20 Signs Of A Weak Man In A Relationship And How To Deal With It

Is your man selfish? Does every conversation turn into a heated argument? Does he not care about the relationship’s progress and acts aloof? Does he roll his eyes at the thought of trying something new and exciting? These are some of the signs of a weak man in a relationship. And if you just let out a big sigh and can closely relate to these things, then there’s a possibility you’ve trapped yourself in a jar of pickles. 

Perfectionism is an overrated concept because every human has flaws and nobody can force another person to change their personality. However, if your partner is an understanding man, he will try to find out what irks you and rubs you the wrong way and he will avoid doing them in the future. He will try to show growth, maturity, and acceptance. On the contrary, if a man is not willing to attempt, adjust, or acknowledge your concerns about his behavior, it’s a glaring red flag about his weak character. 

How Do You Identify A Weak Man? 

Not everyone can easily spot a weak character because they are good at masking them. They know what to reveal about themselves and what to hide under the depths of their soul. But sometimes no matter how much they suppress their real personality, it will come out in one way or the other. Here are some concrete signs to identify that you aren’t dating a real man:

• You constantly question yourself if you are settling with someone who loves you and takes care of you a lot lesser than you deserve 
• A weak makes you feel small about yourself and doubt your self-worth
• You fantasize dating someone else and you feel like you are stuck in this relationship 
• He doesn’t have a strong character and still acts and behaves like he is in high school
• He has no sense of purpose and no long-term or short-term goals about his life or your relationship 
• He doesn’t understand his own emotions and fails to understand yours as well

A weak man is not necessarily a bad person, but he also not someone you would be happy with, especially in the long run.

20 Signs Of A Weak Man In A Relationship 

When you started dating him, he must have shown all his charm to win you over. But as time went by, he suddenly changed and now you can’t help but accommodate yourself according to his rules and wishes. This isn’t a healthy or a strong relationship. And usually, such relationships can significantly dent your mental health. Hence, it’s crucial you catch these signs early in the relationship.

1. He expects you to look after him 

A classic sign of a weak character is when a man expects you to do all the dirty work like cooking for him, cleaning the house that you both own, getting groceries, and doing the laundry, and picking up the clothes and shoes lying around the house.

This is not an indicator of a  healthy relationship. You are with a man who has fallen into the trap of gender stereotypes and is refusing to come out of it. In simple words, he is a man child who wants a mother in a partner who would clean up after him. 

But why is that so? Because it’s easy for him that way. He will slyly wash his hands by, “It’s a woman’s job”. Such men act weak because they feel like their manhood will get threatened if they take part in doing any household chores. A man who loves you, has self-confidence, and knows how to treat you in a healthy way will always share your burden. 

2. He proudly wears his badge of entitlement 

Feeling entitled is one of the signs of a weak man. Entitlement is when he cares about his own needs and expects others to be okay with it. He will want everyone to go out of their way to keep him happy. And according to studies, individuals with an inflated sense of entitlement expect their partners to take care of their needs and wishes, are highly sensitive and responsive to violations of such expectations. When their partners don’t fulfill their expectations, they regret being in a relationship with them. 

Ergo, when you are dealing with a weak insecure man, he will never compromise. His attitude will speak for himself. Furthermore, he will keep reminding you that he is better than you and he will try to make you feel inferior. He will have a “me before you” attitude and he will prove his double standard nature often. For example, he will feel like he is entitled to throw a tantrum. However, when you throw a tantrum, he gives you the silent treatment. This is entitlement at its worst. 

You May Also Like: 11 Signs Of A One-Sided Relationship And What To Do 

3. He doesn’t love himself 

If a man loves you wholeheartedly but doesn’t love himself, it means he has low self-esteem. Such a feeling is fuelled by a sense of worthlessness. He is ashamed of who is his. Low self-esteem is usually the result of an unhappy childhood. Research suggests that such people had extremely critical or absent parents. Some other reasons include poor academic performance, career failure, physical disability, or past relationship traumas.

He will use hurtful words to hide his lack of confidence. It’s crucial for him to build a strong character if he wants to move ahead in life. Otherwise, it will give rise to a lot of relationship problems like insecurity issues, trust issues, and jealousy. Make him feel secure by helping him understand that you are there for him. 

4. He avoids conflicts 

One of the signs of a weak man is that he will avoid conflicts. He is scared to have difficult conversations with you. Listed below are some more signs that weak men exhibit:

• They think it is useless to argue over both important and routine things
• He will sweep the problems under the rug and act like everything is perfect. However, a  grown man will sit you down and will respect your concerns
• A weak man won’t try to sort your problems because he doesn’t want to reveal his true feelings 
• He will avoid talking on serious topics that can possibly reflect his true image 

However, a man who doesn’t have self-confidence has a deep fear of upsetting those he loves and thinks they will stop loving him if he counters their point and hence accepts the things the way they are. You need to deal with an emotionally weak man by letting him know that it’s good to fight in a marriage once in a while as long as it is done with the intention of fighting the problem and not fighting against one another.

5. He blows his own trumpet 

A man who is self-centered will often boast about his achievements. It’s nothing wrong to praise yourself once in a while, but if your intention is to put down someone else while blowing your own trumpet, then it shows how immature you are. Similarly, if your life partner often compares his financial growth and success with yours, then it’s a red flag you must never ignore.

He is proudly glorifying his achievements by talking about his work life and how much he earns by pointing out your unpaid bills. This is an extremely unattractive and downright off-putting behavior. He is just “success dumping” in your face and he isn’t the right guy for you. 

6. He often gets defensive 

People usually indulge in defensive behavior as a coping mechanism when they see a threat that could damage their reputation. Likewise, if he gets defensive when you try to correct him, it’s one of the signs of a weak man. The defensive behavior could emerge in other ways like:

• Often bringing up your past mistake to balance out their new mistake
• He will either use hurtful words in retaliation or he will give you the silent treatment 
• He will gaslight and manipulate you
• Blame shifting
• He will act indignant as if you don’t have the authority to question him. As if he is superior to you
• He will play the victim card 

7. He lets his emotions control him

There is a thin line between feeling your emotions and letting them control you. If your partner hastily reacts to certain situations, it’s one of the signs of a weak husband who doesn’t know how to keep calm during testing times. He will let his negative feelings get the better of him. 

Additionally, if he doesn’t learn how to control his negative feelings, he will soon start displaying passive aggressive behavior. He will get triggered easily and will constantly overthink things. All of these instances will have a negative impact in your love life. He needs to build his emotional resiliency if he wants to have a fulfilling relationship with you. 

8. He is extremely insecure

Insecurity is a common emotion humans face at one point or the other and it can stem from many reasons ranging from overriding feelings of inadequacy, lack of emotional support, lack of emotional intelligence, and childhood trauma. But as we grow, we need to learn how to deal with these insecurities. But if your husband refuses to even acknowledge that he is insecure, it’s one of the signs of a weak man. Some other signs include:

• He will have trust issues
• He won’t be willing to let his guard down and be vulnerable with you
• He will act like he is perfect but deep down he is riddled with anxiousness and poor self-image
• He will fish for compliments 
• He won’t believe in healthy competition and will try to one-up you every single time

9. He doesn’t take accountability 

One of the warning signs of a weak husband includes never taking accountability of his mishaps, mistakes, and misconceptions. He thinks he can do no wrong because he is perfect. Let’s say he hurt you but he refuses to accept the fact that he gave you mental pain. So, he will try to justify his actions by giving lousy excuses instead of apologizing. This is not an indication of a strong personality. It screams emotional immaturity. A strong man makes a choice and owns it, whatever it may lead to.

A real man takes responsibility for his faults, both intentional and intentional. What’s more is that he will apologize sincerely for making such blunders. He will truly be remorseful and he will make sure he doesn’t repeat his mistake again.

10. He isn’t willing to grow 

Any human, regardless of how much they’ve been through in life, will focus on growth. Be it mental, financial, spiritual, or intellectual. Instead, he is stuck in one place. For example, he knows he has insecurity issues but he will refuse to take therapy or try to get better on his own.

Additionally, if he is still in the “no commitment phase” and the thought about taking your relationship to a serious stage scares him, it’s one of the signs he isn’t willing to grow. He did seem like a perfect guy when you first met him. But life is all about moving forward. You can’t stay static in one place. 

11. His mental state is “arrested development” 

Following on from the previous point, one of the glaring signs of a weak man is when he still acts like a teenager who wants things to go his way. And when they don’t, he will throw a fit. He will refuse to do “adult” things like getting a job, paying the bills, taking care of his hygiene, grooming himself, and building a strong character. If your partner is nothing of such sort, then he’s a man stuck in a 15-year-old body. He needs to understand how to act his age. 

12. He lacks empathy 

Being with someone who lacks empathy can drain you out. It can make you feel like you are not being understood by your partner. And that’s not the road you want to travel if you want to reach your destination. 

Although he will do everything he can to make others happy because he is a people pleaser, he still won’t be able to understand your perspective owing to the fact that he is shallow. He will care about people’s opinions but he won’t care about you, 

He will invalidate your feelings as if they don’t matter. Your misgivings are treated like they are next to nothing. Only a weak, insecure man is capable of doing that. 

A man who wants to be in an equal relationship where love, respect, and honesty flows both ways will make sure he listens to your problems and understands them. He doesn’t even have to come up with solutions. He just has to sit there and hear you out. 

13. He fails to keep his word 

A man of many words but never a man of his word – If this perfectly describes your partner, then it’s one of the obvious signs of a weak man in a relationship. Let’s say he promised to take you out for dinner. But he couldn’t stick to his promise because he was busy.

He could have made it up a day or two days later by taking you out but he just forgot. This clearly shows his true feelings. He is a base person who doesn’t care about you or your happiness. His sugar-coated words don’t taste sweet. They taste bitter and don’t align with his actions. A man who truly loves you will never let you down. 

You May Also Like: 11 Early But Definite Signs Your Relationship Will Not Last Forever

14. He doesn’t know how to control anger

Anger issues can stem from a lot of things including poor interpersonal functioning, traumatic childhood experiences, and even substance abuse. And it’s also quite normal and healthy to get angry occasionally. However, it’s not normal to use this emotion as a tool to vent out harshly or act violently.

A strong man will know how to control his anger and walk away respectfully to calm his nerves. If his outbursts are scaring and scarring you, you need to immediately get help or convince him to get therapy. 

15. He is highly dependent on you

When a man is dependent on you, both financially and emotionally, it’s one of the signs of a weak man. It’s okay to want to depend on your partner for love, care, admiration, and adoration every now and then. But it can get on your nerves when his emotional and financial needs become the crux of your life. You will have no time or energy left to nourish yourself if you give your all to another person.

Some signs of an extremely dependent partner include:

• He will feel uncomfortable taking decisions on his own even when those decisions have nothing to do with you 
• He demands constant reassurance 
• He is clingy and needy 
• He expects you to pay for him 
• When you are not around, he will ask other people to make decisions for him 

16. He can’t handle criticisms well

One of the major signs of a weak man in a relationship is when he is sensitive to criticisms. The way he interprets criticism can show how immature and sensitive he is as a person. He will often think that you have ill intentions and that’s why you can’t see his positive attributes. But that’s not the case. You genuinely want him to become a better person but he isn’t able to see that. 

This kind of behavior usually stems from low self-esteem and people who have constant needs of assurance. You can try to help him overcome this by improving your communication skills. Try to talk it out openly and encourage him to do the same. 

17. He disrespects you 

Here is another eye-opener. A man who doesn’t respect you doesn’t deserve you. It’s as simple as that. But first, what is respect? Is it opening the door for you? Being polite with you? Yes. But respect also goes way beyond that. It’s when your man doesn’t care about your ideologies.

It’s when he doesn’t respect your time and lies to your face. Weak men also gossip behind their SOs’ backs. A wean man often displays lack of strength to stand up for their partner as well.

You May Also Like: Cutting Toxic People Out Of Your Life — 7 Signs And 4 Ways To Do It

18. He is afraid of your success 

A grown man will celebrate your success even if you are doing better than him in life. But a weak guy will feel intimidated by your happiness and good fortune. Sadly, we have statistics to prove this. According to the American Economic Association, the more women climb the financial ladder and get promoted in their jobs, the higher her chances are of getting divorced. 

So, if your man is jealous of your success or is afraid to see you grow in life, it tells a lot about his nature, talent, and belief in himself. The right man will pull you toward success and will hold the ladder of success as you climb it one step at a time.  

19. He is intimate only during sex

One of the sad signs of a weak man in a relationship is when he shows affection and warmth only when the two of you are physically intimate. He doesn’t know anything about non-sexual intimacy like hand holding or platonic cuddling. 

When a person shared on Reddit that their boyfriend is only affectionate when he wants sex, a user shared, “Not only is he immature and selfish, he’s objectifying you. He’s treating you like a sex doll with no regard for you as a person. Treating your partner like a human being is the absolute minimum, it’s a non-negotiable. You’ve already addressed this with him, he hasn’t changed. Time to cut him loose.”  

20. He blames you for his unhappiness

Happiness is fleeting. It’s not a permanent emotion. But your husband doesn’t understand that yet and he wants, expects, and demands you to make him happy. But when he isn’t happy, he blames you for all the things that are wrong in his life. And a man who blames someone else for his misery is a hypocrite because he is hiding behind a vicious cycle of perpetual self-victimization.

This is one of the unfortunate signs of a weak man in a relationship. He needs to stop dumping all the expectation eggs in your basket and blame you when you aren’t able to fulfill them. 

Now that you know all about the things that make a man weak and how to spot the signs, let’s quickly take a look at how you can deal with it.

3 Tips For You If You Are In A Relationship With A Weak Man

When you find out the signs of a weak man in a relationship, don’t immediately cut ties with him. Give him a chance to become better. That’s how you will be able to make the relationship work. Listed below are some important tips to deal with an emotionally weak man:

1. Try to understand his perspective 

Strong women don’t leave their partners in the rut without trying. Firstly, try to understand the core of his being. What makes him the way he is? Have a serious conversation and listen to his woes. You can also talk to his close friends and get to know him through their perspective as well. 

When you understand him completely, you will be able to handle difficult situations in a better way. When he finally shares all his problems with you, don’t go out on a limb and judge him. Also, don’t try to invalidate his concerns. 

2. Reassure him and ask him to get help 

Once you know what his problem is, reassure him that you are here to help him. If a past relationship is taking over the present, then remind him you aren’t his ex. Tell him you won’t cheat on him or whatever it is that he went through. Let him know he is heard and valued. If nothing works, tell him to seek professional help. 

3. Know that it’s okay to leave 

If all the signs of a weak man in a relationship are present in your partner and he isn’t willing to change, then it’s not wrong to walk away from the relationship. You don’t have to walk this relationship march just because you feel sorry for him. Plus, don’t be harsh on yourself and guilt-trip yourself for leaving him. You gave him a chance to get his act together. He refused. It’s time to take control of your life and become a strong woman. 

At the end of the day, a weak man goes through a lot of mental agony in his life no matter how much he tries to portray that he is happy. He will have a hard time maintaining all his close relationships. Be a strong woman and don’t lose yourself in such a relationship. If his behavior is exhausting you, it’s best to reevaluate your decision of staying with him.