Passive Aggression... Why?

[Jellyfish]

I will admit I have been passive aggressive in my interactions before; for me it usually comes out during frustration which stems from being hurt, misunderstood or not heard. I think it can be a bit of a safety net -- just like somebody might say "hey, how funny is it that P thinks we would make a cute couple?" trying to gouge a response without putting yourself too far out there. I think people can fall into passive aggression for similar reasons -- wanting somebody to understand where they are coming from without having to spell out what could be embarrassing or hard to admit. It can also just be a knee-jerk response when somebody has hurt you, you sometimes (in the heat of the moment) think the only way for them to realise/understand is to make them hurt too.

I don't think it is evil (of course, those that are aware of what they are doing are a different thing all together) and I think a lot of the time people don't realise until after (ie. aren't intentionally trying to be manipulative) but I wouldn't think of it as the most constructive or considerate way to communicate. Maybe we should be discussing alternative ways at dealing with certain emotions and getting your point across in a more effective manner?

ETA: Personally, what I try to do is just be extremely vigilant in thinking before I speak (type etc). Why am I saying this? What am I trying to achieve? How would I feel if things were reversed and this was being said to me? Is there a better way?