When someone consistently pretends not to understand what another person says, it can stem from a variety of motivations—some conscious, others unconscious. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Power and Control

• Strategic ignorance: Pretending not to understand can be a subtle way of asserting dominance or destabilizing the other person's position, especially in arguments or hierarchical settings.

• Gaslighting: It can be part of a pattern of manipulation—making someone question their own clarity or even sanity.

2. Avoidance

• Emotional discomfort: They may understand just fine, but the implications of what’s being said are too painful, threatening, or dissonant, so they act confused as a defense.

• Conflict avoidance: Feigning ignorance can be a tactic to sidestep confrontation or difficult topics.

3. Disinterest or Contempt

• Passive-aggressive dismissal: It might be a way of showing they don’t value what’s being said or who is saying it.

• Social distancing: Pretending not to understand might be a form of signaling disconnection or superiority.

4. Cognitive Overload or Insecurity

• Intellectual insecurity: Some people default to "I don’t get it" because they’re afraid of being wrong, appearing slow, or being judged.

• Genuine difficulty + shame: They might actually struggle to understand, but pretend they don’t in order to control how their confusion is perceived.

5. Ideological or Emotional Block

• Selective unhearing: Especially when challenged, people often cannot or will not grasp something that threatens their worldview, identity, or narrative.

• Willful ignorance: Some truths are too disruptive, so they are filtered out pre-consciously. The performance of misunderstanding protects the status quo.