7 Signs of Manipulative People Taking Advantage of Your Disability
Naturally, there will be people around us to take advantage of, especially if we are disabled either physically or mentally. The nature of people to take advantage of any weak person is often termed “manipulation” in the world of psychology. Manipulation can be described as an unhealthy and unwanted control that some people tend to demonstrate over anyone weaker than him or them. Disabled people often become a target in this case. Let us check out 7 red flags which will prove whether a manipulative person is taking advantage of us or not.
Bringing us out of our comfort zone
This is the very first strategy that is taken up by an expert manipulator when he or she is dealing with any disabled person. We can see that the person will try his or her best to take us out in a space that is neither comforting nor safe for us; they might even force us into a company that is not desired in any case. This gives the manipulator a sense of control and they might be able to extract what they want from us with promises of security.
Exploiting weaknesses
Every person has some or other weakness of their own. These weaknesses are pronounced in people who are born or afflicted with any kind of disability. These people might be affected by any kind of uncomfortable situation rapidly. A manipulative person will try to put us in conditions that exploit our weaknesses. This allows him or her to gain a certain amount of control over our lives. Most manipulative people are narcissistic. The sense of control boosts their ego as they keep on taking advantage of a disabled person.
Force us to give up significant things
When a person has a form of disability, certain things become very important or close. This might be a thing or person who is very close to us but in case a manipulator comes into our lives, he or she will force us to give up this precious thing. This creates a condition when a disabled person becomes more dependent on the manipulator and he or she gains complete control over the life we are leading. This also allows the manipulator to take as much advantage of us as he or she wants as there is little or no chance of protest from the side of the victim.
Exaggeration of their problems
When a person suffers from a certain disability, there are numerous ways in which he or she will face hardships in life. When a manipulator enters our lives, they will make sure that each of our problems is nullified in front of the details that they might be presenting about their hardship. The most common nature of a manipulator is to exaggerate their difficulties and generate guilt in the victim’s mind. This is easier done when the victim is suffering from any kind of bodily disability.
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Gaslighting
Gaslighting is one of the major tactics which is used by a manipulator to blame a disabled person. We might be questioning our reality when we are being regularly gaslighted by our manipulator. It is possible to break out of this loop but the amount of abuse and lies which is carried through the journey is very painful and traumatic. Gaslighting is very common in a relationship between a manipulator and a disabled person. We are often made to think that anything that happens is our fault and that the manipulator is the victim in each case.
Judgemental
A manipulative person is bound to take advantage of a disabled person by being judgemental. Since that manipulator will always have a narcissistic mentality, he or she will try their best to prove that everything about us is either wrong or misleading. This allows them to exploit our conditions and take advantage by gaining control over our lives. In each of these scenarios, one has to remember that any other person will never have the right to judge you without walking in your shoes.
Cruel Humor
This is yet another classic track that is used by a manipulator to exploit a disabled person. It is easy to make fun of people who are differently challenged. Cruel jokes can be made at the expense of those who are not quite similar to others. This helps the manipulator gain an upper hand in the relationship. The classic signs of cruel humor are observed when one studies the relationship between a manipulator and a disabled person.
Conclusion
These can be the seven warning signs that will prove that a manipulator is exploiting our weaknesses to a certain extent. When a manipulative person arrives in your life, you can look for these signs and try your best to overcome their influence. We are not suggesting that the task will be easy enough but you have to take the very first step if you want to escape from the grips of a manipulative person in your life!