Submissive people: what 10 traits and attitudes characterize them?
This type of personality makes others accept the role of dominant party offered to them.
Kindness and empathy are characteristics that we value positively in others, but if these are taken to the extreme, we can fall into a chronically submissive attitude. a chronically submissive attitude.
How useful or problematic certain psychological characteristics are also depends on what they imply when relating to others. Our well-being does not simply emanate from us outwardly, but also has to do with the effects that our attitudes have on others and how they affect us.
The psychological traits of submissive people.
Next we will see what characterizes the submissive peopleand what this means in their daily life, in their habits and in the way they relate to other people.
1. Conflict avoidance
Submissive people tend to avoid confrontations, no matter how small. This means that they usually make sacrifices to prevent these "clashes of wills", devoting time, effort and resources to ensure that others are not upset.
Sometimes, this type of person even dislikes the idea of the other person feeling impatience or anger. This indicates that this submissive attitude does not usually respond to an eagerness to instrumentalize the other person (seeking his protection or influence) but rather a bond of total, even mental, dominance is generated..
2. A painful past
Although it does not occur in all cases, submissive people often have a past full of mistreatment or bullying behind them. This past makes them learn that others will attack them at the slightestThey are able to do so with any excuse, with the slightest hint of frustration or anger. In turn, this encourages others to accept the dominant role that is granted to them.
3. Discreet personality profile
Submissive people tend not to want to draw too much attention to themselves. This is something that to avoid conflicts and humiliating moments in which any aggression in which any aggression initiated by others cannot be responded to in a proportional manner.
4. Tendency to shyness
Submissive people do not necessarily have to be introverted, but they tend to be shy. That is, they think almost obsessively about the image they giveThis is often due to the fact that they know they are submissive and, therefore, socially unappreciated or likely to make a bad first impression.
This means that they are unlikely to initiate informal conversations with strangers, for example, and sometimes even find it difficult to initiate formal dialogues with people they do not know well. Again, this is a consequence of this attempt to maintain a discreet profile.
5. Creation of dependency bonds
Submissive people adopt the role of someone who needs protectionTherefore, it is common for them to establish asymmetrical relationships based on dependency.
In pathological cases, such as those in which a diagnosis of Dependency Personality Disorder has been made, this can reach the extreme in which nothing is done that does not have to do with being close to someone who fulfills the role of "protector" and to whom it is customary to serve in everything.
6. Lack of assertiveness
Submissive people talk relatively little about their own views, do not spend a lot of time giving their opinions, and prefer to focus on what others want or need.. Sometimes it is difficult to know what their motivations are, because they may avoid talking about them explicitly. In general, this denotes a clear lack of assertiveness.
7. They try to satisfy others
Another of the psychological characteristics of the submissive person is that they they do not mind revealing their status as the "dominated party" in a relationship. in a relationship. Although they may sometimes adopt a passive aggressive role, they avoid disobeying orders so as not to cause fights and disputes.
8. Contracted non-verbal language
Submissive people, as they try not to draw attention to themselves, make their body as discreet as possible through their postures. It is common for them to keep their gaze low, for their arms and legs to move little outward with respect to the vertical axis of their body, or for them to slouch their back.
9. They say they feel bad relatively often
Since there is no way to disagree with anyone, the only way they can give themselves a break is to make their body go to the extreme.. That's why they tend to get more tired, or sick more often: they go through more stress and strain than most people around them, as they rarely make concessions to themselves.
10. They speak little
Not only is there a tendency to make little contact with strangers; they also tend to talk less, and when they do, the conversations tend to be about unimportant topics. In this way, attention is not forced to be totally displaced towards themselves, something that would happen if, for example, anecdotes from childhood are told or if the life projects that are planned for the future are explained.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)