It is easier to spot when we are being manipulated than when we are guilty of it ourselves, but most people are not straightforward in communication as we think. I dont believe and hope NOT many of us are intentionally manipulative, but we can pick up manipulative modes of communicating because we didnt all get the emotional support we needed when we were growing up. Such habits are automatic, but it doesnt mean that we can make an effort to become more straightforward. Are you aware of trying to manipulate friends?
For example some friendships can be like this: You are having a short fuse so they have to walk on eggshells around you, or the worst one as I seeing it, is the one playing the martyr, or maybe YOU present yourself as a victim to get sympathy? I take it back, all these 3 examples are discusting speaking. If so, what is likely impact of this on your friendships? How important or unimportant is it to impress your friends, or to be impressed by them? You may relish a competitive edge, but do you believe that envy is a good substitute for friendship? ” Do as you would be done by, and WE want more than virtue in our friends” More then anything , what we need in our friends is to know they will offer us emotional safety and comfort, because when we have that, we can relax enough to have a good laugh.
Ania, Jac, Magdalena and Kasia – polish girls are one of the most belle donne in the world,
I think.
