Common Signs of Psychological Manipulation
- Brittany Stilwell
- Jun 26
- 15 min read
A Guide to Protect Yourself From Gaslighting, Tyranny, Fascism, & Psychological Manipulation
Authors & Trusted Experts:
In this guide we will explore the common signs of psychological manipulation both in a political context and what to look for in your personal relationships.
We will provide you with a common manipulation tactics list, key definitions (such as what is fascism, tyranny, fear-mongering, and gaslighting), and real-world examples of psychological manipulation based on both common experiences in toxic relationships and recent events Americans are currently experiencing under new political leadership in 2025.
We’ll answer questions like what is tyranny? What is gaslighting? How can I protect myself from psychological manipulation? Is the US a fascist country? And more. Let’s dive in!
In This Article:
What Is Psychological Manipulation?
Psychological manipulation is when someone uses sneaky or unfair tactics—like guilt trips, blame-shifting, or gaslighting—to attempt to control how you think, feel, or act. In personal relationships, it can look like a partner twisting your words, dismissing your feelings, or making you doubt yourself so they stay in charge.
Political leaders often use similar tactics to disorient, isolate, and silence opposition, making it easier for authoritarian leaders to maintain their power.
New York Times writer Ezra Klein highlights how such leaders often portray themselves as strong and invincible before gaining unregulated power. When the population believes this portrayal, it makes people less likely to fight back, ultimately allowing the leader to seize and maintain more power than intended.
How Psychological Manipulation Affects Us
Psychological manipulation doesn’t just impact politics—it affects our mental health, relationships, and our feeling of being in control of our lives. When we’re constantly bombarded with lies, fear, and division, it can lead to:
Paralysis:
Feeling overwhelmed and powerless to act.
Distrust:
Losing faith in institutions, media, and even each other.
Apathy:
Becoming numb to injustice or accepting it as inevitable.
Isolation:
Withdrawing from community and civic engagement out of fear or frustration.
For a manipulator, these effects are intentional—they are deliberate tools to weaken resistance and maintain their power or control over you or a large group of people.
Common Signs of Psychological Manipulation and Tyranny or Fascism
In his powerful book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, historian Timothy Snyder provides a stark warning about the fragility of democracy and the tactics hostile administrations use to undermine it.
One of the most useful tools in their arsenal is psychological manipulation—strategies designed to confuse, scare, and control the population.
In today’s political climate, there is no shortage of confusion, fear, and overwhelm. Many believe the United State's current administration is taking drastic measures back-to-back, rapid-fire style, which makes it difficult to keep up or understand their impacts.
Additionally, this overwhelm psychologically leads to paralysis for US citizens which makes it challenging for them to take action and fight back. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to recognize these manipulation tactics and learn how to protect yourself and the country you love.
As we continue, this blog will provide actionable steps to take care of your mental health, resist manipulation, and reclaim your agency as a US Citizen.
How Political Leaders Use Psychological Manipulation
Political figures, and especially dictators, often rely on psychological tactics to gain and maintain power.
Here are some key definitions and some of the most common strategies of psychological manipulation. Plus examples of what we’ve seen recently in the US:
Common Manipulation Tactics List:
What is Gaslighting?
Definition: Denying facts or reality to make people doubt their own perceptions. AKA “crazy making” behavior.
Example: Repeated claims that tariffs would “lower prices”, even though economists showed they raised them. When questioned, the administration insisted the facts supported this, shifting public doubt instead of acknowledging the truth.
Why it’s toxic: This tactic creates confusion and erodes trust in expert knowledge, making people question evidence and sources.
What is Fear-Mongering?
Definition: Using fear to control behavior, often by exaggerating threats or creating a sense of constant crisis.
Example: Calling migrants an “invasion,” warning they would “poison the blood” of America—a phrase used dozens of times that conjures images of crisis and threat .
Why it’s toxic: Fear shuts down reason. When people believe their safety is in crisis, they're more likely to support drastic or even harmful measures.
Divide and Conquer
Definition: Pitting groups against each other by religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status to weaken unity.
Example: The recent anti-trans rhetoric —using terms like “transgender insanity,” mocking trans individuals at rallies, and supporting numerous state-level bans on gender-affirming care.
Why it’s toxic: This strategy amplifies stigma and fosters hostile “us vs. them” mentalities. It heightens fear and isolation among trans folks—and pressures potential allies into silence.
Normalization of Lies
Definition: Repeatedly lying until falsehoods become accepted as truth, eroding trust in institutions and facts.
Example: False claims that “making mice transgender” and allowing trans athletes in sports were threats, falsely blending scientific research with political scare tactics . Additionally, the recent signed orders banning gender-affirming care citing it as “chemical mutilation” despite the ample research, science, and medical & mental health professionals which say otherwise.
Why it’s toxic: Constant repetition of false narratives stokes moral panic and weakens trust in medical experts or mental health professionals, making it harder for affected communities to seek help.
Distraction
Definition: Flooding the public with information (or misinformation) to overwhelm and divert attention from critical issues.
Examples:
While the government was making strict rules against trans people—like banning them from the military or certain sports—they also talked a lot about “winning” trade deals. This took attention away from the fact that they were taking away people’s rights.
At the same time, they blamed Canada and China for rising prices in the U.S., even though there were serious problems and investigations happening at home, especially around immigration and military actions.
Why it’s toxic: This noise overload weakens public scrutiny and blurs accountability—leaving mental space overcrowded, confused, and more vulnerable to ongoing stress and emotional fatigue.
What is Tyranny?
Definition: When one person or group holds all the power and rules without checks or limits. They make decisions without listening to others or respecting rules.
Examples:
Repeatedly using national emergency declarations to impose sweeping policies—like tariffs, military deployments at the border, and regulatory changes—without Congressional approval. One executive order even directed independent agencies (e.g. FCC, SEC, Federal Reserve oversight) to submit all major actions to the White House first, giving the president direct oversight over supposedly independent bodies. Source 1. Source 2.
Openly threatening to ignore court decisions and attack judges who rule against the president. And the administration firing inspector generals and department heads who enforce rulings or uphold checks and balances. Source 3. Source 4.
Why it’s toxic: Tyranny shuts down fair debate and removes peoples’ voices, leading to fear and helplessness.
These moves bypass Congress and the judiciary branch, concentrating power in the president’s hands and undermining the separation of powers. Refusing to respect court authority dismantles judicial oversight, signals that the president is above the law, and intimidates both institutions and individuals tasked with upholding democratic norms
What is Fascism?
Definition: A system where a single leader or party uses extreme nationalism and strict control to squash opposition, often praising violence or “strong-arm” tactics.
Example: Calling protests “anarchist riots” and using federal officers without local approval to break them up, while praising those tactics as necessary to “restore order.”
Why it’s toxic: Fascism demonizes whole groups of people (such as US immigrants, jews, or transpeople), shuts down free speech, and pushes violence as a political tool.
What is a Fascist?
Definition: Someone who supports or uses fascist ideas—like backing one-party rule, hating on certain groups (i.e. LGBTQIA+ people or US Immigrants), and praising or using violence to stay in power (i.e. violent ICE raids or threats to use the US military).
Example: Publicly praising extremist groups (e.g., Hitler, The Nazis, or The Proud Boys) for being “good people” simply because they back a leader, even when those groups use threats or violence.
Why it’s toxic: Labeling or acting as a fascist encourages fear, divides communities, and makes violence seem acceptable.
Is the US Fascist?
Definition: This asks if America has become a country ruled by extreme, violent nationalism and one-party rule.
Is the US Fascist?:
Generally speaking… No— the US still technically holds competitive elections, has multiple political parties, and has a constitution which attempts to protect free speech. And there are many, many US citizens who do not agree with the current people in power.
BUT warning signs like the disregard for the law, the equal constitutional rights of US citizens, and attacks on the federal courts, media, and peaceful protests can inch us closer if left unchecked.
🚩🚩Look for the Red Flags! (many of which we are witnessing now.) If you have a leader who ignores the US Federal law, takes illegal and unconstitutional action, demonizes whole groups of people (i.e. transgender individuals or US Immigrants), encourages violence, or uses any of the tactics listed above, this leaves the country quite vulnerable to a shift in culture and overall political structure in the future.
How to Protect Yourself Against Psychological Manipulation, Tyranny, or Fascism
What’s most important is that US citizens and individuals in controlling relationships pay attention to the warning signs, do ample research to verify the truth (for example, look at news reports from overseas which may be more objective), and take action to remove themselves from the abusive relationship or prevent their country from declining into a political structure they didn’t agree to.
Bonus points for identifying the emotional roles you play in relationships and what specific qualities you possess which may leave you vulnerable to Psychological Manipulation or Controlling Behavior.
The good news is, there are science-based ways to resist manipulation and take back control. By using our understanding of these tactics, as well as their impacts, you can fight back and refocus! Keep reading for more...
What it Feels Like to Be Trapped in a Manipulative Relationship: The FOG Cycle
One of the most common reasons people struggle to get out of manipulative dynamics is the FOG cycle: Fear, Obligation, and Guilt. Let’s take a closer look:
Fear:
Feeling fear of consequences, such as retaliation, abandonment, or physical/emotional harm.
Obligation:
Feeling a sense of duty or responsibility to the manipulator (e.g., “They need me,” or “I owe them”).
Guilt:
Feeling responsible for the manipulator’s emotions or actions.
These tactics are designed to disorient, isolate, and silence opposition, making it easier for manipulators to gain and keep control. Additionally, there are common power dynamics that can leave us vulnerable to manipulators we need to examine further.
If you notice that you are frequently experiencing this FOG cycle with someone, it’s important that you take steps to understand what in your own history, personality, behavior, or family system might have contributed to you becoming particularly vulnerable to manipulation or abuse cycles.
For this, we highly recommend processing this with a therapist who specializes in abuse and psychological manipulation recovery.
If you’re in Texas and need a recommendation, send us an email here,
noting that you may be in an abuse cycle or want to learn to protect yourself better from manipulators,
and we will match you with a counselor who fits your specific need.
Tools Manipulators Use to Control You
Manipulators thrive on power imbalances, using them to maintain control. These imbalances can appear in various aspects of life, often leaving individuals feeling trapped or dependent.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial to recognizing manipulation and taking steps to protect yourself.
Here are some common scenarios where power differentials can be used against you:
Financial Control:
When someone manages your money, pays for all your expenses, or controls your access to resources, they can use this as leverage to manipulate you. This creates a sense of dependency, making it harder to leave or assert boundaries.
For example, a partner might say, “You can’t leave because you can’t afford to live without me.” Or you might simply think to yourself “well, my partner pays for everything, so I should be grateful”.
Career Control:
In the workplace, a boss or supervisor might use their authority to intimidate, pressure, or manipulate you. This could include threatening your job security, overloading you with work, or taking credit for your efforts.
Sometimes even if you boss isn’t attempting to manipulate you, you may still feel obligated to put up with behavior that makes you uncomfortable for fear of it affecting your career. These situations can leave you feeling powerless and afraid to speak up.
Control Over Housing or Livelihood:
Living in someone else’s home—whether it’s a partner, family member, or friend—without legal rights to the property can create a precarious situation. The fear of being kicked out or losing shelter can make it difficult to set boundaries or leave an unhealthy environment.
Emotional Dependence:
Manipulators often exploit emotional vulnerabilities, such as a person’s need for validation, love, or approval. By withholding affection or gaslighting, they can feed your need for their love or approval and leave you vulnerable and tempted to comply with their demands.
How to Get Out of a Controlling Relationship
Removing yourself from a controlling relationship and breaking free from the FOG cycle requires recognizing these emotions and understanding that they are being weaponized against you.
Here’s how to start:
Name the FOG:
Identify when fear, obligation, or guilt is influencing your decisions.
Set Boundaries:
Clearly define what behaviors you will and will not tolerate, having accounted for safety concerns.
Pro tip: there MUST be a consequence attached to the boundary. If there is no consequence to someone crossing the line, then it’s a request, not a boundary.
Example:
Your Defined Limit: “I don’t engage in conversations where I am being yelled at or criticized.”
Consequence: If the behavior continues, you leave the room/home or end the phone call.
Seek Support
Reach out to trusted friends, family, or professionals who can provide outside and more objective perspective and guidance.
If you need help getting out of a controlling or manipulative relationship
and are in Texas, send us an inquiry and a therapist for psychological manipulation recovery
will respond within 1 business day.
How to Get Out of a Controlling Relationship
There are additional key steps you can take to protect yourself from being controlled by the dynamics discussed above, which often go hand-in-hand with the FOG cycle. These include the following:
Build Independence
Work toward financial, emotional, and practical independence where possible. This might include saving money, getting a job, developing new skills, or seeking therapy to strengthen your self-esteem and decision-making abilities.
Document Everything
Keep detailed records of interactions, especially in professional or legal contexts. This can include emails, text messages, or notes about conversations. Documentation can serve as evidence if you need to report abuse or defend yourself, but it can also be a helpful reference if you feel confused and need to remind yourself of the past abusive behavior.
Know Your Rights
Educate yourself about local resources, legal protections, and support systems. Whether it’s understanding tenant rights, workplace policies, your rights in a divorce, or financial assistance programs, knowledge is a powerful tool for empowerment. And you never know when it might come in handy.
Mental Health Impacts of Psychological Manipulation
When we’re constantly bombarded with lies, fear, and division, it can take a significant toll on our mental and emotional well-being.
This relentless exposure often leads to paralysis, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and powerless to act or make decisions. Over time, it can also breed distrust, causing us to lose faith in institutions, leaders, or even the people who could offer us support.
Many people experience apathy as the cycle continues as well, becoming numb to injustice or accepting boundary-crossing behaviors as inevitable. This emotional exhaustion can further result in isolation, as individuals withdraw from their communities, relationships, and independent activities out of fear, frustration, or a sense of hopelessness.
"It’s important to remember that these reactions are not your fault.”, says Kenean Bekele, Trauma & Manipulation Recovery Specialist in Dallas, TX.
When faced with constant manipulation and uncertainty, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed or disconnected. What you’re experiencing is a response to an environment designed to destabilize and control.
BUT by recognizing these patterns and taking small, intentional steps to protect your mental health, you can begin to rebuild trust—in yourself and in the world around you.
You don’t have to carry the weight of religious trauma alone. Therapy can help you process your pain, rediscover your voice, and create a new, authentic relationship with spirituality.
At The Mind Parlor, we’ll meet you where you are and help you take the next step toward healing. Let’s work together to rebuild your sense of peace, purpose, and connection.
Conclusion
Whether it’s from a large political organization, personal relationship, a workplace, or a broader societal context, it’s possible you may be vulnerable to psychological manipulation, gaslighting, or emotional abuse.
Your mental health and well-being are worth fighting for, but no one else can do it for you. You don’t have to have it all figured out on your own - experts exist to help you.
By staying informed, setting boundaries, and seeking help when needed, you can navigate these challenges and keep yourself safe from emotional manipulation.
For more tips and tools on how to take care of yourself in the current political climate, set boundaries, and protect yourself against psychological manipulation, check out these blog posts:
Legal, Political, and Emotional Resources for Texans
A crucial step in reclaiming your power is taking action. The resources below can help you break free of controlling relationships, recover from emotional abuse, and make a meaningful impact on the current challenges facing our country, including the erosion of rights, systemic inequities, and the urgent need for collective advocacy to protect and advance justice for all.
Texas Resources For Emotional Abuse Recovery & Psychological Manipulation
The Mind Parlor
What They Offer: A specialized and boutique counseling practice emphasizing high-quality care, offering a sliding scale of fees, and serving the entire state of Texas online or in person therapy available in Dallas, TX.
The Mind Parlor is known for prioritizing diversity and inclusion, with every counselor on staff having specialized training & experience in Gender Identity, LGBTQIA+, and Polyamorous relationships. Therapists available for BIPOC, AAPI, and Latino individuals as well.
How To Use It: Send a secure inquiry through their website and they will match you with a specialized counselor who fits your particular emotional needs and budget.
Regardless of the mental health specialty you need, you can rest assured that ALL therapists at The Mind Parlor are simultaneously specialized in Gender Identity & LGBTQIA+.
Website: www.themindparlor.com/inquire
Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support (Dallas Metro Area)
What They Offer: A respected Dallas-based nonprofit offering 24/7 helpline support (call or text 214‑946‑HELP), plus free emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and group therapy for women and children experiencing domestic or emotional abuse. Their legal team provides pro bono family-law help—including divorce, custody, and protective orders—tailored to survivors www.genesisshelter.org
How To Use It: Call or text their helpline anytime. You’ll be connected with an advocate who can match you to services—whether shelter, ongoing counseling, or legal support.
Website: www.genesisshelter.org OR Call/Text 214‑946‑HELP
Texas Equal Access Fund (TEA)
What They Offer: Financial assistance and support for individuals in North Texas seeking reproductive care, alongside advocacy and education efforts to dismantle stigma and overcome barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare.
How to Use It: Donate to support their work, volunteer to help with fundraising or outreach, or access their resources if you need assistance.
Website: www.teafund.org
Legal Resources in Texas for LGBTQIA+ or Victims of Psychological Manipulation
Lambda Legal
What They Offer: A leading national civil‑rights law firm with a dedicated South Central regional office in Dallas, Lambda Legal offers free legal representation and expert advocacy for LGBTQ+ Texans. They focus on issues like gender‑affirming care, school and workplace rights, and HIV discrimination—fighting court cases and policy rollbacks that target queer and trans Texans.
How To Use It: Call the Dallas Legal Help Desk at (214) 219‑8585 or visit their website to request help. You'll be connected with a legal team experienced in LGBTQ/TX-specific cases, whether it's challenging anti-trans laws or securing healthcare rights—all at no cost.
Website: www.lambdalegal.org (Select “Legal Help Desk” and choose the South Central regional office)
Collaborative Law Institute of Texas (Dallas)
What They Offer: This nonprofit promotes collaborative divorce, a respectful, non-adversarial way to split assets and co-parent—handled by a team of lawyers, financial experts, and mental-health professionals right here in Dallas Ideal for women who want a safer, less traumatic path through divorce—without using the traditional court system.
How To Use It: Visit their site to find certified collaborative practitioners in Dallas. You’ll meet with your team to openly negotiate terms, keeping emotional safety and mutual respect as top priorities.
Texas Law Help
What They Offer: Free legal resources and information for Texans, including help with immigration, housing, employment, and civil rights issues.
How To Use It: Access guides, templates, and referrals to legal aid organizations.
Website: www.texaslawhelp.org
Political Resources for Texans in 2025
NAACP Texas Voter Guide
What They Offer: A comprehensive guide to help Texas voters understand their rights, locate polling places, and access information about candidates, ballot measures, and election deadlines. It also provides resources to combat voter suppression and ensure equitable access to voting.
How To Use It: Use the guide to prepare for elections, verify voter registration, and stay informed about key issues and candidates. It’s especially useful for marginalized communities to navigate barriers and exercise their right to vote.
Equality Texas Bill Tracker
What They Offer: A detailed tracker of LGBTQ+-related legislation in Texas, including bills that impact equality, discrimination, healthcare, and civil rights. The tracker provides updates on bill status, summaries, and actions needed to support or oppose legislation.
How To Use It: Stay informed about current and proposed bills affecting LGBTQ+ communities, understand their potential impact, and take action by contacting legislators or participating in advocacy efforts.
Texas Freedom Network (TFM)
What They Offer: Advocacy and education resources to fight against censorship, promote inclusive curricula, and protect public education from harmful policies.
How To Use It: Join campaigns, attend events, or use their tools to advocate for equitable and inclusive education.
Website: https://tfn.org
The Mind Parlor provides virtual therapy for clients across Texas, so you can access support wherever you feel most comfortable. If you are in Dallas or the DFW area, in-person sessions are available as well.
Book My Abuse Recovery Appointment
Don’t continue to suffer with guilt, confusion, or obligation. Reach out to The Mind Parlor and begin your journey toward healing and building an authentic life which brings you peace.
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