What Causes Passive Aggressive Behavior?
These behaviors are often learned in childhood when the expression of negative emotion is punished, or seen as bad or selfish. As a result, negative emotions are often suppressed until the bottling up becomes unbearable and the emotions have to be expressed in some way. For the most part, they are done unconsciously as the individual has little insight into what they are actually doing. While passive aggressive behavior is often subtle, it can be incredibly hurtful and damaging to relationships if it does not stop. Just as these behaviors are learned, they can also be un-learned, and with a little help and effort new ways of dealing with emotions can be adopted, and the conflict avoidant personality can be reshaped and fear of conflict can be managed.
