5 Signs of a Passive-Aggressive Person

Holly Hartley
9 min readMar 4, 2020
Picture of a duck. The Duck Test does work on passive aggressive behaviour.
Photo by Daniel Kay on Adobe Stock

There is a famous saying:

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

No truer words can be spoken about aggression and people who exhibit aggressive behavior. In these situations the ‘Duck Test’ works.

You can see it a mile off, it’s easy to spot and so we can all give these folk a wide berth. On the hopefully rare occasion where we are forced to interact with them, we can at least be crystal clear of what we are dealing with and what the consequences of this might look like. Gird your loins and brace yourself for bruised feelings or, worst case, a split lip.

But what about those people who seem to have the same effect on your emotions but you just can’t explain why, or give an example of what they did?

We all know them, the people who smile to your face, offer compliments and seemingly show willing, whilst your gut is screaming ‘Alert! Alert!’ They are everywhere: in your social circle, at work and even in your family.

Just like air, we know it’s real, that it exists and that we are surrounded by it, but it’s virtually impossible to show it to another human being.

Passive-aggressive people don’t quack or swim like a duck, but we sure as hell know that they are one.

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Holly Hartley

Coach | Educationalist | Gen X Career Changer | Unshakable Optimist | Has Big Heart | Personal Development Obsessive | Founder of www.rediscoveryofme.com