 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel. Are you subscribed to Psych2Go? According to statistics, only a small percentage of you who watch our videos are actually subscribed. If you enjoy our content and would like to support us, do consider subscribing. This helps YouTube's algorithm in promoting more of our mental health content. Thanks for being here. Have you ever met someone who was so passive aggressive that you couldn't call them out? They seemingly said nothing wrong, but the tone they used implied something else. You're doing great for someone with your kind of experience. Wait, what? What's that supposed to mean? Truth is, passive aggressive people just have a sneaky way of using aggression, so they aren't flat out caught with ill intentions. Instead of handling their negative feelings, they express them subtly through passive aggressive actions. The term passive aggressive was first used clinically in World War II. Soldiers who refused to comply with officers orders were described as passive aggressive. Passive aggressive behavior is characterized by indirect resistance to the demand of others and avoidance of direct confrontation, often by pouting, procrastinating, or misplacing important materials. So why do people use this type of behavior? Well, here are a few of the reasons and they may just surprise you. Number one, they have passive aggressive personality disorder. Some people may even have passive aggressive personality disorder. While PAPD is not a medical diagnosis, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, explained that it was a negativistic personality disorder and included the term PAPD as a proposed diagnosis. It is now viewed as a personality trait, personality syndrome, or dynamic behavioral pattern that people can exhibit. According to the American Psychology Association, passive aggressive personality disorder is a personality disorder of longstanding, in which ambivalence towards the self and others is expressed by such means as procrastination, dawdling, stubbornness, intentional inefficiency, forgetting appointments, or misplacing important materials. These maneuvers are interpreted as passive expressions of underlying negativism. The pattern persists even when more adaptive behavior is clearly possible. It frequently interferes with occupational, domestic, and academic success. Those who often experience PAPD may have underlying mental health conditions as well. Number two, it's easier than being assertive. Do you hate confrontation? Do you find it hard to assert yourself? Some individuals simply haven't had enough experiences where they've needed to be assertive. Many haven't developed the social skills necessary to assert themselves and manage their emotions. Therefore, passive aggressive behavior is an easy go-to when you lack the skills needed for emotional management. Number three, they desire revenge. You've all seen your favorite revenge flick. Either the main protagonist is seeking sweet revenge by targeting the villain for his wrongdoing unto them, or maybe your favorite antagonist seeks revenge as well. For many, revenge is the way to go, but it's not the healthiest. It's hard to provide evidence for passive aggressive behavior. Someone who exhibits this behavior often has a perfect excuse. So if one is seeking revenge, they may go unnoticed by others due to the vagueness of comments or actions. The true aggressive intention remains hidden to everyone besides the aggressor. Number four, anger is not viewed as socially normal. Have you been taught that you shouldn't express your anger? Many children are told that anger is something that we should stop feeling. Childhood is a critical time in emotional development. Being repeatedly told to suppress your emotions can have serious consequences in development. Anger is often viewed as the unattractive emotion we all want to hide away, but it's important to teach children how to handle and express their feelings. One one is not taught how to express negative emotions in a healthy way. They could look to passive aggressive behavior as a means to communicate it. Number five, hostility with a smile is less often called out. So you're now an adult who has been constantly told anger should not be expressed. Socially, it's often unacceptable to openly talk about anger. So you find another means. What is socially acceptable? Hidden aggression said with a smile. As long as you're smiling, you simply couldn't mean it that way. After all, the anger won't just go away because you ignore it. It will manifest itself in that evil grin you're wearing. Number six, they developed the behavior in childhood. Many researchers believe that those who often use passive aggressive behavior learned the behavior in childhood. Child abuse, cruel punishments and neglect could cause a child to develop passive aggressive behavior. Researchers also theorize that parenting styles could be a major influence. A disruption in a child's authority figures such as parents, teachers or caretakers could have an effect on the development of this behavior. Learning how to assert oneself in childhood and even now can help prevent this behavior. It's important to note too that some behaviors are often mistaken as passive aggressive behavior. Certain health conditions have symptoms similar to the behaviors. Some associated with passive aggressiveness include anxiety disorders, ADHD, bipolar disorder and depression to name a few. One can also exhibit passive aggressive behavior while suffering from a mental illness. This behavior has been known to compromise successful treatment of other mental disorders. So it's important to recognize the behavior and work on it with a mental health professional as well. If you recognize that you often exhibit passive aggressive behavior, you're already on the right step to learning how to manage it. Some tips to implement? If you feel a negative emotion come over you, give yourself a moment to think before you act. Attempt to calm yourself down with a few deep breaths. Ground yourself in reality and identify why you feel this way. Moving forward, try to be aware of your behavior and opt in to express your emotions in an honest and healthy way. So how often are you passive aggressive? Do you have your own reasons as to why you sometimes use this behavior? Let us know in the comments down below. If you found this video helpful, don't forget to click the like button and share this video with someone who could use it. Subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell icon for more content like this. And as always, thanks for watching.