6 Signs of Crazy Making Behavior: Are You Being Gaslighted?

If you have ever walked away from a conversation with your head spinning and feeling thoroughly confused, you might be dealing with crazy making behavior. Crazy making behavior is actually gaslighting’s sneaky cousin – something that makes you doubt your reality and second-guess yourself.

This is a type of emotional manipulation in relationships, which is often subtle and hard to pinpoint. However, over time, it takes a toll on your emotional and mental health, leaving your drained.

So, today we are going to talk about what is crazy making behavior, six signs manipulation in relationships, and how you can protect yourself from the emotional turmoil and chaos it creates.

What is Crazy Making Behavior?

Crazy making behavior is a manipulative tactic used to create confusion, self-doubt, and emotional instability in someone else. It’s a psychological mind game that makes you feel like you’re losing your grip on reality.

It is sort gaslighting in disguise, because it twists every word, shifts blame and makes you feel like you’re always the problem-maker.

This sort of behavior can show up in relationships, workplaces, friendships, or even within families. The person using it might not even be fully aware they’re doing it, but their actions slowly chip away at your confidence and sense of reality.

Over time, you start questioning your own thoughts, emotions, and even memories. And you know what the worst part is? This tactic is so manipulative and subtle, that by the time you realize what’s happening, you are already too deep in the emotional chaos.

Manipulation In Relationships: 6 Signs of Crazy Making Behavior

1. They twist your words against you all the time.

Is there someone in your life who has the tendency to completely flip whatever you say, and make you out to be the bad guy? Well, that’s one of the classic examples of manipulation in relationships.

For instance, if you say, “I feel very sad and hurt when you ignore me,”, they might respond with, “Wow, I had no idea you were so needy and sensitive.” Suddenly, instead of your feelings being acknowledged, you’re defending yourself against an unfair label.

They do this because they want you to doubt your communication skills. Gradually, you start to stay silent in order to avoid being insulted or misunderstood.

The goal? To make you feel like you’re always saying the wrong thing—when in reality, they’re just playing you. This is one of the biggest signs of manipulation in a relationship.

2. They know how to shift blame like a pro.

Crazy makers are never at fault—ever. If you call them out on something, they’ll flip the script so fast your head will spin.

You might bring up a valid issue, like how they forgot to pick you up, and instead of being sorry, they’ll say, “Well, you could have reminded me,” or “Why are you always finding faults in me?”

This constant blame-shifting makes you feel like you’re always the problem whereas they are the one dodging responsibility. And with time, you start questioning yourself, if you are being too unreasonable or demanding.

3. They go out of their way to make you doubt your own feelings.

If someone regularly tells you that you’re overreacting, being dramatic, or imagining things, they might be engaging in crazy making behavior.

This is nothing but emotional manipulation in relationships – they minimize your feelings so much that you start to believe you’re being unstable and illogical.

For example, if you express sadness about something, they hit with you a “It’s not that big of a deal”, or “Why do you have to be so emotional all the time?”

Eventually, you stop trusting your own emotions and rely on them to tell you how you should feel. Spoiler alert: that’s exactly what they want.

4. They confuse you with their mixed messages.

One of the biggest signs of manipulation in a relationship is this right here.

One day they are thoughtful and caring, and the very next day, they emotionally distant and flat out cruel. This sort of emotional whiplash makes you walk on eggshells all the time.

They do this deliberately so that they can keep you hooked – because when they do show kindness, it feels like a relief, making you overlook the toxic moments.

This hot-and-cold behavior makes it hard to call them out because the good moments run on a loop through your mind. However, unpredictability isn’t normal—it’s a way to keep you emotionally unstable and dependent on their love and validation.

5. They flat out deny and lie about things they have said or did.

One of the major examples of manipulation in relationships is this. Suppose you want. totalk to them about something they did that made you feel bad. You know how they would respond?

They would say something like, “I never said that! You are lying”, or “You are remembering it wrong.” This is nothing but gaslighting. They rewrite history, making you feel like you’re misremembering things—even when you know you’re right.

What is their goal, you wonder? They want you to doubt and question your own memory, so that you keep on second-guessing everything. They slowly erase all traces of confidence from your perceptions.

6. They make everything out to be your fault.

No matter what happens, somehow, you are always to blame. They forgot your birthday? “Well, you didn’t seem excited about it anyway.” They insulted you? “If you weren’t so sensitive, it wouldn’t have bothered you.” It’s a constant cycle of guilt-tripping and manipulation.

Crazy makers are experts at twisting every situation so that you’re the one apologizing. Even when you logically know you’ve done nothing wrong, they have a way of making you feel responsible for their actions.

And that’s how they keep you in the cycle—by making you feel like you have to “fix” things that weren’t even your fault.

Now that we know the signs of crazy making behavior, let’s talk about how you can deal with it.

How To Deal With Emotional Manipulation In Relationships?

1. Flip the script on them.

Instead of defending yourself, and getting into an ugly argument with them, it’s better if you ask direct questions like, “Why are you constantly changing your story?” or “I am sorry, I didn’t understand. Can you repeat excatly what you said just now?”

What this does is, it forces them to confront their own contradictions, and they get trapped in their own web of lies.

2. Avoid the “Prove Yourself” trap.

When it comes to emotional manipulation in relationships, they will often twist things to make you prove your innocence, memory, or emotions.

However, don’t take the bait at any cost. You are not wrong here, so there’s absolutely no need to defend your reality.

3. Trust your instincts. Always.

Have you ever felt like something’s off, but you just can’t put your finger on it? Well, my friend, that’s your gut speaking to you, so it’s best if you listen to it.

If you constantly feel lost, confused, or emotionally exhausted, that’s a huge red flag. You’re not “overreacting”—you’re slowly starting to pick up on the manipulation.

4. Use silence as a power move.

Sometimes, the best response is no response. Let them sit in their own chaos without feeding into it. This is one of the best ways to deal with manipulation in relationships.

5. Give them just enough rope.

If they love twisting stories, let them talk. There’s no need to argue, just listen to them quietly and take mental notes. Eventually, they will start to contradict themselves and end up exposing their own manipulation.

6. Know when to let go and walk away.

Remember this one very important thing – some people will never change, no matter how much you explain, prove, or call them out.

If every conversation feels like a mind game and you’re left feeling exhausted, it’s time to cut your losses. You don’t need a dramatic exit—just start pulling back and reclaiming your peace.

Conclusion

Crazy making behavior is a toxic mix of manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional chaos. It can make you feel lost, you keep on doubting yourself, and you constantly feel on edge.

However, once you recognize the examples of manipulation in relationships, you can take the right steps to protect yourself.

You’re not crazy—they just want you to think you are.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is considered crazy behavior?

Frequent episodes of rage, panic and emotional breakdowns, inability to handle difficult situations, hysteria, substance abuse issues, paranoia and delusions.

2. Is crazy making and gaslighting same?

Yes, in a way. Crazy making is just another form of gaslighting.

3. How to deal with crazy making?

Have a strong sense of self-worth, be aware of everything going on around you, set strict boundaries, work on internal validation, and be confident.

6 Signs of Crazy Making Behavior: Is Your Partner Messing with Your Mind?