It can be hard to see the difference between a man genuinely expressing concern versus toxic behavior. But here are 11 subtle ...

Ever felt like your relationship was slowly becoming less of a partnership and more of a dictatorship? Yeah, it's a super ...

Tension: Reassuring words can mask power plays; what sounds caring may quietly corral your choices and rewrite your narrative. Noise: Feel-good communication advice equates positivity with kindness, ...

When things get tough in relationships, it’s very normal, natural and easy to focus on your partner’s behaviors and the problems they bring to the relationship. It’s much harder to see your own ...

Recognizing controlling behavior in relationships can be challenging, especially when it develops gradually over time. Many controlling behaviors might initially appear as expressions of love or ...

I’ve sat across from countless clients in my therapy office, hearing the same heartbreaking whisper: “I never saw it coming.” As a psychologist and podcast host, I’ve learned controlling relationships ...

Emotional manipulators tend to benefit from having a sense of emotional intelligence without the added social and internal burdens of compassion or empathy. According to a study from the SAGE Open ...

Trying to control others by imposing rigid rules, demanding conformity, micromanaging tasks, or punishing deviation is more ...

We tend to associate the word “abuse” with more extreme behaviors and actions. However, abuse occurs on a continuum and can take on different forms and morph and/or escalate over the course of the ...

This article follows the Direct Message methodology, designed to cut through the noise and reveal the deeper truths behind the stories we live. There’s a fine line between not liking someone and not ...