Emotional injuries are somewhat more dangerous than physical ones, because more often than they are invisible. But their consequences are far reaching and they can leave an individual scarred for life. Here are 6 signs of emotional abuse against which you should be guarded.
1. They enjoy putting you down
A true friend will criticize you only if they consider that your behavior harms you or the people around you. But an emotional abuser will put you down only for the pleasure of seeing you humiliated. They don’t care about your personal development, but about them feeling good when you’re down.
MORE: Manipulators Use These 5 Tactics Against You
2. They don’t care about your opinion
If during most conversations you feel that your only role is to listen to the other person’s opinions, that your feedback doesn’t matter and that your views are not valued, then you are probably not respected. The other person only needs an audience, not a partner in dialogue.
MORE: 10 Signs You Were Raised By Narcissistic Parents
3. You are always to blame
Emotional abusers are not good at accepting responsibility. Anything that goes wrong is your fault. They consider themselves flawless and therefore any possible conflict or mishap can only be traced back to you. And even if nothing goes wrong, they will find a reason to complain about.
4. They don’t respect your boundaries
Establishing and respecting each other’s boundaries is an essential element of a healthy relationship. But emotional abusers don’t respect boundaries, because they feel entitled to everything. This kind of person will call you in the middle of the night, they will expect you to drop everything and help them and they will never stop trying to force you to make sacrifices for them.
MORE: Are You Dating A Narcissist? This Is How You Can Tell
5. They think you are too sensitive
A common manipulative tactic is to make the other doubt himself. People who emotionally abuse others are always trying to convince you that any objection you may have against their dubious behavior is unjustified, that if you get upset it’s only because you are too sensitive and should take things more lightly.
MORE: 6 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Deal With Toxic People
6. They try to isolate you
For manipulation to succeed, you need to be isolated from your friends and family. Thusly you slowly lose your external criteria, you have no way to reality check your abuse. This is a sure way to control you and make you dependent on them.
Don’t ignore these signs, since they can cause long term damage on your mental well-being. Stay alert and get rid of the people who use these tactics!
Please share this!
