One of the most helpful strategies for not getting stuck in the heartbreak you don’t need is spotting red flags as soon as they show up.
Emotional manipulation rarely comes with neon warning signs. Instead, it happens gradually and in small ways so the person on the receiving end often thinks it’s love, that it’s care, even that it’s concern.
The problem?
Before they know what hit them, victims have usually lost their grip on reality.
Here’s the reality of red flags in relationships…
If you can recognize the top warning signs before you get in too deep, it’s entirely possible to protect your emotional wellbeing and avoid getting seriously hurt.
In fact, many people don’t realize emotional abuse is real, just like physical abuse is real.
Don’t worry.
We’re diving in to reveal the biggest red flags of emotional manipulation right now…
- Warning Signs in a Relationship: What They Are and Why They Matter
- Warning Signs in a Relationship: 7 Red Flags to Know
- Warning Signs in a Relationship: Bottom Line
Warning Signs in a Relationship: What They Are and Why They Matter
In general, emotional manipulation is any type of psychological aggression where one partner aims to control, deceive, or take advantage of another.
That sounds scary enough but get this…
48% of both men and women have suffered from psychological aggression by an intimate partner.
While there are many different types of psychological aggression, manipulation is a broad term for tactics like denial, blame-shifting, playing the victim, love bombing, and other gaslighting behavior.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Emotional Manipulation Hurts
Unlike physical violence, there are no bruises or scars to show for emotional abuse. It’s all behind closed doors and psychological. The impact is almost invisible.
Emotional manipulation in relationships happens over time. The person on the receiving end often doesn’t realize it’s happening until they’re far too deep in the relationship to make an easy exit.
Abuse through emotional manipulation always creates an imbalance of power. The manipulator becomes more and more powerful and in control of a situation while their partner on the other hand loses autonomy, self-esteem, and eventually their sense of reality.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: The Financial and Emotional Costs
What most people don’t realize is the long-term cost of emotional manipulation runs deep.
Financial abuse is common. Isolation from friends and family is the goal. And at the extreme end of the spectrum, some people lose so much confidence in their own judgment that it spills over to their work performance.
And while survivors can successfully secure settlements of Over $100,000 through the justice system, it’s nearly impossible to put a price on the emotional manipulation in relationships.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: 7 Red Flags to Know
There’s so much to discuss here, but if you’re wondering about the 7 BIGGEST red flags to look for in relationships when it comes to emotional manipulation it’s:
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Love Bombing
Love bombing is the act of throwing a relationship partner a whole lot of affection, attention, gifts, and excessive flattery at the start of the relationship.
Love bombing is manipulation because it quickly creates emotional dependency. The manipulator showers their target with a false sense of value in the relationship through insincere affection.
When the victim is in deep, the love bomber withholds affection. This makes their target feel crazy and anxious until they agree to the manipulator’s demands.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a type of emotional manipulation where the perpetrator makes their target question their memory, perception, and sometimes even reality.
Gaslighting tactics include denying that things were said or done, calling the target “too sensitive,” or shifting blame in situations.
If you ever catch yourself thinking, “Am I going crazy?” when you’re in a relationship — that’s gaslighting.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Isolation
Warning Signs in a Relationship: If the other person is doing everything in their power to cut you off from your friends and family, it’s a big red flag.
Relationship isolation tactics include: criticizing loved ones, making a big deal about wanting to hang out alone, or convincing the target that no one else cares about them.
Gaslighting and isolation go hand-in-hand. After all, a victim is less likely to recognize abuse if they have no support network.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Playing the Victim
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Playing the victim works by forcing the target to shift the blame onto themselves.
The manipulator acts like they’re always in the right, even when the target is in the wrong. They whine about how hard life is, how much they do for the relationship, and eventually turn situations into their personal crusade.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Predictable Mood Swings
Emotional manipulators are unpredictable.
They oscillate between being nice and suddenly dropping the rage. This forces the other person to tiptoe around and do whatever is necessary to keep the relationship afloat.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Constant Criticism
Nothing about the target is good enough.
The emotional manipulator tears down their partner’s self-esteem through constant criticism.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Final Thoughts
Emotional manipulation is a very serious issue.
One of the easiest and best ways to protect yourself is recognizing warning signs in a relationship before you get too deeply involved.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Bottom Line
Emotional manipulation is a type of psychological abuse that millions of people experience every year. But you don’t have to be one of them.
By learning the warning signs of a relationship early — like love bombing, isolation tactics, gaslighting, predictable mood swings, and playing the victim — anyone can guard themselves against toxic people.
The key is trusting your instincts, maintaining social support networks with friends and family, and asking for help when you need it.
Warning Signs in a Relationship: Quick Recap
- Love bombing
- Trust your gut when things don’t feel right
- Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic
- Isolation from friends and family is a big red flag
- Ask for help to heal from emotional abuse
- Remember you can leave at any time
Emotional abuse is real and just as worthy of attention as physical abuse. If you or anyone you know are experiencing these warning signs they deserve support and access to resources for healthy relationships.