# 8 Toxic Personalities To Avoid



## Ronin74 (May 27, 2009)

Here's a really great article I found on Yahoo regarding the kinds of people we might want to avoid. Having had to put some space between a best friend and myself, I know I can relate, and maybe some of you might too.

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn't so.  Personally, I've had moments where I'll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I'll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails.  Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative.  Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional.  Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives.  And, although we are all human and have our 'issues,' some 'issues' are quite frankly, toxic.  They are toxic to our happiness.  They are toxic to our mental outlook.  They are toxic to our self-esteem.  And they are toxic to our lives.  They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

*Manipulative Mary:* These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics.  Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late.  These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.

_Why they are toxic:_ These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem.  They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation.  The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.
*Narcissistic Nancy:* These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them.  They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met.  You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."

_Why they are toxic:_ They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust.  You are left disappointed and unfulfilled.  Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.
*Debbie Downers:* These people can't appreciate the positive in life.  If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast.  If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

_Why they are toxic:_ They take the joy out of everything.  Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity.  Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.
*Judgmental Jims:* When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive.  If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'.  If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

_Why they are toxic:_ Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers.  In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over.  If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring.  Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.
*Dream Killing Keiths:* Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it.  As you achieve, they try to pull you down.  As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

_Why they are toxic:_ These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be.  Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself.  Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.
*Insincere Illissas:* You never quite feel that these people are being sincere.  You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh.  You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response.  You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

_Why they are toxic:_ People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria.  This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships.  When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there.  When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are.  When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.
*Disrespectful Dannys:* These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways.  In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies.  Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you.  Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business.  Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

_Why they are toxic:_ These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy.  These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.
*Never Enough Nellies:* You can never give enough to these people to make them happy.  They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you.  They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

_Why they are toxic:_ You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process.  They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.
All of these personalities have several things in common.  1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue.  2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one.  3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity.  If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities?  What have you done?  Any personalities you would add?​


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## Flea (May 27, 2009)

Thanks, Ronin.

I enjoyed that article when I saw it last night.  I think we can all recognize bits of ourselves in there too.  I know I've _been_ some of them over the years.  It's all part of the journey, right?


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## arnisador (May 27, 2009)

I think I have Multiple Toxic Personality Disorder!


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## celtic_crippler (May 27, 2009)

Good stuff. 

I lump them all together and call them "energy vampires" because they all suck the life out of you. LOL


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## Carol (May 27, 2009)

arnisador said:


> I think I have Multiple Toxic Personality Disorder!



How bad could you be?  You just made me laugh


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## Makalakumu (May 27, 2009)

arnisador said:


> I think I have Multiple Toxic Personality Disorder!



That's a very insightful comment, actually.  I also, unfortunately, see myself described in some of these.  This stands as a reminder that I need to do better in some ways.  A lot of it depends on the day, on your mood, and how fast you can pull out of the behavior.  What really stinks is when you get stuck in one or several of these and you can't move yourself off of it.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (May 27, 2009)

My mother is 1-5
 My wife is is a 3 and 8.

Having been through quite alot(some more than others some less than others) I have learned to not be influenced by others emotions. I am an advocate for cartoons and coloring books and toys as ways to connect with the child within and stress relief.

You may not be able to control others' emotions but you can control your own and your reaction towards others emotions.


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## Xue Sheng (May 27, 2009)

Lets see I use to date #8 and my ex-wife was #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6


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## girlbug2 (May 27, 2009)

I know a Narcissistic Nancy--who's male. I found that the only way to deal with him is to ignore him.


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## CoryKS (May 27, 2009)

9)  That guy in class who washes his gi infrequently, if at all.


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## Makalakumu (May 27, 2009)

CoryKS said:


> 9)  That guy in class who washes his gi infrequently, if at all.



Ah, the invisible choke...


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## Flea (May 27, 2009)

Yeah, the alliterative names are a nice touch.


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## Cryozombie (May 27, 2009)

Im none of these things, now worship me, fools!


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## Ronin74 (May 28, 2009)

LOL... Great responses everyone. I think a few of us have seen a bit of those characteristics in ourselves, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I don't think any of us might be in those extremes.

I myself have cut myself off from a Debbie Downer, just because they fit the description to a tee. I mean, wouldn't have to give a hypothetical situation because they actually have sucked the joy out of good times. We've had celebrations where the high points were brought down because of conversations (but usually monologues) that started with "I'm sooo depressed right now..." Try hearing that on your birthday... lol.

And I'm actually related to a Disrespectful Danny, and sadly am opting not to attend his wedding. It's not out of spite, but he really is THAT "toxic" to me.

I have to agree with celtic_crippler that they are "energy vampires"- they do suck the life out of us.


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