Most people will express some passive-aggressive behavior at times. This is completely normal and relatively harmless. However, there are some people that use passive-aggressive behavior as a way of life. Passive-Aggressive people have usually come from a background of the repressed conflict. They were taught not to discuss problems but sweep them under the rug so to speak. They have not had the opportunity to learn valuable conflict resolution skills so they deal with problems in a passive-aggressive way. Passive-Aggressive behavior covers a wide spectrum. It can be quite simple such as making excuses. The more dangerous forms of passive-aggressive behavior can include sabotage. Both men and women can show passive-aggressive behavior but they can vary slightly according to gender.
A common form of passive-aggressive behavior in females is disguising their verbal hostility. Rather than shouting and screaming the passive-aggressive woman will resort to constant criticism, talking down to a person or speaking to an adult as if they were a young person. Their aim is to gain superiority. By criticizing they will slowly wear down the other person’s self-esteem. By talking to them like a child, they make themselves feel superior.
Passive-Aggressive women will often use humor to disguise their hostility. One may find them making rude comments about a person and the way they look, dress, work or behave. They will state it in a joking manner or follow their dig with a phrase of, “I’m only joking.” The humor hides their true intentions. By doing this they are expressing their disapproval and dislike but disguising it at the same time. A word of advice is If someone follows a negative comment with, “I’m only joking,” assume that they are not.
Passive-aggressive women will often use mixed messages. Their aim in doing this is to confuse the other person and throw them off balance. If the person misinterprets the message then the passive-aggressive female often will shift the blame onto the other person laving themselves vindicated.
Passive-Aggressive females can often resort to vicious tactics to get their way. They are not above using emotional blackmail and targeting a person’s weaknesses. They often do this to break down the person’s defenses and get them to agree to unreasonable requests and demands.
Beware of the person that is always making excuses. Passive-Aggressive females will often use stalling tactics to make life difficult for the other person. Ever notice the red-tape and hoops one has to jump through to accomplish anything? This is a common passive-aggressive stalling technique designed to slow or even stop the progress of others. Passive-Aggressive women can often feel threatened by another person’s success and will often set out to destroy it by using these tactics.
Finally, the more extreme passive-aggressive women will resort to all-out sabotage of another person. They are not above starting vicious rumors or undermining a person’s work. They use backstabbing and cannot be trusted with confidential information. A passive-Aggressive female at this stage is quite dangerous and should be avoided.
