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Know when he's doing it so you can know how to stop it.
By Molly Given — Written on Jun 16, 2021
It's not always easy at first to tell when you're being manipulated psychologically, emotionally, or physically — but over time you start seeing signs and get some reservations about a person.
You could one day suddenly catch them in a lie and then start to realize most of what they say seems fishy. You could be unknowingly letting them control you and start to feel that they aren't as good for you as they once seemed. Whatever brings up the red flag and makes you realize it ignites an uncomfortable and harsh realization that you are being played.
It's the worst when you realize that someone you are romantically involved with or crushing on is the one that is manipulating you.
When you are starting to fall for someone you become a little more vulnerable because your feelings are so strong for them. As time goes on and they grow the probability that you are more inclined to being manipulated by them also grows because your feelings are so strong.
When you start to realize that someone is manipulating you there is a sense of betrayal. It could be because you thought so highly of them at one time or it could be because you really wanted to put yourself out there. Or it could be because now you can't fathom how you fell for such a jerk.
People suck sometimes, that's just life but you don't have to let them drag you down with them.
Emotional manipulation isn't ever cute or fun but it can be taken as a learning experience. You can see what exactly someone's motives are and even though it's a harsh reality it can be enlightening.
How to Tell if a Man is Manipulative, Based On His Zodiac Sign
There are ways to tell if a guy may be manipulating you by looking to his zodiac sign.
Not all guys do, but if you have any reservations or hesitations check out this list to see if the guy you're into and his sign of the zodiac is starting to behave badly.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Aries men are typically leader types. He isn't exactly controlling but he is influential. He takes charge in almost an effortless way and if you aren't paying attention he can manipulate you into obeying and following his orders.
The dynamic and strong traits of his personality can serve as a roadblock because everything about him seems so strong and honest.
However, if you find yourself agreeing with him more and more even on subjects you once felt differently about you should start to evaluate your relationship. Because as an Aries his best manipulation trick is to lead and control by getting a person on his side and acting like he wants to hear their opinion when all he really wants to do is control it.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus men emulate the sign of the bull to a T. He is grounded but his biggest manipulative trait is his stubbornness.
Being close-minded at times can be a red flag for others but he knows how to turn anyone into a skeptic on any subject by constantly putting his opinions in and not budging one inch. He will hold onto his viewpoints as correct even if there is evidence to prove otherwise.
Being so stubborn can serve as a way to manipulate you simply because he will not change his mind or allow anyone to even try. This strong of a conviction tends to have other people pause because being this sure and stubborn on a subject means he has to be right. Right?
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini men are pros at being a yoyo of emotions. Everything he says he will say with such conviction and animation that it's hard to believe that he's being insincere.
But what he might be telling you could be false because he could be saying the complete opposite to someone else. He will change his mind and opinions to benefit him in any situation.
Being so outspoken at times can come across as magnetic to people and they get drawn in and not even know that he is saying a whole slew of different things to different people. He will do what's best and say what's best for himself in that moment.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer men use their emotions as their manipulation tool. Acting as though he is a sweet and sensitive teddy bear when in reality he is just being cold and calculated. He surely knows how to play on people's heartstrings and make them feel bad for him.
Whether it's getting fake choked-up or making up a story of his last girlfriend who "hurt him so bad he doesn't know if he can love again," his heart-wrenching stories may just be indeed stories.
He uses what he knows will make people see him in a soft light and act like a victim just to catch you off guard and take advantage of that.
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Leo men are lions and predators. He will not stand idly by in any situation.
His biggest manipulation tool is to hit on other people's pride. It's the compliment sandwich technique. Saying something nice, hiding a little insult in the next sentence, and then ending it with another nice statement to confuse a person into wondering if they are even being insulted or not.
Doing this he knows it will eventually break a person down to feeling bad about themselves and he uses this to help "build them back up" when he was really the one who made that someone feel bad in the first place.
Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
How are male Virgos manipulative? Virgos are controlling and intelligent and they know it.
If you date a Virgo, he will use big words and smart-sounding blanket statements to confuse you and then try to explain it to you to benefit him and manipulate you. He won't hold back in making someone feel stupid or dumb if it helps him be able to manipulate them.
Sounding so smart and being so knowledgeable on certain subjects can be impressive so people are drawn in. He knows this and uses it as a way to give himself credibility. The manipulation comes out when he uses his smarts as a way to mold someone's thoughts the way he wants.
Libra (September 23 - October 22)
Libra men are a ball of fun but use that to manipulate. He will be the life of the party and the class clown, which disarms people not because they don't take him seriously, but because they don't see him as threatening.
He uses this as a way to get people on his side — he can't be bad in their eyes if he's cracking jokes all the time. Always being the fun guy helps him to get people to like him and want to be around him.
When he hurts the people closest to him it may take a bit of time for them to even realize that they were hurt in the first place. He may sting with a smile but he stings hard.
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
Scorpio men are charming. He has this magnetic nature about him that tends to have people curious and intrigued about him. He can charm the pants off of anyone but he does this all with a dark side that no one sees.
This is Scorpio emotional manipulation.
On the inside, he can be moody and a little bit vindictive. He will use his smile and sparkle in his eye to help throw anyone off of thinking that. He operates behind the scenes and is a master of emotional manipulation when it comes down to it.
One of Scorpio's manipulation tactics is being that charming in person and the passion he seems to give off can deter people from suspecting anything shady from him.
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius men are storytellers to the extreme. He will say things he doesn't mean and make promises he can't keep all of the time. He is great at being able to draw people into his tales and stories and talking big with little action to follow it.
He would be the one to say "I love you" first and not really mean it at all. With big expectations in life, he can seem like a dreamer and optimistic when in reality he is just saying the first thing that comes to mind.
If he thinks you are starting to get suspicious of him he will say whatever you need to hear to reel you back in.
Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorn men are silent with their manipulation but it is still strong.
He isn't vocal when he tries to manipulate, he does this through his actions. He could not really be into her, but when he's at the same bar as she, he'll pay her drink tab just to make her think he is.
He won't say anything that will give his true intentions away. He's actually very careful about his words, which serves as a disarming way to gain people's trust. Being the "silent but deadly" type works for his benefit because he can be behind the scenes and not raise any red flags but still be doing a ton of manipulative damage.
Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
Aquarius men are very intuitive and perceptive. He will find out what your own weaknesses are or what plays on your heartstrings and use that as a way to get you on his side. He will do research and even change his own habits to reel you in, and once he does he is able to keep up the facade.
Being that intelligent serves as a weapon because people automatically trust people that seem to understand them on a deeper level. And he is a pro at making it seem like he does when in reality he just knows what buttons to push to make you emotionally reliable on him.
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
Pisces men are the masters of scapegoating. He will never take the blame for anything and is very good at making it seem like other people are responsible for anything bad or manipulative that is happening. He is able to twist around any situation and make it as though you or someone you know is truly at fault.
Being able to do that requires a lot of talking and showboating, but he is a pro and a master at that. Being able to talk his way out of anything and always either being the victim or the savior of different scenarios helps him continue to be manipulative.
Molly Given is a writer and lover of all things to do with mystery and magic in life. When she's not writing her fingers off she can be found planning her next adventure in a new part of the world.