This is Part Two of a two-part series. See Part One here.
Beware of the Guilt Trip and Manipulation Trap
In Part One, I ended by discussing what I should have said to the Chatty Cathy on the airplane.
When I finally told him that I needed to catch up on work, he said, “Oh, I am so sorry, I know I keep bothering you, I will stop bothering you now.”
Trap.
“Thanks!”
I went right back to reading. I am well aware that he was fishing for a response that most others often respond to such a comment with; something like, “You’re not bothering me!” or, “It’s not you, it’s me,” etc. (All the things we have been conditioned to respond to such a trap with, so as not to hurt someone else feelings, even if that means that we have to sacrifice ourselves in the process.)
