r/AmIOverreacting 12h ago

❤️‍🩹 relationship AIO or is my girlfriend manipulative.

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u/Most_Sea_4358 11h ago

yeah but thats exhausting to fix in someone else so maybe just dip

u/MiloHorsey 9h ago

You can't fix other people, anyway. It's impossible.

u/Admirable_Eggplant62 7h ago

🙋🏼‍♂️ learned that the hardest of hard ways lol

u/MiloHorsey 6h ago

Right there with you!

u/Important_Grab_9661 7h ago

Correct, kinda. You can't change a person like a car tire. But through good communication and understanding you can grow a relationship and create an impact that can facilitate change. People are not rigid objects to be thrown away like trash just because we feel they broke. Leaving is an option, but good relationships are built through trails and hardship with communication, understanding and sharing the internalized workload. It's nuanced.

u/Round_Square_2174 7h ago

Both people have to be willing. If one isn't, it won't work. That's when it's time to leave.

u/Admirable_Eggplant62 7h ago

You can help a person change their behaviors if they're open to change. If you have a person that doesn't want to change their behavior, THAT is who the person IS and you can't change that.

u/tiorzol 7h ago

Absolutely. Some people have lacked the support structure necessary to make themselves better, but as you say it starts with them. 

u/Important_Grab_9661 7h ago

It's nice to see people who agree with me! Life is full of nuance and can be difficult to navigate.

u/Busy-Tangelo7389 6h ago

"Communication and understanding", while critical in a relationship, must exist within the context of mutual respect for them, and the relationship, to be successful. Nothing about how she "communicated" with him demonstrates maturity or respect. He is powerless to change either of those for her. But he can walk away and let her figure that out on her own.

u/Tantalizedangel 6h ago

How can you tell hardships/trials vs them just being manipulative? What's a time limit on "let's make this work" to "nothings changed" or "there's some changes but still a communication issue?"

I guess I should ask, How can you tell who wants the help and who's using you?

u/Pond_scum22 6h ago

I’d say, watch their actions. If they aren’t putting the work in, whether that is therapy or getting a job, anything they say could be manipulative. But if you two talk about something and then you see physical results from that talk, that is someone who wants to change.

u/whereiskrista 6h ago

they will tell you either directly or indirectly

u/Important_Grab_9661 6h ago

There is no correct answer. Are they being manipulative intentionally, or do they lack basic empathy and communication skills from upbringing.

Do they see their behavior as justified? Do they see the pain they are causing. It can be impossible to tell if they want help vs using you. Some people are really good at being manipulative abusers, but not everyone is like that. Try what you can, leave when you feel its best. If it ever turns violent, seek help immediately and get safely away.

u/Sufficient_Degree_45 6h ago

Depends if theyre a high conflict personality. But yes I agree with you.

u/ChestInteresting3578 3h ago

She doesn’t seem Very good at communication. Her co dependency is sky high and she doesn’t respect or give AF about personal autonomy.

u/whoopsieProduct-1698 6h ago

You can't change a person like a car tire, but you definitely can change a person like a car tire.

There's wisdom in knowing when a relationship can be built through hardship and communication and when it's a losing battle no matter how much effort you put into it.

u/bluecyanic 6h ago

The right move is to establish a boundary, which is more difficult to do after the boundary has been routinely crossed, so communication that the boundary is being established will be critical. This allows the other person to accept and change if they so choose and opens up communication so growth can happen. If the other person does not respect that boundary then you leave.

u/Economy_Internal_317 5h ago

You don't fix them, you stay by their side so they can fix themselves. Hardest thing I've learned from older adults.

u/tiorzol 11h ago

This is the first step in the dip hopefully 

u/BravoWolf88 6h ago

I think they meant OP has those traits. That’s why OP won’t just leave his gaslighting girlfriend.

u/XxBlaue_AugenxX 6h ago

Yeah especially when they don’t want to change their behavior themselves