3 Major Ways a Manipulator Tries to Manipulate You |
Being continually taken advantage of by a friend or family member is infuriating.
Inflicting guilt, using egocentrism, and playing the victim are three powerful manipulations.
Awareness of these tactics helps us stay ahead of a manipulator while re-asserting boundaries.
You’ve been there. Frustrated, baffled, and angry at a friend or family member who continually manipulates you into serving their needs while they ignore and dismiss yours. When you say something, they accuse you of being hurtful, aggressive, or even toxic. However, if you learn the three main ways a manipulative person manipulates, you can stay one step ahead of them and put an end to the infuriating cycle.
The Three Core Manipulation Tactics
Manipulative people are highly skilled at inflicting guilt, using egocentricism, and acting like they are the victim. If you know how to detect these manipulations, you can inoculate them before you are already involved in a frustrating scenario. The following example shows how a person uses these three maneuvers.
Your friend Shelly wants to come over and use your pool on Sunday. You explain to her that it is the last weekend before your daughter, Molly, leaves for college, and that you want to spend time with her. Your friend says, “Oh, come on. I never see you because I work all the time. I’ll just come over for an hour. Molly can hang out with us. Besides, I really want to see her before she leaves. I have a gift for her.”
Against your better judgment, you give in. When you tell your daughter, she is both hurt and frustrated. You reassure her that Shelly will only be there for an hour. Yet she arrives and camps out by your pool for the entire........