Just a heads up but I'm going to use the term difficult people to describe micromanagers, sociopaths, narcissists, psychopaths. It's just faster. :)
Studies show that difficult people contribute to lower productivity. Therefore, if workers quit their jobs and found new jobs with better people the world would be more productive with the same amount of resources. So, at a very high level, the proper course of action when you encounter a difficult person -- is to leave.
That's right, just leave. Quit your job, move away from difficult friends or family, break up. Do it gracefully and politely, but do it.
You see, difficult people are unlikely change. Spending resources trying to change them is a fruitless endeavor. Seeking strategies for dealing with difficult people is one step better, however, the time and resources spent learning these strategies could be spent on more productive activities.
Think of the countless hours people spend reading and writing articles titled "5 Ways to Manage a Micromanager" and "How to Get Along With Your Sociopath Boss." What if that time was spent trying to cure cancer or invent spaceships or volunteering with disabled kids? We waste millions of hours every year just trying to learn about getting along with difficult people. Does it help?
Think of difficult people like lids on your productivity. Remove that lid. The results would be massive. If the entire US workforce increased their productivity by 1% it would be like adding 1.5 million workers to the economy but with no additional cost. In my experience I am about 100% more productive without a difficult person in the way. That would be like adding 150 million workers to the economy at no additional cost.
So leave. Leave the difficult person. Yes they will call you immature and a quitter and a baby whatever else but the truth is they are stifling you, wasting your time, and imposing a time tax on everyone. Leaving is okay. It's hard but it is valuable, very valuable. So leave.
