Facts about Guilt Trips, A Form of Manipulation
Have you ever been not in a situation where someone made you feel guilty all the time, either through their words or actions? Be careful, you could be a victim of a guilt trip. If not addressed immediately, this treatment can have a negative impact on your mental health, you know.
Guilt trip is a form of manipulation that makes the victim always feel guilty and responsible for an act that has been done before or that has never been done at all.
So, the perpetrators of the guilt trip will constantly bring this up and use it as a "weapon" so that the victim can "fall to his knees" with him.
This behavior is included in the toxic relationship which can occur in any relationship, be it marriage, friendship, family, or work.
Know the Characteristics of a Guilt Trip
Guilt trips can be done intentionally or not. This treatment can also be very obvious or even difficult to detect because it can be done subtly and implicitly. In order not to be confused, here are the characteristics of a guilt trip:
- Bringing up the mistakes the victim has made in the past
- Making comments or acting as if the victim didn't do anything better or more than the perpetrator did
- To bring out the goodness or sacrifices made by the perpetrator so that the victim feels like a failure
- Doing silent treatment
- Performing passive-aggressive behavior
- Making sarcastic comments
- Shows as if he is angry, but then the perpetrator denies that there is a problem
- Make the victim feel indebted to the perpetrator
- Ignoring the victim's attempts to solve the problem
- Using body language to communicate displeasure, such as exhaling, crossing arms, frowning, or slamming objects
Examples of sentences spoken by the perpetrators of the guilt trip, such as "So, after I sacrificed this much, you want to just leave me like that?", "I I'm tired of cooking, but you eat a little", or "I went with him because you never had time for me. I'm lonely".
Gulit trip does not only aim to manipulate the victim so that the victim feels guilty. However, this behavior can also be a trick to avoid conflict and gain sympathy from others.
Impacts Guilt Trip That Needs to be Watched
Guilt trips can indeed make the victim behave according to what the perpetrator wants. However, this can foster a feeling of resentment in the victim for feeling they have been manipulated.
As a result, gradually the relationship with the victim can become more tenuous, less intimacy and emotional closeness, until finally feelings of hatred begin to emerge.
The feeling of guilt that continues to haunt can make the victim feel sad, anxious, regretful, afraid, worried, failed, and physical symptoms such as muscle pain and insomnia appear. This can also make the victim feel embarrassed and eventually withdraw from the social circle.If not addressed properly and occurs over a long period of time, this condition can develop into mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, OCD, and depression.
This is How to Deal with a Guilt Trip
It is important for you to recognize the behavior of the people around you, whether there is a guilt trip behavior or not. If so, here are ways you can deal with this behavior:
- Validation of perpetrator's emotions. Give him space to express his feelings.
- If he exhibits body language that indicates a guilt trip, try starting with a question, for example, "You seem frustrated with the task. What can I do to help you?"
- Speak carefully how you feel. Tell him if his behavior has left you sad and feeling manipulated. Give suggestions that this behavior can damage a healthy relationship.
- Set boundaries with guilt trips. If he's a co-worker, you don't need to be friends with him. Your business with him is just a job.
- Reject if the perpetrator asks something unreasonable.
If you feel manipulated by the people around you, be it in the form of a guilt trip, gaslighting, or otherwise, let's take it immediately attitude. Don't let your relationship with other people actually have a bad impact on your life and take away your happiness.
If this treatment has made you stressed so that your daily activities are hampered, you should immediately consult your problem with a psychologist, yes, to get the best advice.
Label : Healthy life
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