condition early and seek help. Early diagnosis helps achieve effective treatment. This, in turn, helps achieve a good quality of life.
