Signs of Narcissistic Abuse~ Making Unilateral Decisions Without Your Knowledge or Consent

by Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D.

When your partner makes decisions that impact you without your knowledge or consent, he/she is basically acting on your behalf irrespective of your wishes. How do you feel about that?

If you don’t care that someone else is controlling some of your life choices and if the decisions made do not harm you, then it’s probably not a big deal. In fact, it could make life a little simpler because you don’t have to bother yourself with the details of things you don’t know or care to know. However, if the decisions made net consequences to you that are harmful, then chances are you will resent his/her making these decisions without conferring with you.

Unilateral Decisions Without Your Consent

It’s common practice for people in abusive relationships to encounter their partner making decisions that affect them without their knowledge or consent. These decisions can be in any of many areas of their lives, like: financial, social, sexual, physical residence, recreation, nutrition, health/disease…need I say more.

Essentially, what happens in this dynamic is that the decision-maker acts as though he/she is the only person in the relationship. There is no interest in, and…