Every one of us has dealt with a manipulator at least once in our lives.
When you think about it, manipulators are all around us. Salesmen manipulate you into buying their stuff, kids manipulate their parents, and politicians manipulate their citizens.
Manipulation is by no means a newly invented tactic. It’s been around for ages and it’s completely normal – until it becomes destructive.
Being in a toxic and manipulative relationship can be even more destructive as it affects your mental health.
That’s why it’s important to recognize if you’re being manipulated by a master manipulator. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
But sometimes we miss the signs that someone is a master manipulator as they’re very skillful at hiding their true face. At first, everything seems to be normal and quite ordinary, but over time, you start realizing that something just isn’t right.
If you know what to look for, you’ll be able to see their scheming strategies and potentially save yourself from heartbreak.
1. He lies to you all the time
Being a master manipulator means that you have to hide your true intentions. If you have caught him in a lie, then ask yourself:
How many times has he lied to you without you even noticing it at the time? How many times did you believe in his words only to find out that they were meaningless?
A pro manipulator will tell you exactly what you need to hear at that moment. He won’t hesitate to beautify the situation just so you believe what says. And he’ll make sure that you believe him.
That’s why you should always pay attention to a man’s actions. It’s true what people say, that actions speak louder than words, so that’s why a master manipulator is bound to reveal himself sooner or later.
2. He knows how to bring you to your breaking point
Everything was going great for you two when you started dating and he was so invested in knowing everything about you. He made an effort to make you a part of his life and he wanted you to be happy.
He became involved in every aspect of your life. And he even seemed genuinely interested everything you shared about yourself.
He was all you ever wished for. And that’s when you fell into his trap.
A master manipulator’s first aim is to gather as much information about you and your weaknesses as possible. Why? Because he’ll use them against you.
He knows you’re emotional and will seize every opportunity he gets to turn the tables in his favor. He’ll use them to exploit you and bring you to your breaking point. That’s the only way he’ll feel better about himself.
3. He’s unpredictable
What he’ll do next is always a mystery to you. A master manipulator has a short fuse, and you never know what he’s feeling or what’s going on inside his head.
You could at one moment be peacefully sitting and drinking coffee together and a split second later he furiously lashes out at you, blaming you for something that you haven’t even done. You live in constant fear of him snapping at you.
A master manipulator frequently has mood swings and his feelings for you are inconsistent. But because you’re in a relationship with him, your mood becomes influenced by his.
At one point, you might find that your happiness depends on his – and that’s exactly what a pro manipulator is trying to achieve.
4. He’s never going to change
The thing is, although you’re sometimes even aware that your boyfriend is manipulating you, you still believe that deep down he’s a good guy and his heart is in the right place. You don’t want to lose him and risk having your heart broken again.
You give him countless second chances and believe that he’ll change eventually – there’s always hope, right?
Sorry to break it to you, but he won’t change his behavior or himself for that matter. Ever!
He simply doesn’t think that he needs to change anything about himself. He refuses to recognize his flaws or mistakes that he made, so he sees no reason to change.
He doesn’t see the immorality of his actions. And the most twisted part is that he’ll manipulate you into believing he’s right and you’re wrong – that you’re the one who needs to change.
5. He’s always blaming you for everything
How many times have you said that you’re sorry? And how many times have you wondered if he was the one to blame or you?
When you’re in a relationship with a master manipulator, you’ll find yourself asking why you’re apologizing for something you’re not guilty of.
And it won’t happen to you once or twice, but multiple times.
He’ll sweet-talk you into thinking that he’s not the guilty one, you are. And no matter what he did, he’ll find an excuse to blame you for it.
For instance, if you get angry at him, he’ll say that it’s your fault because you’re expecting too much from him. And if he gets angry, he’ll tell you that you’re the one who did something to upset him.
6. You feel obligated
You know that a healthy relationship is about giving and not expecting anything in return. But that’s not the case when you’re in a relationship with a master manipulator.
When he does something for you, you’ll feel obligated to repay him because, for Pete’s sake, he made a sacrifice to do it.
And even if he doesn’t expect anything in return, he’ll still mention it to you whenever it suits him. He won’t forget about it – he’ll bring it up every time you two have an argument.
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