5 Types of People You Should Try to Avoid Dating

Disclaimer: This article is designed for educational purposes and personal interest. It is not suggesting that because people exhibit these signs, that you should not date them, but more that you should be aware of them when dating.

Dating can be an absolute minefield at times and it can sometimes be hard to know what to expect when it comes to meeting new people and potentially entering a romantic relationship with them. Here at Psych2go, we have done the research for you, to help you think about what you might want to avoid when dating.

Here are 5 types of people that you should try to avoid dating.

Emotional Dumpers

As the title suggests, emotional dumpers want a relationship for one reason alone; to have somebody whom they can dump their emotional baggage onto. If you are dating an emotional dumper, then it is likely that you will hear about every problem that they are facing in life; they will complain about their friends, enemies, work, clients and bosses (Sidhartha, 2015) and you will have no choice but to endure listening to this on a regular basis. If you try to suggest a solution, then they will likely not listen to you. They tend to be in love with their self pity and misery which can end up trapping you in a cycle. Take time to think about how much emotional dumping you can take before continuing this kind of relationship.

The Clingy

Are you dating somebody who constantly calls or messages you? There is a difference between being eager and being clingy so its important to know the difference. People are clingy for various reasons; it may be due to insecurities or previous historic relationships with family or romantic partners which may mean that they overcompensate through fears that you may leave them. They may also have expectations regarding romantic gestures from you which they will be upset about if you do not meet them. So if you’re a person who appreciates personal space, it may be wise to avoid this type of person because you may feel suffocated in the relationship (West, 2020)

The Extreme Perfectionist

It probably goes without saying that the definition of a perfectionist is somebody who has the constant need to strive for perfection which hurts the people around them and stands in the way of forming healthy relationships (Pan, 2021). In her article in Psychology Today, Dr Shauna Springer explains that “rather than experiencing a full and healthy range of emotions, a perfectionist often vacillates between two primary emotions — dread and relief” (cited in Pan, 2021). If you notice that the person you are dating is difficulty to please, is always looking for flaws or problems and always want to be in control, then they could be exhibiting signs of an extreme perfectionist.

The Narcissist

This is probably the thing which comes up the most when talking about who NOT to date. For anybody wanting to know if they have dated or are dating a narcissist, you would know! Generally speaking, narcissists are self obsessed, are judgmental and tend be very selfish. This type of person can be particularly draining as they are ‘perfectionists’ and want you to follow suit as part of their image. You will rarely meet a narcissist who will show any level of empathy towards others. They also never admit they’re wrong or accept their mistakes (West, 2020)

The Toxic Communicator

Ever heard somebody you’re dating say “I fight with you because I love you”? Chances are you could be dating a toxic communicator. These types of people will find it hard to give you respect; instead they will argue, counter-argue and never give you space and opportunity to explain things (West, 2020). This type of person may measure your love by how much disrespect you will take from them which is not considered strong grounds for a good relationship.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. We hope that you enjoyed reading and have taken some things away from the article. Please feel free to comment in the post below as we love hearing back from our readers! Watch this space for further articles!

Pan, M. (2021). 5 Types of People You Should Never Date. [online] Hello, Love. Available at: https://medium.com/hello-love/5-types-of-people-you-should-never-date-d8ae05e1921e [Accessed 27 Jun. 2022].

West, C. (2020). 6 Types of People you Shouldn’t Date: The Clingy, The Posessive, etc… [online] Cairo West Magazine. Available at: https://cairowestmag.com/people-you-shouldnt-date/.