“Passive-Aggression” Top 5 Misused Psychology Terms – Part 3 August 2, 2008Abuse, Manipulation, Psychobable, Psychological Manipulation, RelationshipsAdd new tag, anger, emotional abuse, get-back, indirect anger, manipulation, manipulative, passive-aggression, passive-resistance, resistance, Unhealthy RelationshipsDr. Simon Unlike passive-aggression, covert-aggression is very active, albeit carefully veiled or subtle aggression, and it’s generally the culprit in manipulative behavior.