Emotional blackmail is a form of emotional abuse, directed at controlling the victim’s behavior and actions. Though the blackmailer tries to present himself to be a well-wisher of the victim, in reality he is just trying to hurt him. Maximum cases of emotional blackmail is seen where the victim tries to do something that the abuser doesn’t not want him to do, or the former does not want to do what the latter wants him to. It is not very easy to recognize emotional abuse as it is very subtle and mostly, the victim takes it as a routine behavior.
What is Emotional Blackmail
In an emotional blackmail, the blackmailer will usually do the following things:
- Threaten to harm himself if you do not listen to him
- Say that he will feel depressed or sad if you do not do what he says
- Use money as a weapon to control you
- Pressurize to keep his feeling and desires before yours
- Threaten to go away from you or end the relationship if you don’t listen to him
- Try to make you feel guilty
- Manipulate you in such a way that you feel compassionate
- Threaten to hurt you or make things difficult for you
- Demoralize you to get his work done
- Deprive you of love, appreciation, care, etc
- Make you feel as if you are being very selfish and you have become inconsiderate
Dealing with Emotional Blackmail
- The first step towards dealing with any type of abuse is to recognize that you are suffering from it. Many people go on living with a person for years, without realizing that their partner is abusing them.
- The next step will comprise of resisting any form of blackmail. If a blackmailer threatens to do something bad to himself or to you, just say that it will hurt you if he does something like this, but you have no choice than to do what you are planning to do.
- Never ever believe the negative things the blackmailer says about you. He is only trying to make you feel guilty and agree to what he is saying. Just have faith in yourself and do not fall into his trap.
- Try to communicate with the blackmailer. Tell him that when two people live together, they have certain differences too. It is not necessary to agree on every issue. You can agree to disagree and still be together.
- In the end, if none of the above options work, it is better to seek professional help. Don’t be ashamed of going to a psychiatrist. Remember many people in this world suffer from emotional problems and you are not the odd one out.
