In our daily interactions we deal with all sorts of people. Human relations or interactions are inevitable; in fact, they are central to the creation of value. In business it is even more vital that one cultivates a network of different types of people. Be that as it may, you should not lose sight of the other side of the coin. I am referring to how that those same human interactions can lead to disastrous outcomes. The premises for that are infinite but one of them is associating with toxic people. From personal lives to business one must be wary of toxic people. In this article I am looking at just 6 types of toxic people you must avoid.

Serial Critic

‘Critic’ can mean several things so I must clarify for this context. Here I am using the term defined as someone who frequently finds fault or makes harsh and unfair judgements. I added ‘serial’ to emphasise on the immensity of the intensity and frequency with which ones criticizes. This is someone who will never ever get to support or approve anything you do or think of doing. This person will make you feel incompetent like there is nothing you can ever do properly. Sadly, some people are subjected to such from their parents from a tender age. This breeds low self-esteem in people and compromises one’s ability to take initiative. You must avoid such people by all means!

Manipulator

Manipulation deals with deviously or shrewdly controlling or influencing people. This is obviously done with the aim of having the advantage at the expense of others. Thus a manipulator is someone who always seeks to control literally everything and everyone. They will usually paint a false picture of looking out for you yet they are out to make things happen for themselves alone. The subtleness in manipulation is so pronounced that you might never notice it. Manipulators can even set things in motion where they will hide themselves from the picture and cause you to blame all sorts of wrong things or people. I kid you not, it is not typically always easy to spot manipulators but you have to always have your eyes and ears well-calibrated.

Energy Sucker

Most of us have dealt with such people at one point or another. These are people who exert so much tension and stress upon you that you end up feeling drained. They come in different shapes and sizes and their nature is ever-evolving. For instance, someone who is ever knocking at your door for favours and requests can end up making you feel drained. Someone might always demand you to get certain things done and you actually do them but they never appreciate you. That can end up really draining or sucking the energy out of you. It might even be someone who constantly burdens you with their problems. The possible scenarios are many but the bottom line is that when you feel your energy being sucked or drained you must avoid such people.

Deceptive Sweet Talker

Oh my, we have so many of them especially nowadays. This is someone who will always be saying nice things to or about you but deep down they do not mean it. There actually tends to be an intersection between the deceptive sweet talker and the manipulator. At the core they do not even care about you or your well-being at all. They might compliment and all just to trick you into doing things for them. It could even be a cover for you to never suspect they are secretly berating your life. Yet in the background they will be working overtime against you. Remember that it is impractical for one to always be saying nice things to you or about you at all times. Some can be genuine, that is a given, but in most cases that can be a red flag.

Pessimist

They are always speaking negatively. They do not believe anything can ever work out. They will find all sorts of premises to paint a picture of doom in everything. They are a glorified serial critic. They will actually make you feel like it is pointless to pursue anything. According to them nothing ever works out. They will talk you down and talk you out of things worth doing. Such a person can abort great visions or dreams if you give them room and pay attention to them.

The Victim

This is one who always plays victim. They will find anything or anyone to blame for their actions. They will never accept any responsibility thus they will always find a scapegoat. They might even shift blame to you and make you feel like you are the one who is at fault. Excuses are their language and they even manipulate people emotionally. Ever noticed how you can call out someone on something and they will get emotional and you end up apologizing yet you are innocent. This is one of the most dangerous people to ever associate with. This is especially because they can have doses of all the personalities I have discussed in this article.

It will take some practise and time to master the art of judging characters. You cannot avoid what you do not know and identify. Some of the things you have to look out for are subtle so you must been keenly observant. At least you now know some of those things from this article. After all, the key to dismantling any system or anything is understanding it first.