According to statistics, from 1 to 2% of the population are building relationships (both friendship and romance), manipulating their partner. Often, objects of manipulation do not even suspect that they are subordinated to the will of another person and act in accordance with his desires, forgetting about themselves, about their interests and needs. Moreover, even after the break, the manipulation object does not feel relief. Rather, on the contrary, such people are deeply in love with their partner and for many months and even years feel incredible affection for the person manipulating them.
The danger of a relationship based on manipulation is that one of the partners is forced to think that it is he who is to blame for the problems that arise in the process of interaction. He feels deeply unhappy, experiencing negative emotions, but does not even guess the real causes of what is happening. In this article, we list the universal signs of manipulative behavior, which we hope will help you identify negative trends at an early stage of the relationship, as well as protective techniques to prevent the sad experience. It should be noted that sometimes those who are not characterized by psychological control can unconsciously adopt tactics of manipulation. Here it will be specifically about a conscious psychological impact, when the subject, like a classic card game, deliberately finesses a competent strategy.
One of the regular methods used by manipulators is the substitution or distortion of information: "Everything went wrong ...", "Are you in your mind? ...". The manipulator denies the facts cited by his partner, thereby forcing the other to doubt himself, in his mental health, he distorts the picture of what is happening. To resist this form of psychological control, it is necessary to keep a diary and to describe in detail all the events that occur. It is also recommended to discuss what is happening with relatives or a psychologist.
For the manipulator is inherent in denying their guilt. He never admits that he was wrong. Such people will accuse you of any wrongdoings in order to throw off responsibility. For example, work colleagues will question your productivity when their own indicators are consistently low. In order not to waste your time, we recommend not to enter into conflict with such people.
In the situation of classical manipulation, the subject often exaggerates his emotions. The purpose of this behavior is to expose the other in a bad light, to make her feel like a bad person. For example, in a situation where you try to make it clear that you do not like something, the provocateur's reaction is likely to be: "So, I'm a bad person. So you think? ". Very often such remarks can be expressed in a sufficiently aggressive form, so as not to give the object of manipulation the opportunity to make any comments to the instigator.
Remember that it is much easier to subordinate a man to his will, which is completely dependent on the partner. Therefore, one of the primary tasks of such people is to control the time, the environment and even the emotions of the manipulated one. Gradually, the subject will emphasize your attention only on him, put you in dependence on his time schedule, try to make sure that you move away from family or close friends. Your hobbies, what previously gave you pleasure will be called into question. In the end, you will spend time as the manipulator wants. Again, you will question what gives you joy and positive emotions and share the hobby of the manipulator.
It is important to know that psychological manipulation, although it does not have pronounced external manifestations, can affect your health. It is much easier to identify unhealthy relationships when threats of a direct nature are received. Pay attention to yourself, your feelings and experiences. Knowing the basic strategies of provocation and control, will help you to find out the reliable people and prevent them from entering your life.