11 Signs Of A Highly Problematic Person, According To Psychology
Why are they the way they are?
Lrakenimages.com / Shutterstock While it’s true that other people’s opinions don’t matter, it’s also true that other people’s collective response to someone can tell us pretty much everything we need to know about who they are.
If someone is a toxic person in your life, you might resonate with these warning signs of a toxic friend that are listed for people trying to identify one in their lives.
Here are 11 signs of a highly problematic person
1. They don't go out with their friends have severe social anxiety and fear of public humiliation.
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They have severe social anxiety fand a fear of public humiliation from running into someone they've hurt.
2. They're a bully
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They avoid and criticize people as a means of dominating them.
3. They can't be happy for their friends
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When friends share parts of their lives with them, they pick out what’s wrong rather than expressing happiness for them.
4. They don't cut off other toxic people
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They are constantly trying to coach or “fix” the friend or family member with whom they have a poor relationship. They are constantly harping on why their behavior is unacceptable, but at the same time, they don’t remove themself from ther relationship with them.
5. They have unhealthy friendships
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They have very few friends and are highly attached to the ones that they do have.
6. They don't love anyone
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They only express love or admiration when they need something.
7. They don't take accountability
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In the past year, they have not once admitted to another person that they were wrong, and will do better.
8. They have low self-esteem
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They oscillate between feeling as though they have a grandiose, god-like purpose on Earth, and feeling as though they are one of the most disgusting, unworthy beings to ever exist.
9. They manipulate people
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They do not get along with many people fundamentally, but they know they’re able to charm them into liking them one way or another.
10. People gossip about them
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Many people have negative things to say about them, but there seems to be a consensus about what those negative things are, and they seem to make enemies virtually everywhere they go.
11. They have unresolved trauma
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They are at least marginally aware of past trauma that’s keeping them feeling vulnerable, exhausted, and in pain almost all of the time.
Brianna Wiest is a writer, editor, author, and regular contributor to publications such as Huffington Post, Forbes, Teen Vogue, Thought Catalog, and many others. She's the author of 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, and other collections of poetry and prose.