How to Handle Chronic Badmouthing Without Making It Worse

When someone you're close to habitually badmouths a family member you know is a good person, every response feels wrong. Stay silent and you're complicit. Defend the target and you become the enemy. Try to reason and you're accused of naivety. This episode breaks down why this communication trap is so hard to escape — rooted in psychological mechanisms like splitting and triangulation — and offers concrete strategies for protecting your integrity without triggering explosive escalation.