When it comes to relationships with aggressive personalities, you can never give the green light to the conductor of a locomotive that has no brakes.

The most powerful aspect of staying focused on the relevant issues and remaining in the here and now is that the spotlight become centered where it ought to be: on the deficient character and his or her problematic behavior.

Accountability for behavior is a fundamental key to empowerment in interpersonal relations.

I know so many people who got into destructive relationships in the first place because even though they saw the warning signs of problem behaviors, they spent too much mental time and energy guessing about the person’s motives.

When someone engages in a behavior that’s a problem, the reason they do it is irrelevant. If we try too hard to “understand” the behavior, before long we’ll find ourselves excusing it and eventually enabling it.

Overt and covert intimidation become more effective when the manipulator is skilled in communicating emotional tenacity, determination, and resolve, sending the message that the other party is no match in a contest with them.

Leveling is a slick tool which manipulators use to try and “level the playing field” or field of interpersonal contest.