It is really tough to spot emotional manipulation when you are in love with that person or when it’s happening to you.
Are you feeling guilty or sorry for everything you do? Do you feel negative or unhappy around them constantly? There might be chances that you are being manipulated.
Here are 14 signs subtle signs that your partner is manipulating you in a relationship:
1. “Everything is always your fault. When you catch them in a lie and you KNOW they’ve lied, but they still don’t admit they’ve lied.”
2. “Usually you don’t really realize it. When other people start telling you there’s a problem, that’s when you finally realize. That’s what it took for me. When you look back later you can finally see what everyone else saw.”
3. “Manipulators often induce uncomfortable, “negative” feelings such as fear, guilt, or shame to get you to do what they want. Pay attention to the feelings you get around other people.”
4. “You are being forced to make decisions that you are uncomfortable with. You feel like someone is always pushing you to make rushed decisions. You never get the last word. Someone behaving differently in public vs in private.”
5. “A big red flag is that you feel utterly miserable after spending time with them. A much, much bigger red flag is that you desperately want to spend time with them again. Toxic relationships are addictive, more than any substance I have ever tried.”
6. “The silent treatment. You are constantly being given the feeling that you are doing something wrong. Behaviour towards others is painfully different than behaviour towards you. Keeping you from family and friends. Calling you wherever you are to show control. Change treatment of you without giving a reason.”
7. “You’re questioning yourself. The term “gaslighting” is often used to identify manipulation that gets people to question themselves, their reality, memory, or thoughts. A manipulative person might twist what you say and make it about them, hijack the conversation or make you feel like you’ve done something wrong when you’re not quite sure you have.”
8. “Aggressiveness/anger/conversation steering at the very beginning of a discussion that they don’t want to have. The conversation will never occur, there is always something that stops or diverts it, endlessly.”
9. “Always feel on edge around them even though nothing’s happening; something bad could happen at any moment even when things are normal.”
10. “Manipulators are extremely jealous and needy, usually narcissist types. They will start small by getting you to do little favors for them then they get angry if you don’t do everything they ask. And a lot of manipulative people will start fights and argue for no reason. Just endless fights. About who is right.”
11. “When you share your feelings with someone and they turn it into something about them, to make you feel guilty about sharing in the first place.”
12. “If someone tries to tell you that you can’t leave them because you’re all they have. Red flag 100% of the time.”
13. “You feel uncomfortable, but can’t pinpoint why exactly. Alternatively, you can figure out the problem, but talking about it with the manipulator doesn’t resolve anything.”
14. “When you have to keep assuring someone that you are not manipulating them. Manipulators always accuse others of being manipulative.”
Read more: 10 Ways To Identify A Toxic Relationship.