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March 4, 2024

Am I Being Manipulated Quiz

Kristie Plantinga
,
MA
black woman holds her hands in front of her face looking concerned; am I being manipulated quiz
Guides
March 4, 2024
2 min to read
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Relationships are complicated. Sometimes we find ourselves questioning if we're being manipulated or controlled by our partner, friend, family member, or someone else like a coworker. 

This uneasy feeling usually comes from a place of care and concern. After all, we want our relationships to be healthy and mutually fulfilling. It's perfectly understandable to have doubts or feel confused about the power dynamics in a relationship. 

This quiz is designed to help you reflect on your situation, gain more clarity, and determine if manipulation is truly occurring.

The goal of this quiz is not to label or judge, but to empower you with greater self-awareness. You deserve to have balanced, respectful relationships. My hope is that this quiz will help you assess your circumstances so you can take steps toward positive change, whatever that may look like for you. 

How accurate is this quiz?

At Best Therapists, we believe that online mental health quizzes can be an excellent first step towards improving our mental health. Quizzes like this one can educate you and provide opportunities for self-reflection, but note that they are not a substitute for professional assessments and diagnoses.

Take our quiz below ↓

Your privacy is important to us, so all results are completely anonymous and no email is required.

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Frequently asked questions

What are common signs of someone manipulating you?

According to WebMD (1), some common signs of someone manipulating you are:

  • They know your weaknesses and how to exploit them.
  • They use your insecurities against you.
  • They convince you to give up something important to you, to make you more dependent on them.
  • They lie to you, make excuses, blame you, or strategically share facts and withhold others.
  • They exaggerate and generalize to make it harder to see the holes in their arguments.
  • They use cruel humor to poke at your weaknesses and make you feel insecure.
  • They gaslight you to confuse you and make you question your own reality.
  • They use passive aggression to avoid direct confrontation and make you feel guilty.
What can manipulation do to your mental health?

According to GoodTherapy (2), manipulation can have negative effects on your mental health, such as:

  • Lowering your self-esteem and confidence
  • Making you feel guilty, ashamed, or unworthy
  • Causing you to doubt your own perception and judgment
  • Increasing your stress, anxiety, and depression levels
  • Isolating you from your friends and family
  • Triggering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in some cases
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Written by
Kristie Plantinga
,
MA

Kristie Plantinga is the founder of Best Therapists. Along with being on the client-side of therapy, Kristie has had the honor of working directly with therapists in her marketing agency for therapists, TherapieSEO. While working alongside therapists, she learned about the inequities in our mental health system that therapists face on a daily basis, and she wanted to do something about it. That’s why Best Therapists is a platform designed to benefit not only therapy-seekers, but therapy providers. Kristie has a Masters degree in Written Communication and a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Music.

Reviewed by
Katelyn McMahon
,
Registered Psychotherapist, VT #097.0134200

Katelyn is a therapist-turned-writer with a passion for mental health. She has a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of England and is a Registered Psychotherapist in the state of Vermont. Katelyn has professional experience in aging care, addiction treatment, integrated health care, and private practice settings. She also has lived experience being on the client side of therapy. Currently, Katelyn is a content writer who’s passionate about spreading mental health awareness and helping other therapists and therapy-seekers Do The Work.

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Show sources and research articles
  1. Goode, R. (n.d.). Signs of manipulation. WebMD. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-manipulation
  2. GoodTherapy. (2021, June 1). Manipulation. GoodTherapy. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/manipulation