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What does it mean to be manipulative? Manipulation means to control or change the behaviors and perception of others. It involves the use of deception and underhanded methods to achieve personal aims.
1. Has someone made you second-guess yourself often? It also counts as manipulative behavior. This is because doubt affects an individual's self-confidence. Having low levels of self-confidence potentially makes the individual more susceptible to further manipulative tactics. It could also be perceived as manipulating a person to feel bad about themselves. In return, it makes the manipulator feel good in knowing that they have succeeded in holding power over the individual.
2. They're experts at guilt tripping. If you've ever done something because you felt bad about a situation, you can probably understand how guilt can be used to manipulate. If not, let's break it down. Guilt tripping is a form of emotional manipulation. Guilt can be a strong factor in getting someone to act in a specific way as well. It manipulates the individual to be in a submissive position as they feel that they have to do as instructed to be free of that guilt. Thus manipulators sometimes use guilt to hold power over their victims.
3. Manipulators also take advantage of kindness. Ever heard of being too kind for your own good? Well, be careful, because you are ripe for the picking by manipulators. They're quick to exploit your kindness to their own advantage, which is also a form of emotional manipulation. One thing to notice is that they usually do not return the favor when you need their help.
4. Spreading false information is related to manipulative behaviors. The manipulation begins with a circulation of false information as an attempt to get people to view things in a certain way. By doing so, the manipulator can gain more control in achieving their desired outcome because they've manipulated people into thinking the same way.
5. They never take the blame. We all respect those who take responsibility for their actions, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case with manipulative people. They'll always try to shift the blame to someone else if possible, and sometimes manipulate people into thinking that they're the victim instead.
Manipulative people will always try to justify their tactics, making it seem normal, which helps to justify their actions and mask their true intention. It helps them prove to others that their actions are correct, and their behavior is appropriate. The scary part is that many people end up falling prey as they feel it is right.
So how many of these signs have you noticed in people you may have met before? Or perhaps you see yourself having some of these manipulative traits? Although this blog explained only 5 signs, there could be more ways of manipulation out there. It's important to be vigilant and aware in case someone's trying to manipulate you.
