To be on the receiving end of passive-aggressive behavior is definitely not a pleasant experience. It doesn’t matter whether you are partly to blame for how another person feels about you, passive-aggressive behavior is not the solution.

Unfortunately, you may be subjected to this type of behavior even if you are completely innocent and not at fault. This is why passive aggression is a destructive behavior that is damaging to people’s trust and relationships. It covertly communicates hostility.

This behavior enables the aggressor to express their emotions without being accountable for their actions. It is an easy way out of a conflict situation for them as they refuse to be emotionally vulnerable and unwilling to assume any responsibility or wrongdoing in the situation. Continue reading →

Passive-aggressive behaviors spring from emotions that can be carried from childhood through to adulthood. This type of behavior is quite often a coping mechanism for people with unresolved childhood traumas, or who were unfortunately discouraged from showing and expressing their emotions.

This ‘teaching’ has caused them to learn very quickly that they need to keep their emotions to themselves. As they become adults they are not used to expressing themselves or showing how they feel, so they become fearful when they have to.

Unfortunately, this is the story of many passive-aggressive adults.

Passive-aggressive reactions may be a temporary coping mechanism and they don’t always become a long-term behavior, which is when it can be problematic. Continue reading →