Next, we explore the role manipulation plays in these relationships, plus a look at some reasons why emotional dependencies are hard to break. Maintenance through Manipulation.
Manipulation is an ugly word.
None of us likes to believe we could ever be guilty of this activity. Yet when emotionally dependent relationships form, manipulation often becomes the glue that holds them together. Clothes - wearing each others' clothing, copying each others' styles. Physical affection - body language, frequent hugging, touching, roughhousing, back and neck rubs, tickling, and wrestling. Failing to be honest - repressing negative feelings or differing opinions.