You leave conversations confused about what happened
Something was done to you and you cannot name it.
Courses
See what you would learn
See manipulation and passive aggression as they happen.
A course on recognising indirect and manipulative behaviour. It covers what drives it, how to spot it in the moment, and how to respond without being drawn into the game or becoming cruel yourself.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to recognise manipulation and passive-aggressive behaviour when it is happening, understand what drives it, and respond without being drawn in.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Psychology
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Who is this about: a colleague, family member, partner, or friend?
- What does it look like: guilt, silent treatment, backhanded comments, or shifting blame?
- How do you usually respond: comply, explode, or freeze?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You end up apologising for their behaviour
Somehow it became your fault.
You are starting to doubt your own read
Maybe you are too sensitive, they say.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Indirect behaviour
Why people manipulate and act passive-aggressively instead of asking.
The patterns
The common forms, with examples you will recognise.
Trusting your read
Confusion as a signal, and how to check it.
Naming it
Describing the behaviour plainly, without accusation.
Not playing
Declining the role the behaviour needs you to take.
When it is a pattern
Chronic manipulation, and what your options are.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Recognise the patterns
Name guilt-tripping, gaslighting, silent treatment and deflection when they occur.
Understand what drives it
See the fear and avoidance underneath, without excusing it.
Respond cleanly
Address the behaviour directly and refuse the game.
Ideas this course corrects
Manipulative people know what they are doing
Often they do not. Indirectness is usually learned and automatic.
The answer is to manipulate back
The answer is directness. Playing the game keeps you in it.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on recognising indirect and manipulative behaviour. It covers what drives it, how to spot it in the moment, and how to respond without being drawn into the game or becoming cruel yourself. It sits under Psychology in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to recognise manipulation and passive-aggressive behaviour when it is happening, understand what drives it, and respond without being drawn in.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.