By 12 Behaviors That Reveal a Person Who Likes to Intimidate and Bully Others
May 20, 2021
There is nothing worse than a bully. This person loves to intimidate others by pushing their weight.
Although classically regarded as a kid on the playground, a bully can be anyone of any age. According to the National Institute of Health, harassment in the workplace can be done online or in person.
Suppose you work in an office with a gentleman who has been there for years. He is seen as a promising sales professional and the company is preparing him for management. He may feel threatened because of his position, so he will use intimidation and other tactics to try to expel him.
You must remember that this person insecurities come into play in situations like these. Like the kid on the playground, they feel better or more critical pushing you. Unfortunately, not all cases of bullying are so blatant and it takes good sense to determine who is manipulative and aggressive and who is your friend.
Twelve behaviors that reveal a cruel person who loves to bully others
Fortunately, some specific behaviors or habits show that someone has bullying tendencies. You can quickly identify when someone is trying to intimidate or manipulate you using the list below. These are the main behaviors of bullies.
1. Blackmail is commonplace
One of the most common tactics a stalker uses is blackmail. If they have some dirt on you, they can use it to make you do what they want. For example, if they know someone else signed up for you, they might use it against you.
It wouldn’t be weird for this person to tell you that you should buy their lunch for a week, or they will. Yes, this action sounds quite childish, but this is how the typical bully does his dirty work. They will use any information they know about you to their advantage.
2. Lying is natural
To do some of the bad things this guy has done, you need to be a good liar. Please don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth as it is just what they want you to know. Be careful telling them anything, as they can add or subtract data to your facts to make them completely false.
3. They won’t talk about their past
Another interesting trait of someone who loves to bully is that they want to know all about your story, but they won’t tell you about themselves. They may approach you asking for information about your life, but don’t count on them to offer you anything about your life in return.
Be careful, as what you tell them can and will be used against you. Also, they don’t want to talk about their past because it is too painful. In most cases, you will find some abuse or neglect that has left them psychologically damaged.
4. It tries to confuse you
A classic tactic of a manipulator is to try to overload you with data to confuse you. For example, suppose you have problems with your car and you need a mechanic. They can start dropping all these auto repair tips to show their knowledge in this area.
The goal is to appear knowledgeable and make yourself feel insignificant in their presence. They want to appear like they know everything about the matter, so they will throw out all kinds of information about cars and repairs, whether it is true or not.
5. Show negative emotions
What does a bully always do? They want to be louder than others. They want to see and be heard.
This person may aggressively manipulate others by raising their voice so that everyone can hear what they have to say. The louder they are, the more intimidated people are by your presence. The behaviors you are seeing are nothing more than someone who wants you to adapt to their demands, but you must not believe it.
6. Use adverse humor and sarcasm
If you tend to be a bit insecure then you will be a prime target for those who love to bully. This bully sees your insecurity as a weakness and will use this to his advantage. It is not uncommon for them to want to make you feel insecure or inferior, so they will use bad humor and sarcasm to achieve this.
They may laugh at the shoes you are wearing, the fact that you are always late, or the lack of personal life. They don’t like anything more than making you look bad, but you should stay away from this person instead of playing into their hand. If you can think of a comeback quick enough, then flip his hostile mood.
7. Play professionally ignorant
A manipulator has some tools in his arsenal, and professional ignorance is one of his secret weapons. Since they like to be a scammer, they don’t mind “playing dumb” once in a while. If you want to avoid a situation or try to hide something you have done, you can use this passive aggressive technique to cover their tracks.
An example would be that your child did not clean his room as you asked him to do. So instead of just taking the punishment, they will pretend they didn’t hear you ask them to do this task. As a parent, I would call them a bluff because they should keep their room clean anyway.
While the example uses a child, many adults also like to use such methods when they refuse to take responsibility for their actions. According to the National Institute of HealthThe passive-aggressive personality can be resentful and vindictive, making them difficult to handle.
8. They manipulate the facts
You must remember that you are not dealing with the average person, as this individual is a Compulsive liar. They will misrepresent the facts to use them to their advantage. Be wary of anything that comes out of their mouth, as they will often forget critical details of a conversation, make excuses, and blame those who are completely innocent. It is best to stay as far away from this person as possible.
9. They seem disinterested
Those who bully often keep their plans, aspirations, yearnings for power and dominance well hidden. So in the first few encounters with a bully, you may think of him or her as completely charming and disinterested. It seems like a person who could be your best friend.
However, these charming first encounters only act to lure you into their manipulative schemes. They know how to say and do the right things to make you want to be their friend, but they just want to use you. Remember, no matter how genuine they seem, they want to manipulate and control you.
10. Use pressure tactics
A bully will apply pressure whenever he wants someone to move. They do this by creating a false sense of urgency to make you respond to their demands. The goal is to raise the stress level to get away with it.
What they are trying to do is suppress their decision-making skills by taking control of the situation. They are not above using theatrical displays to undermine you.
11. They use forced teamwork strategies
Those who love to bully are scammers with self-destructive behaviors. They like to bring their team together to make their story even more credible. They often use words like “we” or “us” to appear more powerful. They are trying to project that it is more than just them who have this belief so that they can help you participate.
Another observed tactic is to use these terms to entice you into your drama. For example, suppose a machine broke down at work because the safety check was not successful. They may say to you, “How are we going to handle this mess?” You may not have had anything to do with the mistake, but they want to involve you in their drama to lessen its impact if they take sole responsibility.
12. Playing the victim’s card
A schemer may pretend to be the victim of situations or someone else’s bad behavior in order to sympathize. When these people try to gain your compassion, watch how they act. It is easy to distinguish someone who is a real victim from someone who is faking it.
Suppose they told you they were in a car accident. They would be moved after such an event and could cry, be angry, and be anxious about the situation. The faker will not have the same emotions because he did not actually experience the incident.
If they are good at their game, they can emulate these emotions, but they will recover quickly.
Final thoughts on recognizing a person who seeks to intimidate others
Some people love to bully others and never pass up the opportunity to use someone to further their agenda. The classic manipulator is often considered to have a narcissistic personality that is relentless. They do not care about others and have few friends or relatives who want to have something to do with them.
The key is that your past tells the story. If you delve into the backgrounds of those who love to bully others, you will often find that they are very insecure. They feel better using passive-aggressive tendencies and manipulating others. They need to be in control, so they will use every possible method to accomplish this task.
If you meet a bully at work or at a social club, you should not play their games. No matter how hard they try; you don’t have to allow them to lure you into their web of deception. By ensuring that your interactions with this individual are few, and always having a witness by your side when they are around, you can minimize the damage caused by this classic narcissist.
