People Who Make You Feel Small

Some people are masters at making you feel inadequate. As if you are worthless. As if whatever you did doesn't matter. As if you know nothing. They act as if they are fixing the world for you. They are doing you a favour. You cannot ask for their help lest they take over. Then they will make you feel as if you have not done enough. This is a sophisticated form of manipulation. The goal of all manipulation is submission, and this is no different. But in this particular method, the perpetrator manipulates to satisfy their own needs. So they sacrifice you. They punch holes in arguments you haven't fully made, arguments deliberately stripped of context, so they can feel clever and proud of it. If you make a decent point, they will not let you finish. They will offer their agreement just to make you feel as if they have granted approval. If they are equally knowledgeable, as often happens in academic and corporate settings, they will make you feel small. Inadequate. Worthless. Every…