The Abuser’s Handbook: 9 Forms of Charm that Signal Abuse

In this week’s edition of our series highlighting the manipulation tactics of abusers, we’ll be covering 9 actions that, while charming on the surface, are often hidden signs of abuse (or can suggest that they’ll become abusive in the future).

Throughout this series, we’ll talk about a variety of tactics used by manipulators and otherwise toxic people that are often overlooked or dismissed, but should be taken seriously as signs of abuse.

These patterns and behaviors can often be spotted within the first hours of meeting someone, which is why it’s so important to trust your gut instinct.

It’s important to understand that you don’t have to be a “victim” to be abused. It’s not just “weak people” who fall prey to that charming-but-overconfident manager or leader in the office who seems to change their mind every five minutes, blame everyone else (but themselves) for their mistakes, and of course…take all of the credit for everyone else’s work.

We’ve all been there before, and can relate to the impossible feeling of navigating these challenging personalities.

It’s one thing to work with them, and another altogether to be in a relationship with them. They’re often the charming, confident guy or gal who enamoured you with their confidence in…