The term passive-aggressive is used to describe someone who exhibits manipulative behavior within their personality. On the surface, the traits may appear as stubbornness or a polite unwillingness to agree with a situation. The end result is that the person is manipulating you to turn to their way of thinking.

Passive-aggressive tendencies are likely to exhibit themselves in work situations. The passive-aggressive employee or employer may use these techniques as a form of intimidation. The worker will sulk when given jobs to do or may simply take an undue amount of time to do them. By doing so, he or she is showing displeasure by using passive-aggressive behavior.

In work situations, the passive-aggressive employee hopes that by exhibiting this behavior, he or she will not be asked to do these tasks again. The employee hopes that this behaviour will be too off-putting for the person dishing out the duties. Employers are also famous for using this behaviour when confronted with employee problems.

Children are also very good at using passive-aggressive behavior. Nearly every parent is familiar with the techniques of sulking, stubbornness and wilful disobedience displayed by children. If the child is able to successfully use this behavior, the tendencies may continue into adult life. The behavior may exhibit itself in the adult in social and work situations. Many relationships have been known to suffer due to this type of behavior.

The term passive-aggressive is thought to have originated during World War II. Soldiers were found to be shirking their duties, but in ways that were not openly disobedient. The army used the term passive-aggressive in a bulletin sent to soldiers regarding this behavior. Many soldiers saw this behavior as a simple response in order to keep from being killed during the war.

There has been much debate regarding passive-aggressive behaviour as a personality disorder or just a defense mechanism. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classified the symptoms in 1987. The manual stated that here are nine symptoms of passive-aggressive disorder. The symptoms include procrastination, sulking or arguing when asked to do something, working inefficiently on unwanted jobs and complaining without justification when asked to do something. Other symptoms are forgetting obligations intentionally, criticising authority figures without cause, thinking one is better at a job than others and not accepting helpful suggestions.

It is thought that exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior on its own is not a mental illness. Only when it is linked with other mental illnesses can it fall into the category of a mental illness. Almost everyone can say they display some of the passive-aggressive symptoms. It is only when one fails to recognize that the behavior is constant that it can be deemed a real problem.