Have you ever had someone next to you who seems friendly in words, but on an instinctive level, you feel that something just doesn't add up? Have you ever felt a subtle discomfort, an intuition that suggests something dark is hidden behind that smile? Carl Jung, one of the greatest scholars of the human mind, spoke of a fundamental concept: the Shadow.
The shadow is that hidden part of us that we deny, but which often manifests itself in the way we treat others. When someone feels hate, envy, or resentment, they tend to hide it, but never completely. The signs are there; they are subtle but unmistakable.
Today, I will reveal eight unmistakable signs that reveal if someone close to you harbors hostile feelings, even if they do everything they can to hide them. Be careful, because sign number eight is the most insidious of all and could turn the way you see certain people upside down. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to the Mental Dose channel and the Telegram channel so you don't miss the next videos on personal and spiritual growth.
And now, let's begin. The first sign is contempt disguised as irony. Hidden hostility doesn't always manifest itself openly; some people prefer to express it with sarcastic jokes, barbs, or biting irony.
They make fun of things they know are sensitive to you, but when you try to point it out, they respond with phrases like, "But I was only joking," "Don't be touchy," or "You don't know how to play the game. " This behavior is particularly subtle because it leaves you feeling uncomfortable while the other person maintains the facade of someone joking without malice. In reality, repeated irony about certain topics is a clear sign of hidden contempt.
If their jokes always leave you with a sense of humiliation or belittlement, and above all, if they are repeated over time on the same topics, it may not only be humor but a sign of repressed hostility. Jung argued that our personal shadow is projected onto others in a subtle and sometimes even involuntary way. When someone repeatedly uses irony to attack certain aspects of your personality, they are revealing a part of themselves that they cannot accept.
The second sign is about hidden sabotage. If someone close to you feels threatened by your success or growth, they may try to sabotage you in subtle ways. Sabotage isn't always obvious and direct; sometimes, it manifests itself in misleading advice, miscommunications, or small mistakes that, when combined, hinder you from achieving your goals.
A friend or family member who forgets to tell you important information, leaves out key details, or inadvertently complicates things for you may not be as absent-minded as they seem. If these incidents are repeated and consistently occur at crucial moments, it is time to ask yourself whether they are truly coincidental. Observing the consistency of these behaviors helps determine whether there is an unconscious desire to sabotage you.
Jung explained that when a person lacks the courage to face their own failures, they may unconsciously project their frustration onto others, hindering them in order to avoid feeling inferior. Sign number three has to do with silent competition. Some people can't accept that you're successful at something without feeling the need to outdo you.
Every victory you win is followed by an attempt by them to shift the focus onto themselves or to downplay your accomplishment. If you share a piece of good news, instead of congratulating you, they respond with something about themselves. If you tell them about your success, they're quick to say that they've achieved something similar or even better.
This unspoken competition often arises from deep insecurities; those who practice it cannot tolerate seeing you shine because this calls into question their self-esteem. If every conversation with this person becomes a competition, it is likely that there is an unexpressed resentment behind it. Jung argued that shadow projection leads people to see in others the qualities that they are unable to develop in themselves.
For this reason, those who feel inferior will try to belittle you or compete with you to avoid facing their own feelings of inadequacy. Sign four is about superficial support. Those who secretly hate you may mask it with a superficial but unworkable support.
When you need help, they minimize the problem or make excuses for not being there. When you achieve success, their enthusiasm is forced or non-existent. This attitude can be especially evident at key moments in your life.
If you notice that someone close to you is always unavailable at important moments or reacts indifferently to your achievements, they may not have genuinely positive feelings for you. The lack of true support is not always easy to recognize, but it becomes evident over time by observing the person's reactions to your moments of success or difficulty. Jung spoke of ego dissociation as a mechanism that causes some people to be emotionally disconnected from others.
This can translate into coldness and an inability to support those around them. I sincerely hope that you are enjoying this video and that you are finding it useful and inspiring. If so, do not forget to subscribe to the Mental Dose channel and the Telegram channel so you do not miss any future similar content.
Also, to support our channel and our work, you can leave a donation with your super thanks below the video; we will be infinitely grateful. And now we continue with sign number five: control disguised as caring. Some people try to dominate your life under the guise of doing it for your own good.
They tell you what to do, criticize your every choice, and cast doubt on your ability to make decisions. Their intent is not to support you but to make you feel dependent on them. This control can be difficult to recognize because it is often disguised as loving advice and apparent care.
Concern: a key indicator is how they make you feel. If, after each piece of advice, you feel more insecure instead of more confident, you may be dealing with a form of manipulation. Yong argued that the need to control others stems from a deep fear of internal chaos.
People who cannot manage their own uncertainty try to govern the lives of others so as not to deal with their own emotional instability. The sixth sign is the spreading of criticism and gossip. People who have negative feelings toward you rarely express them directly; instead, they prefer to talk about them with others, spreading criticism and distorted information about you.
This behavior is particularly insidious because it affects you indirectly, often without you being aware of it until you feel the consequences. If you notice changes in the attitude of those around you without a clear explanation—if some friends or colleagues start avoiding you or acting colder—it is possible that someone is spreading negative information about you. False or exaggerated rumors are a powerful tool in the hands of those who hold grudges because they undermine your reputation and gradually isolate your public image.
Carl Jung explained that the need to discredit others is often an unconscious attempt to project your own insecurities and frailties onto them. People who feel inferior or dissatisfied try to balance their feelings of inadequacy by casting others in a bad light. In other words, those who speak badly of you are probably revealing more about themselves than about you.
Sign number seven is a lack of joy in your successes. People who truly care about you are happy when you reach a milestone. They support you in difficult times but also celebrate your victories because they see your success as something positive and rewarding.
On the other hand, those who hold grudges against you struggle to hide their annoyance. You can recognize them by their cold reactions, sudden changes of subject, or attempts to downplay your achievements. If you share an accomplishment and they respond with a detached "Oh, that's great," or immediately shift the focus onto themselves, they may be experiencing envy or poorly managed competition.
Yong explained that the inability to rejoice for others reveals an unresolved internal conflict in which the success of others becomes a reminder of one's own shortcomings. This happens because seeing you achieve what you want highlights what they have not been able to achieve. People who feel this way often try to minimize your achievements with phrases such as, "Well, it's not that important," "I did something similar a while ago," or "You should have done better.
" These words are not just opinions but signs of a latent impatience. If you notice that someone around you has a hard time celebrating your victories and shows signs of annoyance instead of happiness, it is likely that deep down they feel something very different from what they show. The eighth sign has to do directly with non-verbal language and hidden details.
Hidden hatred manifests itself in the most subtle details. It is often expressed not with words, but with involuntary attitudes and signals. A glance that escapes at the wrong moment, a forced smile, a sudden change of expression, or a tense silence can say much more than a thousand words.
Many people try to mask their feelings, but the body always betrays the deepest emotions. If someone pretends to appreciate you but feels hostility towards you, you will notice it in subtle gestures. Their hands stiffen when you talk about a success; the tone of voice changes slightly when they pay you a compliment, or they avoid eye contact at certain moments.
Yong argued that the body and the unconscious never lie. Even when someone tries to hide their feelings, nonverbal language always betrays them. This happens because the conscious mind can put up a mask, but the body responds to real emotions.
If you sense tension, discomfort, or coldness in a person, trust your instincts; you may have picked up a signal that your conscious mind has trouble rationalizing. Recognizing these signals requires attention and sensitivity. Words can be deceptive, but body language and small details always reveal the truth.
Thank you for following us on this journey. See you in the next video!
