8 types of people who make your life more difficult than it needs to be, according to psychology

Life is already complicated enough—unexpected challenges, everyday stress, and the general unpredictability of the world. But sometimes, the biggest drains on our energy aren’t circumstances—they’re people.

Certain personalities have a way of making things harder than they need to be. They may not always be malicious, but their behaviors create friction, confusion, or emotional strain that leaves you feeling drained.

Psychology offers insight into these patterns, helping you recognize them early and set boundaries before they take too much of your time or mental space. Here are 8 types to watch out for.

1. The chronic complainer

Everyone needs to vent now and then, but chronic complainers turn every conversation into a running list of grievances.

They magnify problems, downplay solutions, and can quickly shift the emotional tone of a room from positive to heavy. Psychologists link this to negativity bias—the tendency to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones.

The challenge is that prolonged exposure to constant complaining can subtly shift your mindset, making you more prone to see the negative, too.

How to deal: Limit the time you spend in complaint-heavy conversations and gently redirect discussions toward solutions instead of problems.

2. The drama magnet

Some people seem to live in a perpetual soap opera. There’s always a feud, a betrayal, or a disaster in progress.

This constant turbulence can be fueled by high conflict personality traits, where the person unintentionally—or sometimes intentionally—stirs up tension to keep themselves at the center of attention.

While they may insist they “hate drama,” their behavior suggests otherwise, and their presence can keep you in a heightened state of stress.

How to deal: Avoid being pulled into their emotional whirlpool. Offer empathy but stay clear of playing a role in their ongoing plotlines.

3. The control freak

Control-oriented people have a hard time trusting others to handle things, so they micromanage, overstep, and insist their way is the only right way.

Psychology connects this to low tolerance for uncertainty—when people feel anxious about unpredictability, they try to control every detail to soothe that discomfort.

The trouble is, this behavior can stifle collaboration, creativity, and even your sense of independence.

How to deal: Stand firm on your boundaries and be clear about where their control ends and your autonomy begins.

4. The chronic victim

While genuine victims deserve empathy and support, some people adopt a victim mentality as a core identity. In their mind, life is always happening to them, never for them.

They often reject solutions because those solutions would require them to take action—and action contradicts their narrative. Over time, this can drain your emotional reserves, especially if you keep trying to “rescue” them.

How to deal: Offer compassion without enabling. Encourage agency and self-responsibility, but step back when they resist taking it.

5. The unreliable flake

We all get busy, but chronically unreliable people make life harder by failing to follow through—whether it’s canceling last-minute, missing deadlines, or forgetting important commitments.

Psychologically, this can stem from low conscientiousness, poor time management skills, or avoidance behavior.

When you can’t rely on someone, you end up carrying extra mental load—double-checking, chasing them down, or doing the work yourself.

How to deal: Avoid placing critical responsibilities in their hands, and make sure your own plans aren’t overly dependent on their follow-through.

6. The passive-aggressive communicator

This type doesn’t express frustration openly. Instead, they communicate displeasure through sarcasm, backhanded compliments, or intentional delays.

Passive-aggressive behavior often stems from conflict avoidance—wanting to express negative feelings without confronting the issue directly. The result? Tension lingers, and problems never get resolved cleanly.

How to deal: Address the behavior directly but calmly, making it clear you prefer open communication and will respect honesty over subtle jabs.

7. The one-upper

No matter what you’ve done, they’ve done it better—or worse, they’ve suffered through something far harder.

Psychologists see this as a form of conversational dominance—a need to re-center attention on themselves, either to feel superior or validated. Over time, this can make interactions exhausting, because you’re constantly being pushed into competition instead of connection.

How to deal: Don’t take the bait. Acknowledge their comment and redirect the conversation rather than escalating into a contest.

8. The chronic boundary-pusher

Some people can’t—or won’t—respect your boundaries. They borrow things without asking, demand more of your time than you can give, or pressure you into commitments you’ve clearly said no to.

This behavior often links to low empathy or entitlement mentality—the belief that their needs outweigh yours.

Left unchecked, it can lead to resentment and burnout.

How to deal: Be clear, consistent, and unflinching in enforcing your boundaries. If they persist, limit your availability or cut ties where necessary.

The psychological thread that connects them

While these 8 types of people seem different on the surface, many share underlying traits that make life harder for those around them:

• Low emotional intelligence — struggling to recognize or manage the impact of their behavior.

• High self-focus — prioritizing their needs, attention, or control over mutual benefit.

• Poor conflict resolution skills — avoiding direct, healthy problem-solving in favor of indirect or destructive patterns.

Recognizing these traits early can help you protect your time, energy, and peace of mind.

Final thoughts

You can’t control every personality you encounter—but you can control how much space you allow them to occupy in your life.

Setting boundaries, protecting your emotional bandwidth, and choosing who you spend your time with are acts of self-care. The more you recognize these difficult patterns, the better you can surround yourself with people who make life lighter—not heavier.