6 signs someone is indirectly manipulating you, according to psychology

No one wants to be with a manipulator, but the sad truth is that you don’t realize that you are with a deceitful snake when you are committed to the relationship.

You might be thinking, ” Well, if a manipulative person came my way, I would have found out about them before they tried their tricks.”This is easier said than done because it is very difficult to detect manipulation, especially when you are with someone you love and trust.

When you slowly spin through their web of deception, instead of questioning what they are doing, you ask yourself. Maybe you misunderstood what they said; Maybe you are too sensitive; and why do you feel crazy?

Their tactics are subtle but effective, so you begin to doubt yourself without knowing that you are being manipulated.

That’s why it’s so important to recognize the 6 signs that someone is manipulating you indirectly, according to Psychology.

This way, you can pay attention to your instincts, and secondly, be aware of someone’s manipulation attempts before they bend and break your soul.

1) they will take advantage of your insecurity.

One thing you should remember when dealing with a manipulator is that they will exploit you to achieve their agenda.

These individuals are good at lying, and they do it by creating detailed stories to impress, influence, and boost their ego, but with your sacrifice.

Whether in front of a crowd or alone, they find roundabout ways to point out your mistakes and make you feel bad.

A classic example is targeting your self-confidence by targeting your weight or appearance. They understand that you are on a diet, and when you ask for their opinion on new clothes, they will respond, “Oh, I like that. It’s a pity that you had to struggle to get into those pants.”

Did you just get a compliment, or is this an indirect insult?

It was a bit of both, and the compliment is called backpacking. You’re left second-guessing yourself, and suddenly, you feel self-conscious and hurt by their words.

They want you to believe that they are looking for you through honesty, but at the same time, they are slowly getting rid of your self-esteem.

It helps them to control you.

2) they make you feel guilty.

Manipulators may not outright insult or belittle you, but they will make you feel guilty for getting their way.

Instead of being upfront about their feelings, they take information from your past or ask something they did for you to make you feel sorry for them and give them what they want.

The thing is that you don’t even realize that this is what they are doing because you are preoccupied with your feelings and want to make things right, so you give in to their demands.

How do emotional manipulators do this? At the beginning of a manipulative relationship, these individuals make you believe that you mean the world to them. They are charming and appreciate you, so you trust them, and all this happens very quickly.

Before you know it, you’re sharing your fears, wants, and past, and they’ll use this against you.

Suppose they want you to do something for them. They will remind you of what they have done for you in the past or once you have disappointed them so that you feel guilty and want to reciprocate or make it up to them.

The moral of the story? They’re getting their way.

3) I will gaslight you.

This is a typical strategy used by a manipulator because it is very effective in confusing you and creating self-doubt. The things they say and do by gaslighting will make you think you are losing your mind.

But what is gaslighting, and why does it have such a strong effect on you?

When you are gaslighted, you are not sure if you are being emotionally abused. The manipulator does and says things to insult and hurt you because they lack empathy. It creates confusion and self-doubt.

This is a cruel form of manipulation that makes you think that you made a mistake or misinterpreted what they told you. They can change the situation, so you constantly doubt your perception and understanding of events.

They achieve this by insulting or hurting your feelings; when you confront them about it, they pretend that it never happened. You will hear, “What, are you crazy?”Or” I never said that.”

Even if you know deep in your heart that you aren’t confused about what they said or did, they are so convincing that you doubt yourself instead of continuing to question them.

One of the ways you can determine if you are being gassed is when you confront them about a problem; pay attention to their reaction. Are they paying attention, or are they immediately denying the role they played by calling you too sensitive, crazy, or confused?

If, by the end of the conversation, you let go and apologize when you are not sure why, then it’s time to reassess the relationship.

4) they get others to play a game of manipulation.

There is an interesting tactic that narcissists and emotionally abusive individuals use to control their victims, and it involves recruiting other people to do their dirty work.

People involved in the implementation of their plans are known as third parties or flying monkeys. Manipulators will lie to colleagues, friends, and family to put themselves in a positive light or to look like a victim.

In most cases, the manipulative person will not ask a third party to talk to you directly, but he knows how to deceive the situation and cope with it so that the Flying Monkey feels the need to deal with the topic with you.

Suppose you are thinking about ending the relationship. They’ll get recruiters to talk to you to try to get you to stay.

It is an unpleasant situation to be in and it puts you under enormous pressure because, again, you find yourself questioning your thoughts, choices, and emotions.

RELATED:9 phrases covert narcissists use to subtly manipulate you

Trust your instincts, don’t listen to people who don’t respect you.

While not everyone falls for the hook, line, and plunge into the manipulator’s deceptive ways, look out for people who do and pay attention to the signs that you are unhappy in the relationship.

5) they reflect your likes and dislikes.

It’s natural to want to be with someone who enjoys the activities you do. Shared interests make it easy to do things together that make both of you happy despite your sense of independence.

But when someone manipulates you indirectly, he will pretend to like all the things you like.

It’s a strategy called mirroring, where the manipulator believes that by showing that they share your interests, you two are a match made in heaven!

When you look at all the things you have in common, it makes it difficult to see manipulation.

However, there is a way by which you can determine if they are deceitful about sharing your hobbies.

In conversation, do they pay to find out what your preferences are? Do they speak for you instead of letting you make your own decisions, or maybe they change their mind a lot after hearing about your choices and interests?

It’s a very subtle type of manipulation that’s hard to pin down, especially when you’re in a romantic relationship.

6) they slowly begin to isolate you.

You may think that isolation is a very obvious sign, but when you fall into the clutches of an emotionally manipulative relationship, you don’t realize that you are isolated until it’s too late.

Manipulators indirectly isolate you from your friends and family through guilt and pressure. It’s not a powerful strategy, which is why most people don’t realize it.

Consider this example…

Although your partner knows that you are open and that you always have a good relationship with your friends, he wants to spend more time with you. To achieve this, they will tell you that you are always with your friends and that you rarely spend quality time with them.

Even if this is not true, you feel guilty that they are being left out, or you wonder if you are giving them enough attention, and you give up.

Over time, you cancel on friends and family and see them less frequently. At this stage, you hardly notice that the process of isolation has begun.

If you are wondering why a manipulator isolates you, it means controlling you.

Manipulation is difficult to spot, and when you are in a romantic or intimate relationship, you simply do not see the red flags that are right in front of you.

But you’re not to blame.

Manipulative people have very subtle ways of influencing and controlling you. You might scratch your head after an argument and think, ” Am I being misunderstood, or am I maybe being too sensitive about the whole thing?”

The more you are overwhelmed by gaslighting and your confidence is broken by backhanded compliments, the more it leads to self-doubt and emotional fatigue, which makes it easier to control you.

The last words

Be aware of 6 signs that someone is indirectly manipulating you so that you can put an end to a toxic relationship that serves no purpose for your present or future.

You deserve the best; don’t forget that.