Distorting facts is an aspect of psychological manipulation. It is used by toxic individuals to always be on top, and never take responsibility for negative behaviors.
Have you ever brought up an old conversation with someone? As you know, this is done when you look at the facts that were raised during the previous communication. Well, it’s quite normal to think about previous conversations. He can be funny sometimes. But when someone distorts the facts, it is insidious.
Signs that someone you know is distorting the facts
Although this may seem like a strange topic, it is important. I will examine the act of misrepresenting facts because it happened to me. Honestly, it was so sudden, I didn’t know what to do when it happened.
One moment I’m talking about a friend’s simple mistake, which was just a passing topic, and the next moment that friend is saying the event never happened. But more than that, the same friend twisted the facts to make it seem like I made a mistake in the past.
Have you ever been in this situation? Here are some signs that your friends and family may have made more than a few mistakes.
- Use their own facts and statistics
If you have an insecurity issue, anyone who distorts the facts can easily get to you. One way you can recognize them is by their constant talk of statistics and “facts.” They are the ones who act smart and make you bored.
If you’re talking about something, they already have all the statistics surrounding that topic, and they can’t be wrong… because after all, those are statistics.
It’s surprising that you can skew statistics by using only certain groups of people or things, whatever you’re discussing. Don’t let their 100% knowledge stop you from doing your own research. Know them by their lines and then avoid them.
- They put up roadblocks
You’ll know someone is distorting the facts when they keep telling you that you’re unable to do something you want to do. They will use your weaknesses, or rather, the things they don’t like about you to bring on feelings of insecurity.
Again, there’s insecurity. If they see it, it feeds them. If you’re talking to a friend about buying a home and your income is low, he or she will twist the facts to make you think you’ll never be able to afford a home. They’ll say things like,
“Your income is not high enough according to the average house prices in the real estate market. The bank will never give you a loan with your income.
While it’s true that buying a home isn’t always easy, there are ways around it. Toxic people will use roadblocks to distort facts. Sometimes you may never know its causes. Again, do your own research on this topic.
- Act like a chameleon
Have you ever seen someone selling things? I hope. Well, I hate to break the news, but best sellers are liars. They can create a new “they” specifically for those they need to impress. If you’re wondering what kind of people distort the truth, here they are.
In fact, they completely kill the truth in favor of whatever they need to achieve. But if absolute truth helps them, they will use that too. But they often squeeze the truth and distort it so much that if it held water, it would dry up.
Watch out for the sellers, ahem…I mean the ones who act like chameleons.
- They are great listeners
This is a tough one for you. When it comes to people who distort the truth, you need to be able to distinguish between true listeners and narcissists. The narcissist will sit and listen to the many stories you tell about yourself.
But they don’t listen to you to find out or help you. They are listening to gain information as ammunition against you later. Later, they will distort this information and hurt you with lies. A true listener hears you because he is a true friend. So, the mission is, how do you tell the difference?
Well, a narcissist tends to listen more at the beginning of a relationship. As the relationship grows, they listen less simply because they get bored with it, and have enough information to twist the whole thing.
A true listener will always be there for you, able to listen to your problems no matter how long ago they have been. So, be careful, the narcissist distorts the truth like it’s a full-time job. Stop telling them so much.
- Blame game
Unfortunately, by the time you see that the truth has been twisted in the blame game, it will have already done you damage. Here’s how it goes, buckle up:
Let’s say you have a friend who seems nice enough. You tell him your limits, your possibilities, and your standards, but in the end he starts to follow them. You get angry, you stand up for what you believe in, but he ignores or becomes deceitful, doing the things you told him not to do anyway.
So, you no longer feel like talking to him for a while because of his disrespect. You spend some time alone just to clear your mind. While you are alone, he cheats. When it all comes out into the open, he blames you for pushing him to this heinous act.
Do I need to say more? People like this are everywhere, distorting facts and destroying lives. When you see the red flag in the blame game, run for your life.
- Things don’t add up
If something seems out of place in your conversation with someone else, they’re probably distorting the facts a little. This is true with people you know are liars. You know they’ll probably twist the truth to their advantage. They will also have a different story to tell every time you ask them about a situation.
In fact, this distortion of the truth will reveal pathological liars or criminals. If the information doesn’t make sense, it’s probably missing some parts or just incorrect. Either way, it’s twisted. I suggest getting your information elsewhere in the future.
- Their past is different from yours
Remember when I talked about reminiscing about past conversations and stumbling over mistakes and little mishaps? Yes, this is where people will distort the truth too.
If two sisters have a big grudge against each other, they will have different ideas about what happened in the past. It is possible that one or the other was distorting the truth, but in many cases, both were distorting different aspects of what happened.
When both parties distort the facts, the grudge can sometimes follow them to the grave. Sometimes, in these circumstances, the liar may never tell the truth about the past.
So, if you know what really happened, just leave it. Be the bigger person and apologize, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put a little distance between you. Try to make phone calls and send messages only if you are fighting with your family in this way.
Maybe you can enjoy a family reunion or two. Just don’t suddenly get too close because twisted facts could again come into play in a future dispute.
