If you had brothers or sisters, this phenomenon is easily recognized. One sibling knows what will get the other one going. S/he will do it, then when the other one reacts/responds, the one who pushed the buttons will feign innocence/ignorance--and sometimes even be praised by others for the patience and forbearance they display.
It happens on blogs, too. When we realize that, it can help us to shape the amount and character of our replies.
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As one of three sibs I so know this...I so recognize it when I see it...and I really want to call the person on it when it happens...BUT only to satisfy my ego (you know--that "I am not stupid, I can see what you are doing" thing). Thank you, Father, for the opportunity for reflection. I need to pull the batteries out of my keyboard the next time it happens!
This common sibling trait can also be applied to friends.
One friend will get another friend going. Then, when that friend gets into an argument with another friend, the friend who initiated the topic being discussed will not say anything, and will become a better friend of the other two.
I believe this sibling/friend relationship is considered a subdivision of "Group Dynamics."
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