Guilt trip

Guilt tripping is a form of emotional blackmail that is often designed to manipulate other people by preying on their emotions and feelings of guilt or responsibility. This can be a form of toxic behavior that can have detrimental effects on a person's well-being as well as their relationships.

Overview
Creating a guilt trip in another person may be considered to be manipulation in the form of punishment for a perceived transgression.

George K. Simon interprets the guilt trip as a special kind of intimidation tactic. A manipulator suggests to the conscientious victim that they do not care enough, is too selfish or has it easy. This usually results in the victim feeling bad, keeping them in a self-doubting, anxious and submissive position.

There are limited studies examining guilt trips, and those studies tend to focus on guilt trips in parent–child relationships.