{"id":7268,"date":"2024-04-23T02:06:17","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T06:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/what-is-it-how-to-deal-with-it\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T02:06:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T06:06:17","slug":"what-is-it-how-to-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/what-is-it-how-to-deal-with-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is It & How to Deal With It"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Profit<\/a>
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There\u2019s nothing more frustrating (it\u2019s in the top ten, at least) than asking for a little help, and the response you get back is a shrug, a puzzled look, and a mumbled \u201cI don\u2019t know how to do that<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That, in a nutshell, is weaponized incompetence. It\u2019s a clever tactic, really, where avoiding chores and tasks turns into an art form. One that\u2019s less about not knowing and more about pretending<\/em> to be clueless to sidestep responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll long-term partnerships go through disappointment<\/em>,\u201d says Donna Eden<\/strong>, an energy medicine expert and trainer of The Energies of Love<\/em> Quest. \u201cThey go through anger, and emotional riffs, and worse<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the thing is, if you\u2019ve got someone \u201cplaying dumb\u201d with you at home or in the office, it might be time to learn how to turn the tables on this frustrating behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Is Weaponized Incompetence?<\/h2>\n

Look up the \u201cweaponized incompetence\u201d meaning, and you\u2019re sure to find a not-so-secret code for when someone deliberately acts helpless or bungles tasks to avoid responsibility or manipulate you into doing them. Also known as strategic incompetence, it\u2019s one heck of a passive-aggressive behavior.<\/p>\n

While it might seem like harmless laziness, it can wreak havoc on your relationship. And it can leave you feeling resentful and undervalued.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, evidence<\/a> shows that relationships are more likely to end where the housework is unbalanced, particularly when the woman of the house takes on more. Even in the office, one study<\/a> found that employees who feel their workload is fair are more satisfied with their jobs.<\/p>\n

Although weaponized incompetence can be a form of emotional warfare, the person using it might not even realize they\u2019re doing it. They might even genuinely believe they\u2019re not good at certain tasks, or they might be hoping to avoid feeling obligated to do chores they find tedious.<\/p>\n

But the effect is the same: It creates an uneven workload and leaves you feeling like you\u2019re shouldering most of the burden.<\/p>\n

Weaponized incompetence vs. learned helplessness<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a similarity between weaponized incompetence and learned helplessness: both end up not doing tasks. However, the reasons behind them are quite different.<\/p>\n