1. Jealousy and possessiveness A little jealousy is appropriate in relationships, but too much envy is unhealthy. If your partner is extremely possessive, always checking in on you, or becomes irritated when you spend time with others, this is not love, but rather a symptom of control.

2. Gaslighting. This highly subtle type of psychological manipulation seeks to make you question your own sanity, perception, or memory. This method involves the manipulator rejecting what they’ve obviously stated or done while maintaining that you’re “misremembering” or exaggerating.

If your partner repeatedly engages in such conduct, it is likely that you are being gaslighted. This is a big red flag, signaling a toxic relationship dynamic that can have a significant impact on your mental health.

3. Constant criticism. While constructive criticism is vital for personal development, continuous, harsh criticism that makes you feel inadequate or inferior constitutes emotional abuse. Love should raise your self-esteem, not lower it.

4. Playing the Victim Manipulators often use the victim card. They will exploit events from their childhood to get your compassion, but all they want is to take advantage of you.

Some toxic people are so excellent at playing the victim that they can manipulate anyone. You might even believe that some of their heartbreaking stories are true. Granted, some people were victims and evolved this mindset to get by in life. However, many people are simply telling lies to manipulate your emotions.

5. Make empty promises. Manipulators will give you all kinds of promises in order to get you off their back. However, they have no intention of keeping the broken vows. You will notice that these promises come out when you are caught in lies or consider leaving them.

Please don’t expect them to follow any of their promises to you; lying is one of their strong suits. Toxic people frequently employ deception to divert attention away from their true intentions.

6. Controlling . anipulators want you all to themselves, so they can dictate how much time you spend with others. They despise it when you are out of their sphere of influence for an extended period of time because they are afraid that individuals will undermine their power over you. They may become as controlling as attempting to determine who you can speak with on the phone, visit in person, or go to grocery stores or other locations.

Some controlling toxic people try to isolate you from the rest of the world so they can have you completely to themselves. This behavior is equivalent to a prison sentence rather than a romantic engagement.