Techniques to Deal with Passive Aggressive Behavior

Recognize

The first step is to be able to recognize it in the first place.
Passive Aggressive behavior is deliberate and a form of manipulation. The behavior purposely sends mixed messages that can be confusing. Trust your instincts. If you feel that someone is being passive aggressive then they probably are.
My last post about passive aggressive behavior gave some great examples to help you to recognize this behavior.

Here’s a quick review:

• Someone who insists they are fine even though they are clearly angry
• The silent treatment
• Agreeing to a task, but acting sullen and hostile while doing it
• Procrastination
• Pretending not to hear a request
• Using manipulation instead of assertive communication
• Deliberately acting in passive aggressive ways in order to incite anger in another person

Openly Acknowledge Their Anger

Stop walking on eggshells and point out the elephant in the room!
Passive aggressive people refuse to acknowledge their anger and try to keep it underneath the surface. The best way to deal with it is to acknowledge the existence of their anger in a non critical way.

Disengage

Sometimes people engage in passive aggressive behavior with the specific intention of angering others.
You need to be able to manage your emotions and make the choice not to engage in what is essentially a deliberate power struggle.
This will help to de-escalate the situation and ultimately bring you peace.