Chronic manipulators are skilled, intuitive, and excellent readers of interpersonal situations. They can sense what other people are thinking and feeling and use that to their advantage. These strengths make them difficult to spot and heighten the need for potential victims to be able to stop manipulation as soon as it occurs.

If you have engaged with manipulators in the past, you’re well aware they don’t come with flashing red lights that give you a warning ahead of time. They tend to work their way into relationships, carefully measuring their steps and quickly discarding relationships they feel won’t be of any use to them.

Manipulators are everywhere—at work, in the home, in our schools—and cause immense damage if victims are unable to recognize their patterns of interaction. Equally important are victim support systems, which can help to identify, understand, and step in to stop those same patterns.

But how can you tell if a manipulator is changing the facts to fit their needs? Here are some simple keys to recognizing if a manipulator is telling the truth:

Their story does not change. Manipulators are chameleons. Their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors will change based on the........

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