“They try to control how you spend your time and tell you who you can and cannot hang out with.”— Hattie Gladwell, metro.co.uk
“He’ll do whatever it takes to look likable. He’ll tell you that he’s single. That he deleted his Tinder. That he doesn’t know the girl that tagged him on Facebook. That you’re the only girl he’s interested in. He’s a natural liar and he never even feels bad about it. He’ll say whatever he needs to s…”— Holly Riordan, thoughtcatalog.com
“He’ll only contact you as much as he needs to stay on your mind. That’s why he’ll like your selfie or send you a Snapchat every few days. He won’t put in much effort, but it’ll be enough to keep you hooked on him.”— Holly Riordan, thoughtcatalog.com
“If he says he’s going to call you at 7 pm on a Tuesday, but he does not do so until 10 pm the following day (or later), he is likely doing it on purpose. He wants you to be thinking about all of the possible reasons why he’s not contacting you when he said he would. He wants you kept on a short leas…”— Christina Berchini, elitedaily.com
“The guy who does not respect you, your boundaries or your physical space. He’s the guy who does not leave your dorm/apartment/home when you’ve asked him to. The same goes for the guy who shows up to your home when you have explicitly asked him not to.”— Christina Berchini, elitedaily.com
“You’re told that everyone feels the same about you. By claiming that others agree with them, the manipulators are convincing you that you are the one with the problem.”— Fabida Abdulla, newlovetimes.com
“Women something bad happens, there's conflict, or things seem to be in chaos, is your partner super calm? This can be a manipulation that makes you feel like you're overreacting. It can make you feel like you can't trust your own emotional reactions.”— Teresa Newsome, bustle.com
“When things don't go your partner's way, are they sick or weak or in need of care and support?”— Teresa Newsome, bustle.com
“This one's the worst. This manipulation basically asks you to prove your love over and over again by giving your partner what they want. 'If you really loved me, you'd go to the store and get me some ice cream!' Or even, 'If you really loved me, you'd change your mind about having a baby.' This one…”— Teresa Newsome, bustle.com
“They don’t answer your questions directly. Instead of confronting their mistakes, they divert your attention to something else, often with an emotional story that you’d feel bad interrupting.”— Suzannah Weiss, everydayfeminism.com
“Manipulation occurs when someone tries to force you out of your comfort zone. And I’m not talking about going on a spontaneous trip or trying a new food – I’m talking about disregarding your physical, emotional, or financial boundaries.”— Suzannah Weiss, everydayfeminism.com
“If conflicts from days, weeks, or months ago still bother you even though you’ve discussed them with your partner, it’s possible they manipulated you into believing the discussion was over before it was.”— Suzannah Weiss, everydayfeminism.com
“Rather than taking the time to carefully consider a different perspective, they generalize anything and everything you say, making blanket statements that don’t acknowledge the nuances in your argument or take into account the multiple perspectives you’ve paid homage to. Better yet, why not put a la…”— Shahida Arabi, thoughtcatalog.com
“Toxic people don’t argue with you, they essentially argue with themselves and you become privy to their long, draining monologues.”— Shahida Arabi, thoughtcatalog.com
“A person who engages in pathological lying may accuse their partner of fibbing; a needy spouse may call their husband ‘clingy’ in an attempt to depict them as the one who is dependent; a rude employee may call their boss ineffective in an effort to escape the truth about their own productivity.”— Shahida Arabi, thoughtcatalog.com
“Emotionally manipulative people are always willing to help… but it always comes at a price. They’ll always remind you of that one time they helped you out, and use it as a way to manipulate you into feeling like you owe them something.”— James Worthington, thefusionmodel.com
“In extreme cases, a spouse, close friend or family member may threaten suicide if they deem that it will get them care or attention or enable them to have their way.”— Joseph Mattera, charismanews.com
“Another not-so-obvious way to control is for the controller to continually question the motives of the person they control, so the victim is never sure of themselves and, thus, always on shaky spiritual and emotional ground.”— Joseph Mattera, charismanews.com
“Basically, if you talk to him about a problem or concern you’re having about the relationship and he just brushes it aside and says, ‘that’s ridiculous’, he’s manipulating you. Any time you’re feeling upset about something in the relationship your partner should be open and understanding, no matter…”— Bella Pope, thetalko.com