Tag Archives: manipulators

Habitual Liars and Their Agendas

Covert-Aggression, Infidelity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Psychopathy and Sociopathy, Relationships, Responsibility, , ,

Some habitual liars are called “pathological” liars because they lie for no apparent reason. They lie even at times when the truth would suffice or serve them better. Some have regarded such senseless lying as a kind of mental illness or even insanity. But these liars are not insane. Rather, they belong to a group of the most severely disordered characters among us (i.e. psychopaths, sociopaths, etc.), and they’re perfectly rational. There’s a “method” to their apparent “madness.”

How Did We End Up Here?

Entitlement, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Therapy, , , ,

How did we end up here? That’s the question so many folks who have been struggling in or recovering from a toxic relationship find themselves asking. Many also question how we ended up here as a society. My new book with Kathy Armistead provides a practical guide to surviving and thriving in a character-disordered world.

Toxic Relationship Recovery – Revisited

Abuse, Addiction and Recovery, Covert-Aggression, Manipulation, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, , , ,

Survivors of toxic relationships know how difficult it can be to restore one’s emotional sanity, pick up the pieces, and move on. They need answers that empower and help protect them against future harm.

The Blame Game – Part 3

Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, , , , , ,

Disturbed and disordered characters use blame as a tactic to manipulate those whom they know to be conscientious enough to accept all or part of the responsibility for something that’s really not their fault at all.

Trust: The Foundation of Any Relationship

Covert-Aggression, Infidelity, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Relationships, Therapy, , , , , , ,

Trust is not just a prerequisite for a sound therapeutic relationship. It’s an essential ingredient – perhaps the single most important ingredient – in any relationship, especially our more intimate relationships.

Charm Offensive or Offensive Charm?

Covert-Aggression, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychopathy and Sociopathy, Relationships, , , ,

The “smoothness” or social facility psychopaths display is generally not matched by congruent and concomitant emotion. They may have a very easy “way with words” (sometimes accompanied by equally charming nonverbal gestures), but usually their smooth talk is not accompanied by any emotion that matches what they’re saying or that can be sensed and felt by others as genuine.

Manipulators and Charm

Covert-Aggression, Manipulators, Personality and Character Disorders, Relationships, , ,

Some folks are charming in the most benign and appealing way. They are not only sincerely well-mannered but also genuinely positively regarding of others. The very way in which they conduct themselves and the authentic respect they have for others is “attractive” in its own right. But there are those characters whose display of charm is a farce, part of a calculated use of seduction to take advantage of others.

Throwing You On The Defensive: The Art of Covert-Aggression

Covert-Aggression, empathy, Entitlement, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Relationships, , ,

Covert-aggression is at the heart of most interpersonal manipulation. What the artful, subtle fighter knows is that if they can get you to doubt yourself, explain yourself, and question your judgment, there’s a good chance they can get you to back down, back-off, or better still, cave-in.

Toxic Relationship Aftermath: Doubt, Mistrust, and Paranoia?

Abuse, Addiction and Recovery, Manipulators, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Therapy, , , , , ,

Shame, a sense of defeat, mounds of doubt, conflicting thoughts about blame, mistrust – all these emotions are par for the course for survivors of toxic relationships.