Signs You’re with a Manipulative Man

Sometimes, you won’t know how a manipulative man operates until you detach yourself from the situation or the relationship. It can be difficult to judge when your mind is clouded with emotions but observing the common signs can help you determine whether you’re with a manipulative man or not. The sooner you know, the better you will be at taking the steps to protect your well-being and happiness.

If you suspect that the man you are dating or are in a relationship with is manipulative, it might be helpful to look at these signs.

He makes you financially dependent on him

At the beginning of the relationship, he may shower you with gifts and get you accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle. Fast forward to a few months later, and he might invite you to move in or quit your job leaving you with limited choices so you become more dependent on him. In the future, he might withhold these things from you in an attempt to control you.

He isolates you from friends and family

A manipulative man will try to cut you off from friends and family. He may make you feel guilty for seeing your friends and make negative comments about them until you start to believe these criticisms to be true. By keeping you less in touch with your support system, it’s easier for him to control you.

He criticizes the smallest things

He constantly criticizes you for the smallest things whether it’s about your work, friends, way of dressing, or mode of entertainment. It can be hard to see it as criticism when he makes it sound like supportive advice. These comments aren’t always meant to make you a better person but to make you doubt yourself just enough so you always depend on him when making decisions.

He doesn’t have accountability

When a problem or issue arises, a manipulative man will direct the blame towards you or others. He might even accuse you of being ridiculous for getting upset over a small issue and change the topic entirely. Guilt is a very powerful tool that he uses to make you feel as if you have caused the disagreement leading you to feel bad and apologize by the end of the conversation.

He doesn’t trust you

Because a manipulative man withholds his trust from you, you might be willed to share your private texts, emails, and diary entries in an effort to gain his trust. This is not romantic; it’s controlling. Even the most romantic couples still require some level of privacy to allow the other person to have an independent existence of their own.

He makes you feel insane

As if cutting you off from your peers and your privacy wasn’t enough. A manipulative man will also try to cut your sense of your reality through a technique called “gaslighting”. It’s a type of manipulation that shakes your sense of reality causing you to doubt your memory, perception, and sanity. A gaslighter doesn’t necessarily have to be right, he only has to convince you that he is right, or that you’re wrong, or mistaken. He makes you doubt yourself until you start asking yourself, “What is wrong with me?”

Any woman can fall into a relationship with a manipulative man no matter how strong, feminist, or logical minded she is. It’s normal to experience some form of self-loathing when you realize just how far you have fallen from reality because of this man. It’s all a matter of seeing a manipulative man for what he is and doing something about it whether it’s confronting him or ending the relationship.

Have experience dating a manipulative man before? Share with us your experience or advice in the comments section below.