Emotional abusers have mastered the art of planting fear or shame in their victims. If you fear you might be dealing with someone who’s manipulative, keep reading.
They apologize but don’t actually mean it
They overstep boundaries and quickly apologize, yet they end up repeating their mistake over and over again. They don’t care whether or not they hurt or upset you, even if they keep doing the same things consistently.
There’s no balance of support
You celebrate their successes and cheer on their future goals but you don’t get the same in return. What you get in return is a mind full of questions regarding whether or not they actually care about your accomplishments and aspirations.
They want you to depend on them
You have the power to give yourself whatever you need. Your emotional abuser, on the other hand, chooses to ignore this because they want to be in control of you. Your independence is a threat to them since they find pleasure in taking control.
Their behavior frightens you
You find yourself holding back. You’re scared to ask or tell them things in fear of how they might react.
They give you the silent treatment
After you’ve stood up for yourself and tried to put your foot down for once, they retreat and avoid talking to you. Since these abusers are expert manipulators, they try to work some guilt into you in hopes that you might feel bad for expressing how you feel.
They’re unpredictable
… and not in a nice, romantic way. One day, they’re the sweetest person under the sun and the next day they’re colder than ice. What happened? What did you do wrong?
Your self-esteem has decreased
The behavior of an emotionally abusive person will have a negative effect on their love interest. They stay in control by damaging your confidence, making you feel worthless and emotionally unstable over time.
They control how you spend
They use money as a way to dominate by controlling how you spend it.
