Signe Whitson > Quotes

“In the short term, passive aggressive behaviors can be more convenient than confrontation and generally require less skill than assertiveness. They allow a person to exact revenge from behind the safety of plausible excuses ... So, what’s not to love? Truth be told, while momentarily satisfying or briefly convenient, in the long run, passive aggressive behavior is even more destructive to interpersonal relationships than aggression. Over time, virtually all relationships with a person who is passive aggressive become confusing, destructive, and dysfunctional.”
― Signe Whitson, The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces

“By denying feelings of anger, withdrawing from direct communication, casting themselves in the role of victim, and sabotaging others’ success, passive aggressive persons create feelings in others of being on an emotional roller coaster.

...exacting hidden revenge, the passive aggressive individual gets others to act out their hidden anger for them. This ability to control someone else’s emotional response makes the passive aggressive person feel powerful. He/she becomes the puppeteer—the master of someone else’s universe and the controller of their behavior.”
― Signe Whitson, The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces

“By denying feelings of anger, withdrawing from direct communication, casting themselves in the role of victim, and sabotaging others’ success, passive aggressive persons create feelings in others of being on an emotional roller coaster...This ability to control someone else’s emotional response makes the passive aggressive person feel powerful.”
― Signe Whitson, The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces