Emotional manipulation isn’t always obvious. Instead of big explosions or clear-cut moments of harm, there’s typically a sense of covert control through subtle patterns and interactions that leave you feeling confused and anxious. “It has to do with unspoken rules and expectations,” licensed marriage and family therapist Alexandria Tillard-Gates told HuffPost. “Emotional manipulation can be present in intimate relationships, friendships and all types of family relationships. Often we experience emotional manipulation in our formative relationships and we don’t realise it until later in life.” At the extreme end of the spectrum, there are malignant narcissists who use emotional manipulation to get what they want with no remorse or regard for other people’s feelings. But emotional manipulation is not always fully intentional. “Sometimes it is not as calculated or nefarious as it may seem. It may be that this person just has immature forms of communicating,” said Dr. Sue Varma, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and author of “Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional …