The term passive aggressive behavior is defined as when you are expressing negative feelings in a hidden way. This way, a person will hide their emotions of anger to gaslight the other person. In this phase, a person will act stubborn or ignore the person. Besides this, they will give silent treatment. They will avoid responsibilities. They will show you anger in an indirect approach.
Common Causes Of Passive Aggressive Behavior:
The various factors can determine the passive aggressive behavior. It can happen due to the worst childhood experiences. Also, a person can act this way due to the worst life experiences. There can be many possibilities of what causes passive aggressive behavior. You can check out the following causes.
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Lack Of Communication Skills:
The person will avoid talking in a direct way. It will restrict them to openly discuss their emotions. Also, this will refrain them from building healthy relationships.
Low Self-Esteem:
Low self-esteem can also lead your behavior to passive aggressiveness. This way you prioritise your feelings less than others. You may think you are not strong enough to talk about what is bothering you.
Strict Upbringing:
Strict parenting will refrain you from healthy conversations. The children who are being scolded for expressing their feelings fall into the category of passive aggressive behaviour. The consistency of being anxious can cause depression. Therefore, children should be given liberty to express their emotions.
Fear Of Confrontation:
The person will try to avoid all the conflicts that need to be resolved. This consistency of avoidance can lead to anxiety. Also, this will badly affect their relationships.
Control Issues:
The person will be rebellious in a relationship to gain control over their partners.
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Signs You Are Dealing With Passive Aggressive Behavior
Passive aggressive behavior can be subtle to notice. But a person will vocalize it through their negative emotions and behaviour. You can check out the following signs to discover if you fall under this category or not.
- Procrastination or a person who intentionally keeps avoiding their tasks that need to be done.
- They will avoid open heart conversation.
- Also, they will make excuses for their mistakes.
- They will distance themselves without giving enough explanation.
- They will use a sarcastic tone to hurt others.
Passive Aggressive Behavior In Relationships
What does passive-aggressive mean in relationships? The person will likely lose the emotional connection to their partner. This will showcase their hidden anger and negative thoughts. Passive aggressive behavior can be used as a defensive mechanism in relationships. A partner will show dissatisfaction in an indirect way.
Furthermore, the examples of passive aggressive behavior in relationships can be shown in different ways. A person avoids important conversations. They will avoid the emotional needs. They will give you the silent treatment as punishment.
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Passive Aggressive Behavior At Work
A person with passive aggressive behavior can make the workplace challenging and tough for others. They will create a toxic atmosphere for team members. Also, passive aggressive behavior is linked to repressed anger. They will restrict their emotions to avoid openly discussing because of the fear of rejection. However, the person will sabotage the situation by withholding information.
In addition to this, we will further move on with how do passive aggressive people talk.
- The employee will pretend to agree to everything at the meetings.
- They will miss important tasks on purpose.
- They will deliberately behave like a dumb person.
- They will arrive late to important events.
How Passive Aggressive Behavior Affects Mental Health
The excessiveness of everything is bad. Therefore, the person with passive aggressive behavior not only hurts others but also themselves. Let’s dive deeper to explore the passive aggressive traits. And how it is used as a copy mechanism of different mental disorders.
The passive aggressive behaviour is a symptom that can correlate with bipolar disorder. The person suffering from bipolar disorder has a greater chance of losing control over their emotions or anger. While the people diagnosed with PTSD are trauma survivors. Hence, they will project their anger as a survival tactic. They will avoid confronting others. Also, their consistency in repressing feelings can create emotional pressure on them.
How To Deal With Passive Aggressive People
If you have explored any signs and symptoms of passive aggressive behavior near you. You need to follow the following tips.
Address The Behavior Gently:
You can talk to them politely without being sarcastic.
Encourage Open Conversations:
You need to win their trust so they can talk openly about their emotions. Also, you can encourage them to undergo psychotherapy. So they will be able to examine their behavior for their well-being.
Set The Boundaries:
You need to set certain boundaries to avoid snide comments. You can directly talk about your limits of tolerance.
Stay Calm:
You need to keep quiet. The instant and impulsive reactions can heat up the conversations.
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Therapies & Treatments For Passive Aggressive Behavior
You can learn about passive aggressive behavior patterns in therapy. You can discover valuable therapy strategies to recognize these symptoms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
The experts will explore the characteristics of passive aggressive behaviour in a person. They will introduce you to positive thoughts that can change the negative patterns.
Psychodynamic Therapy:
This is an effective approach to understand the roots of passive aggressive behavior. The experts will explore your childhood traumas that have shaped your current behavior. However, the person will use psychosis to hide their emotional struggles to cope with the condition or a certain situation. However, the people suffering from OCD have issues of anger. Their frustration can depict passive aggressive behavior.
Communication Skills Training:
This therapy can be effective for passive aggressive communication. In this therapy, you will learn how to talk and express your emotions freely. Also, you need to be honest in your conversations to maintain healthy relationships. However, you can take this therapy via Telehealth. So, you will be able to talk about your concerns without any fear in your comfort zone.
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Anger Management Programme:
The experts use this programme to identify their anger triggers. It can happen because of family dynamics or cultural norms. However, a child starts to repress their emotions of anger when they are being punished for their honesty. So, the experts help you in identifying the difference between passive aggressive and aggressive. They will teach you how to handle anger in a healthy way.
Healthy Alternative To Passive Aggressive Behavior
It can be difficult to recognize the symptoms of passive aggressive behavior. You can learn about the strategies to cope with this pattern. You can spread awareness and educate others to recognize the signs. Furthermore, you can take therapies on how do I stop being passive aggressive. They will introduce you to effective approaches. Also, you can get our empathetic support at Inland Empire Behavioral Support. Our health professionals and experts will recognize the symptoms with the help of psychiatric medication management at Inland Empire Behavioral Group. We are here for the mental well-being of all the sexes of all the ages.
