Knowing the signs of unhealthy relationships helps teens recognize potentially abusive situations. Understanding these signs helps protect teens from the dangers of unhealthy relationships. Relationship support for teens is necessary because they are likely to have limited experience of intimate relationships. Here are five ways to recognize red flags in teen relationships:
1. Watch for Love Bombing
Intense affection at the early stages of the relationship can be a red flag. Such affection moving quickly may show a controlling partner. The controlling partner may resort to excess affection to camouflage negative traits. Too much affection can be noticed by repeated statements declaring one’s love while the relationship is too young. Relationship support for teens is necessary because young individuals hold on to such controlling relationships hoping that the partner will show a lot of affection like before. Support helps teens understand that too much affection early on is a manipulative act enabling coercive control.
2. Identify Isolation
Relationships that isolate a teen from friends and family encompass one of the red flags to look out for. Some partners can make it hard for a teen to spend time with friends and family. Such partners may suggest that their friends are incompatible with him or her and the company they keep.
The relationship partner can attempt to control friendships and monitor the associations of the other partner. Some go to the extent of tarnishing close relationships. Such isolation helps create suitable conditions for continued abuse by making a teen feel like he or she is alone.
3. Look for Controlling Actions
Controlling actions like checking when someone is on a social media app may be a key red flag. Some set alerts when someone makes a tweet or post online. Such forms of surveillance enabled by technology allow partners to know each other’s actions. Abusive partners are likely to capitalize on such surveillance to have more information regarding a person’s whereabouts and actions.
They can use the gathered information to control and blackmail a partner or tarnish a partner’s name at some point in the relationship. Warning a partner for failing to text on social media apps despite being online is common in relationships with a controlling and abusive partner. Some partners try to establish a power balance early on by tracking movements or actions and trying to regulate the actions. Such actions are red flags that may suggest the development of an abusive relationship.
4. Pay Attention To Humiliating Tendencies
Some partners make jokes at the expense of their teen partner’s image. References to weight and intellect are common. Statements suggesting that you are high maintenance or always in search of validation illustrate humiliating actions targeting a partner. Some partners may make such degrading statements in public.
Repeated derogatory comments tend to form a dependency on the abused for compliments from the abuser. Such abusive relationships may go on due to the emotional dependency that arises as the abused partner finds compliments to be mood-lifting. Support for teens is necessary so they notice such patterns suggesting the development of an unhealthy relationship.
5. Be Cautious of Gaslighting
Look out for instances of gaslighting in the teen relationship. This occurs when a person makes a partner doubt what they have seen or what they know. They make it appear like the partner noticing the issue in the relationship is at fault for pointing out a problem. Such manipulative behaviors may lead to unhealthy teen relationships that a teen may find challenging to leave.
Manipulation can influence teens in relationships to believe that they are lucky to have a partner who continues to love them despite their insecurities and faults. When the relationship starts to become a danger to the teen, he or she holds on to an abusive partner believing that they will return to being the loving partner. Helping teens spot gaslighting protects them from prolonged abusive relationships that can take a psychological and physical toll on teens.
Seek Relationship Support for Teens
Red flags are often unnoticeable, especially to teens experiencing their first intimate relationships. Support can help teens notice anomalies such as too much surveillance and invasion of privacy through actions like sharing passwords. An abusive partner will manipulate the teen into believing that he or she wants to engage in actions that inhibit privacy or friendships. Offering support by highlighting red flags can help teens understand the true intentions of actions like gaslighting. Help your teen learn more about red flags in relationships today.
