Do you intimidate people to protect yourselves?

[motel rooms]

Do you intimidate people to protect yourselves? I do. I always show my teeth to those I perceive as threatening. I usually don't use words, I immediately employ the death stare. I've been forced to use various degrees of physical violence on more than one occasion though.

 

[hʚll]

no . i go to bed and cry

 

[Brick In The Wall]

Not intentionally no, but I've been told by a few that I naturally give off such a presence. I avoid violence or confrontation when I can, but can and will gladly resort to it if need be.

 

[motel rooms]

Not intentionally no, but I've been told by a few that I naturally give off such a presence.

I probably give off slightly sinister vibes because dogs are often afraid of me, but cats always like me @Flippy

 

[chocolatebar]

I'm "invisible" and usually walk around without people noticing or caring about me and it seems to somehow protect me

 

[ClownMe]

I dread any kind of confrontation, so no.

 

[WhatDoesTheFoxSay?]

As an introvert, people intimidate me. I avoid conflict at all costs. Maybe it's because of my experiences, but I'm always on high alert and I don't know how to let my guard down. It's hard for me to trust anyone nowadays, so I stay away from people as far as I can.

cats always like me

TELL ME YOUR SECRETS, MASTER

 

[motel rooms]

View attachment 74897
TELL ME YOUR SECRETS, MASTER

Kittens don't count, they love everybody. I'm talking about @Makko cats

 

[Deleted member 8975]

I don't usually need to because I'm quite muscular (even by genetics) so people are naturally scared of me I think. I don't have it in me to be intimidating personality wise and I wouldn't really know how.

 

[ven]

In the past, I was quick to justify physical confrontation, because that's what was normal at home and in my immediate social circles. I've since altered my reactivity and modus operandi for dealing with situations I've discerned as threatening, which are I imagine higher than the normal population due to past trauma and bullying. I changed after realizing that I cause myself more harm by overreacting without adequate information to justify it and subsequently wind up creating hostile situations where there were probably none before. Nowadays I avoid physical confrontation, because the risk is too high that someone has other people around or a weapon, and have learned to simply walk away or diffuse the situations before they become physical.

I've never had a physical confrontation since shifting my prioritization. I do believe I will never shake the immediate and severe fight or flight response, but I have it under control now compared to my youth.

 

[OrcWitch]

I've been told I have resting bitch face, but I think my body language is gentle and passive.

 

[WhatDoesTheFoxSay?]

Kittens don't count, they love everybody. I'm talking about @Makko cats

Count these in too
@Makko #fatcats

 

[odradek]

I don't intentionally but I do have a stand off-ish personality so I guess that's a form of subconscious protection. I've been told by ppl who like me that they thought I looked like an asshole before they knew me. I've been described as looking like a "thug" in my life along with other various "colourful" adjectives. Combine that with my resting bitch face and I can see how I could come off as intimidating.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

I'm a big man. 6'5" 250lbs. I never get messed with, harassed, picked on. And that's great I guess. People leave me alone, but I do also give off a "piss off" vibe. I don't make eye contact or small talk or anything. I'm just sort of perpetually undisturbed by others, so there's no real reason for me to be intimidating. I think I can be quite authoritative in conversations though, with family and my girlfriend etc.

 

[Makko]

I intimidate people for a living. Bonus points if they're multiple-convicted drugjacked psychos 3 times my weight.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

No, I'm only intimidating when I'm taking "medication". But it has worn off now, so not intimidating anymore I hope.

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

I don't do it on purpose. I have some muscle but I'm also fugly so it may intimate some.

 

[Sprite_Geist]

No because I am not a particularly intimidating person. Instead I try to just avoid other people, and also try to be vague as possible.

 

[AtMostOkay]

Yes, it is a skill honed for self protection. Passive, but effective nonetheless.

 

[UseItOrLoseIt]

Do you intimidate people to protect yourselves? I do. I always show my teeth to those I perceive as threatening. I usually don't use words, I immediately employ the death stare. I've been forced to use various degrees of physical violence on more than one occasion though.

Verbatim, same. Only I am allowed to undermine myself.

 

[netrezven]

Most of the time i feel intimidated by my parents on the rare ocasions i'm with them. I don't react to this since years. It's just the way they act, or if they behaive good and flattern me, it's going to be fake or is just related to material stuff, not who i am. Nobody else ever had the position or the balls to intimidate me, outside of my closest circle of relatives.
Last time i felt that way from others outside of that circle, was a week ago. There were two guys inside a restaurant and they saw me and a friend of mine looking at some address. One of them knows us, so they started to talk about us, speculate what we are doing. Chances are what they saw is still in conversations to many more dumb idiots and will be for weeks, trying to figure out what we were doing there. If it wasn't for my friend, i wouldn't even noticed them. So i sholud return the favor during the next half an year and give them a reason for a real talk.
While working in police, at school - ya it happened all the time. Sometimes i didn't react, sometimes it went violent. But really during the years i learned how to use violence, how much of ti and to whom.

 

[FuneralCry]

Even if I tried to, I could never be able to intimidate somebody else. I stay away from other people as much as I possibly can.

 

[lofticries]

My height and resting bitch face already does that for me.

ppl posting cats in this thread so here is my contribution.

 

[Snake of Eden]

I intimidate myself by looking at the mirror </3

 

[Darkmoon Queen]

No, but I've heard of several people doing this.

To protect myself, I tend to engage in perfectionism to minimise possible criticism. I can take criticism when it's constructive but most people are just nasty and I was systematically de-fanged by every authority figure whose 'care' I was under. So I'm re-fanging myself now.

I also isolate myself because my brain gets tired easily when it comes to other people.

I'm working on the perfectionism and giving myself permission to do things wrong. The isolation part, not so much. I don't actually want a huge circle of friends so why work towards it.

 

[stygal]

I am intimidating to some people because of my natural resting bitch face and not being able to display a lot of emotions through facial mimic and never letting my guard down - wish probably shows when it comes to body language.

At least two of my exes told me they were intimidated or scared of me in the beginning and that I seemed mysterious because of that.
Still don't know what to make of that.

But most people (Im not in closer contact with) just ignore me or think I'm rude when talking to me (which I am - haha).

 

[Darkmoon Queen]

At least two of my exes told me they were intimidated or scared of me in the beginning and that I seemed mysterious because of that.
Still don't know what to make of that.

As a person who hears this too, it generally means they're trying to flatter you into letting your guard down so they can destroy your psyche. That's what happens in my case, at least. If you appear strong, you'll inevitably attract some Cluster B twat who sees it as a conquest.

 

[stygal]

As a person who hears this too, it generally means they're trying to flatter you into letting your guard down so they can destroy your psyche. That's what happens in my case, at least. If you appear strong, you'll inevitably attract some Cluster B twat who sees it as a conquest.

Yeah...thinking back...one of them wasn't the best choice but I was young and dumb (now I'm just dumb - and with a lot more experiences)
I would never act that way again (chasing after a potential partner and wanting to make it work so bad) - that's for sure.
Thanks for your reassurance!

 

[Darkmoon Queen]

Yeah...thinking back...one of them wasn't the best choice but I was young and dumb (now I'm just dumb - and with a lot more experiences)
I would never act that way again (chasing after a potential partner and wanting to make it work so bad) - that's for sure.
Thanks for your reassurance!

We've all been there.

 

[CogitoMori]

I used to as a kid, but now I'm accidentally intimidating to people even when I'm nice and helpful and I don't know how to stop.