Once in a young progressive family that is seriously into psychology, the child was born.
The baby cried because he wanted to eat.
The parents of this child said: "This is a typical manipulation."
The baby is pooped.
The parents of this child said: "This destructive behavior."
When the child learned to speak, the child asked the parents to play with him.
The parents of this child said: "This is an emotional service."
A child asked his parents don't leave him home alone.
The parents of this child said: "It's possessiveness."
What happened at the end of this tale? Parents moved out from the small manipulator. The end.
Your partners are certainly not children (I hope), but they still depend on you in the relationship. Sometimes your partners are your abuser and manipulators.
But sometimes they're just trying to tell you that they feel bad and hurt RIGHT NOW.
Of course, they do this is not always correct and understandable, but they should not because they are just people (hopefully). To err is human and to show different range of emotions.
How to distinguish the inept cry for help from emotional abuse? Very simple.
Look at yourself in this relationship. You feel like a victim? Your mind is broken? Your partner is umiliate you, threaten you, intimidate you?
Do you need help?
If not, maybe need help to your partner. But you didn't notice it because you was too busy classifying his behavior from the standpoint of psychology.