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The "dread game" is when a person stokes fear that he or she might leave you in order to control you.

Your romantic partner might tell you about his or her other dating options or even threaten to leave.

"Dread game" tactics can be part of a deliberate manipulative strategy or an unintentional reflex response.

Well, here's a dreadful approach to dating and relationships. It's being called the "dread game" because it's when a person stokes fear in you—the fear that he or she might leave you—in order to keep you in line. Yikes.

The 'Dread Game' Is About Maintaining Fear and Worry

It's basically a twisted version of that 1995 Shania Twain song, "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" The twist here is that when a romantic partner does the "dread game," it's not for love but rather for control over you. That person wants you to believe that you are as replaceable as a pair of underwear that he or she could drop on the bathroom floor at any moment.

There are different ways that people can keep you in a state of such dread. These range from comparing you unfavorably with their exes to mentioning how others desire them so much to threatening to leave unless you do what they want you to do.

The whole "dread" thing can really rear its ugly head when the two of you disagree on something. Instead of talking through things in a mature, constructive manner, your partner may say something like "Maybe we aren't a good match," "This is how my last relationship ended," "This makes me really rethink everything about our relationship," or some other dramatic statement. This........

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