Relationship Red Flags That You Should Look Out For

1. You justify their bad behaviour

If you find yourself justifying away what he does or says, even though these feel wrong in your gut, then that's a surefire red flag.

2. They don't talk through issues

One major red flag in a person's behavior that may indicate that the relationship won't work is the unwillingness to talk through issues, big or small. All couples have disagreements. That's perfectly normal and healthy. But it's how you handle those disagreements that can really make or break things. Does your partner walk away? Shut down? Place all the blame on you? Throw a tantrum? These are all red flags.

In a good relationship, a couple can and will talk through issues, listening to the other person's point of view and expressing his or her own. No one needs to win or lose. It's about expressing how something makes you feel and being heard. Communication is key.

3.  They are constantly testing your boundaries

Run from anyone who attempts to cross a boundary that you have set. For instance,  they try to change the way you wear your hair or your clothes or anything else about you that feels like 'you,' and it makes you uncomfortable.

4.  They have a massive sense of entitlement

When we see that somebody feels entitled to us doing more for them than what is equal in a relationship, that's a huge red flag that they are someone who uses people. Are they comfortable with using us? Because it just shows a real clear lack of care.

5. Something in your gut feels wrong

The first thing to look for is your own intuition and listening to your gut — if you have the feeling something is wrong, things aren't adding up, then trust that. Past relationship history is key to understanding their behaviors, as is the way they talk about past partners. If everyone in their past was 'crazy,' that is a huge red flag.

6. Everything is about them

For instance, you could confront the person you're dating about something they did or said that hurt you. Rather than listening to your concern and apologising, they will manipulate and flip the conversation, telling you all the things you've done to hurt and upset them.

This scenario shows signs of narcissism, and things only get worse the more time you spend together. They don't care about you and your concerns; they only care about themselves. Narcissists are void of empathy. They don't believe they are wrong about anything, and they will constantly feel victimised, accusing you of attacking them when you're just expressing your feelings in a situation.

7. They are overly critical about their previous partners

I find that people are very predictable. Whatever they have done in previous relationships they are likely to do again. This means that if you listen carefully to how your new lover describes his or her important previous relationships and how he or she speaks about their exes, you can learn a lot about how this person is likely to treat you.

8. They constantly deny, criticise or dismiss you

You may be in a relationship with an emotional manipulator if you see an emotional double standard in the relationship, experience your feelings being denied, criticised, or dismissed, find yourself 'giving in' to keep the peace, and see your self-esteem diminishing.