Sometimes it's not about what you say. It's how you say it. There are people whose passive-aggressive remarks are so creative, so petty, so next level, you can't help but respect their words. Even if you're on the receiving end.
Yes, passive-aggressive behavior can be a symptom of several mental disorders, but it's not considered to be a distinct mental health condition. Even though this type of behavior can affect a person's ability to create and maintain healthy relationships and can cause problems at work, there are ways to manage it so that it doesn't have a negative impact on someone's quality of life.
So let's hope the folks who ended up on this list are managing it just fine!
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Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D., a Los Angeles-based psychologist, whose specialties include relationships, told Bored Panda that passive-aggressive behavior is behavior that communicates how a person is feeling, but not in a clear or direct way. "As a result, the recipient of this behavior often may be confused or miss the real reason the person being passive-aggressive is acting or talking a certain way," Thomas explained.
As you can see in the pictures, people exhibit passive-aggressive behavior in a number of different ways. According to Thomas, they can do so through words and/or actions, and examples include slamming things, getting overly defensive, yelling, getting overly emotional, having a negative tone or words, etc. all for seemingly no reason.
If uncontrolled, passive-aggressive behavior can have grave consequences to relationships between people in families, romances, and even in the workplace. So why is this destructive behavior so common?
"A person can be passive-aggressive for a variety of reasons," Thomas said. "Some of these include having a fear of confrontation or conflict, not knowing how to express oneself with direct communication, having difficulty or being unable to identify what one is feeling, having self-doubt or ambivalence about what one is thinking or feeling, not wanting to emotionally hurt the other person with the direct message, etc."
Some experts suggest that the roots of passive-aggressive behavior may lie in a person's upbringing. For example, if someone was raised in an environment where the direct expression of emotions was discouraged or not allowed, they may feel that they cannot express their real feelings more openly, so they may instead find ways to passively channel their anger or frustration.
But situational characteristics can also have an impact on passive-aggressive behavior. When you are in a situation where displays of aggression are not socially acceptable, such as dealing with business partners or certain family members, you might be more inclined to respond in a covert way when someone makes you angry.
Also, as Thomas pointed out, being assertive and emotionally open at the same time can be hard. When standing up for yourself is difficult or even scary, passive-aggression might seem like an easier way to deal with your emotions without having to confront the source of your anger.
My gym is pretty passive-aggressive
Oof! A lot of males insecure in their masculinity are suddenly returning their weights.
For whomever put that sign up that means: mission accomplished
Load More Replies...As a woman I don't find it remotely insulting. Because the kind of guys who don't return their weights are the same kind of guys with severely insecure masculinity. This only targets them
Load More Replies...I like that it's a dig at insecure men, but there's no need to demean women.
It's playing into the idea that the women that work there are weak but even they can put it back .
Load More Replies...Yes, we women love when we're used as the inferior gender to try to shame other men.
Load More Replies...Nice one, now they’re all thinking while lifting “I gotta put the weights back, I gotta put the weights back”
Would love it if it said “toddlers” or “children” instead of girls....implying we are weaker and inferior. Nice try, I guess 🙄
How about not using gender? Like someone said about "toddlers" would be better.
Load More Replies...I think that this is really sexist and enforces gender norms that are bs.
Surprised they haven't been sue for being feminist for indicating women are the weaker sex.
Very cute. Now they need one similar for the idiots who have to drop their huge weights on the floor 'BOOM' every time they finish a set.
hahahah would this make a male return weights I wonder..they would be exposed as lazy lumps
Because having your weights re-racked by women issssss .... bad??? Oh : | now I get it
It's not girl power. It is literally saying "girls" are weaker than men to shame men into returning weights.
Load More Replies...It sounds self-explanatory, but in order to defuse passive-aggression, you have recognize it. Sulking, backhanded compliments, procrastination, withdrawal, and refusal to communicate are all tell-tale signs of passive-aggression.
"Although each situation varies, a good response to someone who is being passive-aggressive to you is to be clear and direct in a non-confrontational, calm way with that person," Thomas said. "First, point out your confusion if that person is upset about something that involves you. Let them know that his or her words or actions seem out-of-proportion and out-of-place to the given situation and that you would like him or her to tell you directly if there is something upsetting him or her related to you. Hopefully, this will either make that person aware of their passive-aggressive behavior and take steps to decrease or stop behaving in those ways and/or make it easier to share what they really are upset about."
However, if they mean no harm and you're OK with their attitude—maybe their light-hearted, poetic passive-aggression even cracks you up—share it with the Internet. We appreciate a good one-liner when we see one.
My roommate put this on our fridge
We just moved into a townhouse with a 2 car garage and my roommate doesn't quite leave me enough room to park (My car is the silver one). I came home around 2:30 and was not having it so I pulled up as close as I could to her so I could fit. I had the same amount of room on the driver side. I don't know if I could do that again so I thought I would share before this gets downvoted to usersub hell.
It annoys me when you see people working in a store on the cash register/till and a customer is on the phone and treating the staff like dog dirt on their shoe.
My dad found my passive aggressive note that I wrote to the tooth fairy. It was better than I remember.
Passive aggressive roommate preparing for valentines day.
This is what happens when people submit passive-aggressive office memos where I work.
My wife made me a passive aggressive flow chart to use every time I get hungry
I saw one that said 'If you pee everywhere when it's right in front of you and less than a few inches away then it's too small. Take a seat and protect your shoes'
passive agressive gas station
*** Sure, Timny. Like starting with 3 asterisks.... & ending wirh 3 exclamation marks !!!
Our boss send out an email and asked us to put up a sign in order to be more cautious about printing in color. Let the games begin
This shirt from china is unintentionally passive aggressive
Poor son. I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of those Super-Christs banning their sons from their lives for being gay.
Doesn't it have a lock? I've never used the light as an indication of occupancy.
It also attracts bugs, primarily ants, and may prompt management to stop providing sugar entirely. I mean, if you’re getting something for free that can very easily be taken away or charged for, then take care of it please. Management tends to punish everyone for one asshole slob’s selfishness—-who will not be very popular once outed. Solution? Just don’t be that person.
Not really passive aggressive, in this situation you have to be blunt to save people from injury or worse
My boyfriend says I'm passive aggressive.
I gotta agree wit the third, next comment. I forgot eggs a few times them remembered so I got a 60 pack. Also pepper brought back a mega big thing of pepper. Yes I have a bad memory....
I never get this. If THIS is the preffered path to take by obviously everybody, maybe, juuuust maybe, this should be the one paved.
I had to put a sign up like this after being asked for the 5th time, for the sixth time though I had to put up a sign that said read the other sign
What is it with all of the negativity on BP these days? It seems like every day there's an article like "Here's a list of people who visited a different country and the things they hated about it," "Here's a list of people acting like jerks," or "Here's an opportunity to upvote someone talking about hating and sneering at things that give other people joy." It's tedious and ugly.
I know I’m gonna get downvoted for this, but you and all the people agreeing with you are hating on how much hate is on BP 🤣🤣🤣
Load More Replies...Aggression, in a passive way, ie no physical harm is done. Not sure why people are down voting you for an honest question.
Load More Replies...What is it with all of the negativity on BP these days? It seems like every day there's an article like "Here's a list of people who visited a different country and the things they hated about it," "Here's a list of people acting like jerks," or "Here's an opportunity to upvote someone talking about hating and sneering at things that give other people joy." It's tedious and ugly.
I know I’m gonna get downvoted for this, but you and all the people agreeing with you are hating on how much hate is on BP 🤣🤣🤣
Load More Replies...Aggression, in a passive way, ie no physical harm is done. Not sure why people are down voting you for an honest question.
Load More Replies...