The blackmailer’s comments and behavior keep us feeling off-balance, ashamed and guilt-ridden. We know we need to change the situation, and we repeatedly vow that we will, only to find ourselves outwitted or outmaneuvered or ambushed again. We begin to doubt our ability to keep promises to ourselves, and we lose confidence in our own effectiveness. Our sense of self-worth erodes. Perhaps worst of all, every time we capitulate to emotional blackmail, we lose contact with our integrity, the inner compass that helps us determine what our values and behavior should be.
