Teen Advice: How to Tell If Your Partner is Too Controlling

Your partner can be very charming, affectionate, attentive and good-looking, but it is often people with those very attributes who turn out to be too controlling. You will not see the signs of a controlling person in the beginning of the relationship. You will be swept off your feet and you will feel very special. After a while, the attentiveness will be smothering and you will see begin to see a different side of your partner.

If you feel that you are receiving too many calls from this person and too many questions about what you are doing, it may be a signal. A lack of trust is often exhibited by controlling people and they will constantly check on their better halves.

If the person becomes critical of how you dress or who you see, this is also a red flag. The controlling person will not want you to look too good for the opposite sex and will often criticize you when you are wearing a nice outfit. They also do not want to see you become too close with other people.

If you find that you are being pulled away from your friends and even your family, this is also something that indicates control. The controller will try to isolate you from the important people in your life so that you will be exclusive to him or her.

You must be very careful if you see any signs of over-controlling or obsessiveness in your relationship. If you confront a controller about the behavior, you will be met by extreme professions of love and a desire to be with you all the time.

But you have other things in your life such as school, friends, family and your own interests. If a relationship with a controlling person continues, those things are often diminished. You will always need to maintain your own independence and have your own friends, your own interests and your family ties. This person cannot be your whole life.