Different Types of Manipulative Behavior

All of us must have experienced or even done a manipulative act at some point in our life. It’s part of human nature to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Sometimes it could be harmless, yet most of them are not. But of course, we need to identify those manipulative acts and categorize them. Is it something harmful or not? 

To make it simple, manipulative behavior is when someone tries to influence another’s emotions to produce the desired outcome. According to psychotherapist and psychoanalyst, Babita Spinelli, “you are being manipulated when you feel you do not have autonomy, choice or ‘permission’ to set boundaries,”. So it’s important to realize whether you’re being manipulated or not. In this article, we’ll explain some different types of manipulative behavior that P-assengers need to be cautious of.

  1. Gaslighting

Quoted from Psychology Today, gaslighting is a form of manipulation that is carried out by a person to appear powerful and in control of others to make their victim doubt themselves. Usually, this act could be described as “That didn’t happen” pr “You just imagined it”. That way the victim will question themselves. 

  1. Guilt-tripping

The goal of guilt-tripping is to make the victim feel guilty so they’ll change themselves just exactly how the manipulator wants. They often feel bad and have to pay a debt for their past acts or even something they never did.

  1. Projection

Similar to guilt-tripping, projection is an act to displace responsibility for someone’s mistake by attributing them to someone else. Some people often do this without even realizing it.

  1. Silent treatment

This one usually was done by parents or a partner. Just like its name, the silent treatment is an act of silence with the intent of maintaining power. Silent here doesn’t only mean through face-to-face communication but also digital communication like not responding to messages with the intention of maintaining control. Silent treatment usually makes the victim believe that they’ve done an egregious act that can only be forgiven through extensive efforts.

Well, the examples above are some of many manipulative acts. We need to identify and realize when someone does those things to us. That way we could overcome and fight it without doing what they want, especially if those things give negative impacts on us. What do you guys think about this article? We hope it’s helpful and see you in another PIDAS’s weekly article. 

Reference sources:

  1. https://www.wellandgood.com/types-manipulative-behavior/
  2. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/10-popular-techniques-used-by-manipulators-and-how-to-fight-them.html 

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