Vulnerabilities exploited by manipulators
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What is a narcissistic injury? — R. H. Writes
As insensitive as the abuser is to you, they are sensitive to themselves. Narcissistic injuries are generally caused by stray comments or acts that wouldn’t cause pain to anyone but a narcissist. Narcissistic injuries oftentimes lead to narcissistic rage. Example: You cooked spaghetti for dinner instead of linguini. Linguini is their favorite! The market was […]
What is a narcissistic injury? — R. H. Writes
100 Traits & Behaviors of Personality Disordered Individuals
Every relationship between a Personality-Disordered Individual and a Non Personality-Disordered Individual is as unique as the DNA of the people involved. Nevertheless, there are some common behavior patterns.
The list below contains descriptions of some of the more common traits of people who suffer from personality disorders, as observed by family members and partners. Examples are given of each trait, with descriptions of what it feels like to be caught in the crossfire. Read more…
See also:
Why the Disturbed Characters in Your Life Don’t Seem to “Get It”
By Dr George Simon
You might want them to see the self-defeating and other-harming consequences of their behavior, but the fact is many disturbed characters already see, they just disagree.
Because I’ve made a career of understanding and dealing with responsibility-challenged people and have written about them extensively, I get an enormous amount of mail and email from folks weary from their ordeals with the disturbed characters in their lives. And it never ceases to amaze me how often I hear these folks lament that they wish the problem character they’ve been dealing with could “see what they’re doing,” or understand how self-destructive their behavior is. The assumption is, of course, that the disturbed character lacks insight into both the nature of their behavior and the other-harming and self-defeating consequences of it.
Disturbed Characters Never Want to Accept Blame
By Dr George Simon, PhD
When trying to regain a sense of power, control, and success after experiencing a failure, we have two options: blame others, or take stock of ourselves and begin the arduous task of self improvement.
We human beings are certainly not perfect. We make mistakes, and we hurt others. Often we hurt others inadvertently, sometimes even deliberately. But whenever we injure, there’s always blame to assess. The conscientious among us readily see their part and accept their fair share of blame. The character-impaired, on the other hand, want to blame everything and everyone else except themselves. Continue reading…
See also:
Manipulation—Read All About It
Spin, Projection, and Blame-Shifting
A Narcissist Taking Responsibility? Never.
Why is it so hard to hold psychopathic abusers accountable?
The Narcissist Epidemic
There is a silent epidemic happening right under our noses: the epidemic of narcissistic abuse. People are experiencing it in their homes and in the workplace. They may not understand what is happening. They may feel they are going crazy. Even if they could prove the abuse they are suffering, they fear they will not be believed and their lives be ruined. By learning to recognize narcissistic abuse, we can stop it happening to ourselves, our loved ones, and our co-workers.
Click the graphic below to download the survival guide!
See also: Narcissistic Personality Disorder
What Is Reactive Abuse?
Even good people have their limits. Narcissists overstep boundaries time and time again. They will push and push until you respond and then they’ll blame you for overreacting or for being abusive. The real abuser now has all the evidence they need. This indicates reactive abuse. Read more…
See also:
- What is Narcissistic Abuse? (MindJournal)
- Spin, Projection, and Blame Shifting
- Victims are cruelly revictimized.
- 14 Manipulative Tactics
Happy Valentine’s Day! Be careful.
Distortion Campaigns
The smear campaign has been called the trademark of the sociopath, but it is not only sociopaths who exhibit this extraordinarily malicious behavior. Although the author links the distortion campaign to BPD, borderline personality disorder, it is also a characteristic of people who better fit the diagnostic criteria of other personality disorders; narcissistic, histrionic, and anti-social or psychopathic. The bottom line is that it is not “normal” to set out to harm others. Anyone who degrades to such behaviors is either personality disordered or a recruit with weak character, a minion.
The article, and the comments that follow, provide an excellent read about personality disordered vindictiveness, the susceptibility of bystanders, the inability of courts and other authorities to recognize the malign behaviors, and the devastating consequences for both the individual being targeted and others in his/her proximity; especially the children in custody cases.
Note: The terms vilification campaign, smear campaign, and distortion campaign are used synonymously.
BPD Distortion CampaignsWritten by: Rob
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One of the classic behaviors of a person with Borderline Personality Disorder is the vilification campaign. The target is the person against whom the perpetrator Borderline conducts the vilification. The intent is to destroy the target’s reputation and thereby destroy the target’s relationships with family and friends, employers, co-workers, doctors, teachers, therapists, and others. The intent may even be to force the target to leave the community, put the target in prison, or even kill the target. As with so many things involving Borderlines and their typical inability to understand or respect boundaries, there really are no limits. They will use basically any means available to them to cause damage to their target, including denigration, endless disparaging remarks, fabrication, false accusations, and even teaching others (including their children!) to lie on their behalf as part of their vilification campaign.
Related:
- Smear Campaign Tactics
- The Smear Campaign—Trademark of the Sociopath
- A Typical Smear Tactic
- Slander Tactics
- The Pathological Liar
- Sociopaths recruit minions
- Flying Monkeys
14 Manipulative Tactics
Learn to identify their tactics.
Dr. George Simon, author of In Sheep’s Clothing—Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People, presents this list of 14 tactics that manipulators use to get you to do what they want. He points out the importance of recognizing that these tactics are offensive moves employed by the covert-aggressive to either maintain a position of power, gain power, or remove an obstacle from getting what he wants. You’ll be better equipped to deal with manipulators if you are familiar with this list of tactics, and can identify them when you encounter them:
- Denial – playing innocent, refusing to admit they have done something harmful.
- Selective Inattention – playing dumb, or acting oblivious; refusing to pay attention to anything that might divert them from achieving their goal.
- Rationalization – making excuses or justifying their behavior, often in very convincing ways.
- Diversion – changing the subject, dodging the issue, distracting us from the real problem.
- Lying – deliberately telling untruths, concealing the truth, lying by omission.
- Covert Intimidation – intimidation through veiled threats; hints that “it’s a tough job market out there.”
- Guilt-tripping – using the conscientiousness of their victim against them to keep them self-doubting and anxious.
- Shaming – using subtle sarcasm and put-downs to make the victim feel inadequate, unworthy, and anxious.
- Playing the Victim Role – playing the innocent victim to elicit compassion; convincing the victim that he/she is hurting in some way so that the victim will try to relieve their distress.
- Vilifying the Victim – making the victim the “bad guy”; pretending he’s only defending himself.
- Playing the Servant Role – disguising their personal agendas as service to a nobler cause.
- Seduction – flattering and overtly supporting others to get them to lower their defenses and be trusting.
- Projecting the Blame (blaming others) – shifting the blame, scapegoating.
- Minimization – a combination of denial and rationalization, “making a molehill out of a mountain”.
“A manipulative person … is a covertly aggressive personality.”
“You ask a manipulator a direct question, you rarely get a direct answer.”
The Smear Campaign—Trademark of a Sociopath
Sociopath a.k.a. Psychopath
When you are under libelous attack by a person who has deceived and defrauded you, there is a possibility that the person is a sociopath. Sociopaths have no heart, no conscience, and no remorse.
They will lie, cheat, and steal from you, then convincingly tell everyone that you are doing those things, and that everything is your fault.
See also:
Narcissistic Abuse: The Narcissist’s Smear Campaign
The Smear Campaign Wrapped in Fake Concern. This is how a narcissist gossips without appearing to be slandering anyone …
The psychopath’s smear campaign | PsychopathyAwareness
Posts about the psychopath’s smear campaign written by psychopathyawareness … I recall moments during my childhood when I’d go to bed and my toys would create …
Sociopaths and their smear campaigns | Lovefraud.com
This woman was subjected to a smear campaign from her husband, the sociopath. Abusers often use this tactic to cover up their own behavior and convince others that …
Dealing with the smear campaign | PsychopathFree
If you’re new to the site, check out our article 30 Red Flags of a Manipulative Partner to learn the warning signs of charming “soul mates”, emotional abusers, pathological liars, and manufactured love triangles.
Only Psychopaths Run Very Personal Smear Campaigns
Based on Lies and Distortions
The number one giveaway for recognising a potential psychopath is an organised, on-going, vicious, histrionically-engineered and surprisingly personal smear campaign.
IT IS NOT CRITICISM. IT IS NEVER BACKED UP
WITH EVIDENCE OF SUBSTANCE. ONLY HYSTERIA.
The male and female psychopath are obsessed with character assassination and vindictive, almost psychotic vengeance based on fictional events surrounding an individual whom they perceive as an ‘enemy’ …
The Smear Campaign | Psychopathfree
Most of the time, we don’t even know a smear campaign is going on until it’s far too late. When psychopaths are staging your replacement and downfall …
Sociopaths Retaliate With a Vengeance When Exposed
Educating to help people stay safe & recover from sociopaths & psychopaths … then will begin my campaign of smear …
Psychopathic Smear Campaigns | Psychopath Victims
One of the dead giveaways of psychopathic behavior is that of the vicious, psychotic character assassination campaigns that are wielded against anyone who stands in …
Gossip & Divide
How do they get away with it?
Sociopaths always attack the messenger.
Present a sociopath with a documented allegation and he will quickly turn on you, denounce you, and tell others that you are “disturbed,” “unstable,” “irrational,” or something equivalent. Anyone who does not accept his version of reality and fall for his brainwashing will be kicked out of the circle and then wildly disparaged by the remaining members.
- See also:
- The Smear Campaign—Trademark of a Sociopath
- Abusers are never accountable.
- Spin, Projection, and Blame Shifting
- Sociopaths and Their Smear Campaigns LoveFraud.com
- Slander Tactics
- Kill the Messenger
The Imperative of Understanding Psychopathy
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Read more of this outstanding article!
Breaking up with a narcissist
15 things you need to know
by Lachlan Brown, June 10, 2019
Image credit: Shutterstock – By Roman Kosolapov
It’s exhausting dating a narcissist.
On the surface, they’re charming, captivating and make you feel like a million dollars.
On the other hand, they’re manipulative, self-centered and don’t care about your feelings.
If you’ve been in a relationship for a while with a narcissist, it can be difficult to leave them because they’ve made themselves the center of your universe.
Stonewalling
Stonewalling consists of:
- Refusal to negotiate a conflict in good faith
- Refusal to discuss honestly one’s motivations
- Refusal to listen to another point of view with openness
- Refusal to compromise
- Refusal to collaborate
- Refusal to support the other person’s plans
- Refusal to accept influence
Stonewalling is a widely-used strategy in most unsatisfying relationships. It may become a fundamental tactic, because it is a way to apply pressure that seemingly can’t be confronted, because it is exactly “not doing anything.”
Part of the deliberate intention of stonewalling is to keep the survivor ‘on the hook’ and not really able to pursue alternatives because the issue is still ‘open’ in some technical sense.
However, in an abusive relationship, isolation and threats are usually present, and the survivor has no safe options to pursue needs except through the primary aggressor.
Stonewalling is a complete pattern of non-communication and non-cooperation that only works from a position of power.
See also:
When the sociopath stonewalls you
The Stonewaller
What is Stonewalling?
Stonewalling or The Silent Treatment
Sociopathic Stonewalling
How do they get away with it?
By ologsinquito
Anyone who has been around a malignant narcissist knows how much discord one person can sow. A fog of confusion descends, and the environment seems to become more toxic by the minute. That’s because people with disordered personalities thrive on drama and division, which they create by spreading false rumors, sometimes with a little bit of truth mixed in to make the story more plausible.
They also recruit flying monkeys, whom they artfully manipulate to carry out their agenda. A target is chosen to be driven out of their job or social circle. After a short breather, another target is selected.
Meanwhile, because the air has become poisoned, no one is happy. However, it’s very difficult to figure out exactly what’s going on. That’s because an adult with a character flaw, serious enough to bully another, knows their number will be up if they don’t use a lot of smoke and mirrors to deflect attention away from their own misdeeds. One tried and true trick is to blame everything on their target. Then they need to convince everyone else that things will improve if this person is banished.
Are conservative values psychopathic?
Related articles
- Bad News for Conservatives? Moral Judgments and the Dark Triad Personality Traits (psycnet.apa.org)
This study examined correlations between moral value judgments and participant scores on the “Dark Triad” Personality Inventory. - Study Confirms and Extends Earlier Finding Linking Socially-Conservative Value Judgments to Anti-Social Personality Traits (prweb.com)
Study confirms and extends upon the results of an earlier study linking socially conservative views to antisocial personality traits. - The ‘Almost Psychopaths’ Among Us (wbur.org)
Most people think of psychopaths as those who commit horrible acts: brutal murders or enormous fraud. But maybe they’re not. Maybe, they’re our neighbors, co-workers or family members… - Conservative Value Judgments Tied to Antisocial Personality Traits (prweb.com)
Study shows conservative value judgments are related to antisocial personality traits.
Baiting and Bashing
I’m “mentally unstable”
because I object to your abuse?!
Personality disordered individuals enjoy playing this game. They provoke their chosen target for a reaction, which they then claim is incriminating evidence of mental instability or evil-mindedness; thereby implying it is their victim who is at fault. While diverting attention away from their own behavior, the bully seeks support from others, turning them against his target.
It can be devastating for someone already suffering from mistreatment to also be blamed, slandered, rejected, and ostracized. The abuser enjoys the sense of power and control they derive from tormenting with impunity and the positive attention they get from playing the victim and fishing for sympathy; all while effectively intimidating their target from speaking up and exposing the abuser.
- Reactive Abuse
- Baiting & Bashing
- Twisting of Meanings and Verbal Traps
- Vindictiveness
- Slander Tactics
- Denial and DARVO
. Prognosis for Change
New study finds sexist beliefs are associated with narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism
by Katarina Skelin April 9, 2020 in Social Psychology
The dark triad is a combination of three negative personality traits: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. It is more common for this set of traits to be found among men, and it can be spotted through characteristics like selfishness, impulsivity, and opportunism. Those who gain success at the workplace without regard to getting along with others are likely to score high on measures of the dark triad.
How does one develop these traits? Continue reading…
Three Ways A Male Narcissist Will Reveal That They Don’t Respect Women
New Studies Have Revealed That Sexism and Narcissism Often Go Hand In Hand
Years ago I was in a relationship with a man who had narcissistic personality disorder.
Numerous traumatic events were connected to the psychological abuse that I endured and for a long time, I couldn’t understand why he treated me the way that he did.
Later on, I learned that there was a belief that fueled his actions towards me and the other women that had crossed his path before our relationship.
He was incredibly sexist and he certainly isn’t the only person with narcissistic personality disorder that believes women were put on this planet to serve them.
Studies have begun showing that sexism and the dark triad (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) can often go hand-in-hand.
Based on the studies and my own personal experience along with others, here are the ways that a narcissist will reveal that they may have underlying sexist beliefs. Read more…
15 of the Most Famous Psychopaths in Recent History
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Psycho skills
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How to distinguish a psychopath from a ‘shy-chopath’
John Edens, Texas A&M University
What makes a criminal a psychopath?
Their grisly deeds and commanding presence attract our attention – look no further than Ted Bundy, the subject of a recent Netflix documentary, and cult leaders like Charles Manson.
But despite years of theorizing and research, the mental health field continues to hotly debate what are the defining features of this diagnosis. It might come as a surprise that the most widely used psychiatric diagnostic system in the U.S., the DSM-5, doesn’t include psychopathy as a formal disorder.
As a personality researcher and forensic psychologist, I’ve spent the last quarter-century studying psychopaths inside and outside of prisons. I’ve also debated what, exactly, are the defining features of psychopathy.
Most agree that psychopaths are remorseless people who lack empathy for others. But in recent years, much of this debate has centered on the relevance of one particular personality trait: boldness.
I’m in the camp that believes boldness is critical to separating out psychopaths from the more mundane law-breakers. It’s the trait that creates the veneer of normalcy, giving those who prey on others the mask to successfully blend in with the rest of society. To lack boldness, on the other hand, is to be what one might call a “shy-chopath.”
The boldness factor
About 10 years ago, psychologist Christopher Patrick and some of his colleagues published an extensive literature review in which they argued that psychopaths were people who expressed elevated levels of three basic traits: meanness, disinhibition and boldness.
Most experts in the mental health field generally agree that the prototypical psychopath is someone who is both mean and, at least to some extent, disinhibited – though there’s even some debate about exactly how impulsive and hot-headed the prototypical psychopath truly is.
In a psychological context, people who are mean tend to lack empathy and have little interest in close emotional relationships. They’re also happy to use and exploit others for their own personal gain.
Highly disinhibited people have very poor impulse control, are prone to boredom and have difficulty managing emotions – particularly negative ones, like frustration and hostility.
In adding boldness to the mix, Patrick and his colleagues argued that genuine psychopaths are not just mean and disinhibited, they’re also individuals who are poised, fearless, emotionally resilient and socially dominant.
Although it had not been the focus of extensive research for the past few decades, the concept of the bold psychopath isn’t actually new. Famed psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley described it in his seminal 1941 book, “The Mask of Sanity,” in which he described numerous case examples of psychopaths who were brazen, fearless and emotionally unflappable.
Ted Bundy is an excellent example of such a person. He was far from unassuming and timid. He never appeared wracked with anxiety or emotional distress. He charmed scores of victims, confidently served as his own attorney and even proposed to his girlfriend while in court.
“It’s probably just being willing to take risk,” Bundy said, in the Netflix documentary, of what motivated his crimes. “Or perhaps not even seeing risk. Just overcome by that boldness and desire to accomplish a particular thing.”
Seeds planted in the DSM
In the current DSM, the closest current diagnosis to psychopathy is antisocial personality disorder. Although the manual suggests that it historically has been referred to as psychopathy, the current seven diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder mostly fall under the umbrella of disinhibition – qualities like “recklessness,” “impulsiveness” and, to a lesser extent, meanness, which are evident in only two criteria: “lack of remorse” and “deceitfulness.”
There’s no mention of boldness. In other words, you don’t have to be bold to have antisocial personality disorder. In fact, because you only need to meet three of the seven criteria to be diagnosed with the disorder, it means you don’t even need to be all that mean, either.
However, the most recent revision to the DSM, the fifth edition, did include a supplemental section for proposed diagnoses in need of further study.
In this supplemental section, a new specifier was offered for those who meet the diagnosis for antisocial personality disorder. If you have a bold and fearless interpersonal style that seems to serve as a mask for your otherwise mean and disinhibited personality, you might also be diagnosable as a psychopath.
Can a psychopath be meek?
Whether this new model, which seems to put boldness center stage in the diagnosis of psychopathy, ultimately will be adopted into subsequent iterations of the DSM system remains to be seen.
Several researchers have criticized the concept. They see meanness and disinhibition as much more important than boldness when deciding whether someone is a psychopath.
Their main issue seems to be that people who are bold – but not mean or disinhibited – actually seem to be well-adjusted and not particularly violent. In fact, compared with being overly introverted or prone to emotional distress, it seems to be an asset in everyday life.
Other researchers, myself included, tend to view those criticisms as not particularly compelling. In our view, someone who is simply disinhibited and mean – but not bold – would not be able to pull off the spectacular level of manipulation that a psychopath is capable of.
To be sure, being mean and disinhibited is a bad combination. But absent boldness, you’re probably not going to show up on the evening news for having schemed scores of investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The chances that you’ll successfully charm unsuspecting victim after unsuspecting victim into coming back to your apartment to sexually assault them seem pretty slim.
That being said, timid but mean people – the “shycho-paths” – almost certainly do exist, and it’s probably best to stay away from them, too.
But you’re unlikely to confuse them with the Ted Bundys and Charles Mansons of the world.
John Edens, Professor of Psychology, Texas A&M University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
How evolutionary psychology may explain the difference between male and female serial killers
Marissa Harrison, Pennsylvania State University
Researchers such as psychologist Marvin Zuckerman have long noted the morbid curiosity of humans; there’s just something about horror and terror that captures our attention.
Indeed, there may be nothing more horrifying – and fascinating – than murder. With my colleague Tom Bowers at Penn State Harrisburg, I’ve studied the crimes and characteristics of mass murderers for years, and still, I’m alarmed by every reread of each case.
But it wasn’t until last year when an undergraduate student, Erin Murphy, approached me about studying female serial killers (FSKs) that I realized how little scientific literature existed on this topic. Many routinely hear about male serial killers (MSKs) – the Jeffrey Dahmers and Ted Bundys of true crime lore – and one can indeed find volumes of literature analyzing their killing sprees.
On the other hand, few have heard of Belle Gunness and Nannie Doss, whose crimes were no less heinous: Gunness killed more than 25 people in the late 19th century, including her children and husbands. Doss killed 11 people in the first half of the 20th century, including her own mother and grandson.
After parsing the data, we found that female serial killers do tend to possess a number of unique characteristics.
Middle- and upper-class killers of kin
The research that did exist on FSKs provided some good insight. Fresno State criminologist Eric Hickey – author of Serial Murderers and their Victims – interviewed 64 FSKs in the US, yielding a disturbing portrait of women who poisoned, shot and stabbed countless men, women and children.
Most were white and typically killed between seven and 10 victims. They were more likely to murder family members than strangers. And even though the most prevalent motive for murder was money, most of the murderers were middle- and upper-class.
Other research used smaller samples, but had notable findings. For example, in a 2011 study, Amanda Farrell, Robert Keppel and Victoria Titterington reviewed newspaper reports of 10 American FSKs. They found that FSKs tended to operate for a substantially longer time than did MSKs, while 80% knew their victims. Farrell and her colleagues – along with Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, who interviewed eight FSKs in a 2000 study – pointed out that, ironically, nursing is an occupation that’s overrepresented among FSKs.
Fleshing out the profile
So when we decided to study FSKs, we approached the topic with two main goals.
First, we wanted to document the means, motives and histories of these criminals with a larger, more recent sample (the larger the sample size, the more likely the findings and patterns are to reflect true life). Moreover, being psychologists, we found a relative absence of research on the psychology of FSKs.
Like Farrell and her colleagues, we used the mass media approach to study female serial killers.
We found the internet site Murderpedia.org to be a valuable consolidation of media reports of murder, and we found it verifiable 100% of the time. In the end, we collected profiles of 64 female serial killers (the same number Hickey found) who committed their crimes in the US between 1821 and 2008.
Although our findings were limited to information that newspapers chose to include about these women and their crimes, our results lend validity to the mass media approach.
- Along the lines of previous studies, we found that most FSKs were middle- and upper-class.
- Almost all (92%) knew their victims, almost all were white, and their most common means to kill was poison, while the primary motive for murder was money.
- Most of these women had earned college degrees or had attained at least some higher education. They held a wide variety of jobs, ranging from religious teacher to prostitute. Nearly 40% worked in health-related fields as nurses or aides, and about 22% worked in direct caregiving roles (mother and babysitter).
- Most FSKs were married at some point. In fact, these serial killers were serial monogamists – married, on average, twice, and as many as seven times. Where we could ascertain appearance, most were reported to be average to above-average in attractiveness; where we could ascertain religion, 100% were Christian.
- Nearly two-thirds were related to their victims, nearly one-third killed their significant others and about 44% killed their own biological children. More than half the sample killed children, and about one-quarter killed those who were elderly or infirm, those who had little chance of fighting back.
An aberration of unconscious drives?
From an evolutionary perspective, two important pictures emerged.
First, our data (in line with other studies) showed that female serial killers primarily kill for money. Previous research, such as Eric Hickey’s, has shown that male serial killers primarily kill for sex.
This aligns with evolutionary psychological theory. Robert Trivers’ 1972 work pointed out that due to their limited reproductive potential (relatively few ova), women have evolved to place a premium on securing resources (likely through wise mate choices in the ancestral environment). Conversely, virtually unlimited reproductive potential (relatively unlimited sperm) has likely predisposed men to seek a vast number of sexual opportunities.
Of course, I’m not saying we evolved to be serial killers. What I am saying is that an aberration of genetically mediated unconscious drives might explain some of the reasons for these crimes. These urges could also explain some of the differences between male serial killers and female serial killers.
Second, research has shown that male serial killers tend to stalk and kill strangers. But FSKs tend to kill people they know. It seems, then, that MSKs are hunters and FSKs are gatherers. Although aberrant, this evinces the psyche operating much like the conditions of our ancestral environment.
So, do we know for sure what makes a woman turn into a serial killer? Sadly, no. Even though brain imaging studies, such as psychologist Adrian Raine’s, do point to some trends, we can’t predict this with certainty.
Nonetheless, we’re clearly fascinated by murder, and perhaps morbid curiosity operates from an innate drive to pay attention to phenomena that can ultimately harm us. Creating an informed profile of the “typical” female serial killer will, we hope, lead to further analysis and, possibly, prevention.
Marissa Harrison, Associate Professor of Psychology , Pennsylvania State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Narcissist Don’ts | 12 Rules Mini-book $4.50
Narcissist Don’ts | 12 Rules | Mini-book, Educational Zine | $4.50 | Etsy
What not to do when you are dealing with a toxic individual.
Thirteen rules for all your interactions with narcissists.
Alternative Reality Persistence
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Control of Resources
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Flying Monkeys
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The sociopath is a high level con who manages to dupe people so thoroughly that his/her fans will persecute, silence, and ostracize a victim who complains about mistreatment. These people are in denial and they will reject information that doesn’t correspond to their highly favorable perception of the sociopath. The victim’s accounts of abuse will upset them, and may anger them. By defending an influential sociopath and abusing his/her target by proxy, the followers prove their loyalty and hope to win favor while getting closer to the influential sociopath they are instinctively attracted to.
See also:
Denying, Discounting, and Dismissing Abuse
Denial and DARVO
Cognitive Dissonance
Gail Meyers writes:
A narcissistic personality disordered mother has flying monkeys. This is a term taken from The Wizard of Oz, where the flying monkeys do the bidding of the Wicked Witch. The flying monkeys may be your neighbor, church members, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandmother, grandfather, nieces, nephews, etc. These people do the narcissist’s dirty work and often pour their own abuse on the scapegoat.
I spent years of my life trying to show various flying monkeys the truth. It virtually never worked, not once in the twenty or so years I kept trying to “clear the air” or to finally be understood. They do not understand because they do not want to understand. Many are willfully ignorant and blind to the situation. There is not some magical phrase and method you have not yet discovered that is suddenly going to cause these people to stand up for the truth.
What I have realized is the flying monkeys generally have their own reasons for behaving the way they do. Some may truly do it out of ignorance, truly fooled for years by the narcissist. However, it is my experience that most flying monkeys have weak characters.
Why didn’t she leave or speak up sooner?
Vulnerabilities exploited by manipulators
According to Harriet Braiker,[1] manipulators exploit the following vulnerabilities (buttons) that may exist in victims:
- the “disease to please”
- addiction to earning the approval and acceptance of others
- Emotophobia (fear of negative emotion)
- lack of assertiveness and ability to say no
- blurry sense of identity (with soft personal boundaries)
- low self-reliance
- external locus of control
According to Dr George Simon,[2] manipulators exploit the following vulnerabilities that may exist in victims:
- naïveté – victim finds it too hard to accept the idea that some people are cunning, devious and ruthless or is “in denial” if he or she is being victimized
- over-conscientiousness – victim is too willing to give manipulator the benefit of the doubt and see their side of things in which they blame the victim
- low self-confidence – victim is self-doubting, lacking in confidence and assertiveness, likely to go on the defensive too easily.
- over-intellectualization – victim tries too hard to understand and believes the manipulator has some understandable reason to be hurtful.
- emotional dependency – victim has a submissive or dependent personality. The more emotionally dependent the victim is, the more vulnerable he or she is to being exploited and manipulated.
Manipulators generally take the time to scope out the characteristics and vulnerabilities of their victim.
According to Martin Kantor,[3] the following are vulnerable to psychopathic manipulators:
- too trusting – people who are honest often assume that everyone else is honest. They commit themselves to people they hardly know without checking credentials, etc. They rarely question so-called experts.
- too altruistic – the opposite of psychopathic; too honest, too fair, too empathetic
- too impressionable – overly seduced by charmers. For example, they might vote for the phony politician who kisses babies.
- too naïve – cannot believe there are dishonest people in the world or if there were they would not be allowed to operate.
- too masochistic – lack of self-respect and unconsciously let psychopaths take advantage of them. They think they deserve it out of a sense of guilt.
- too narcissistic – narcissists are prone to falling for unmerited flattery.
- too greedy – the greedy and dishonest may fall prey to a psychopath who can easily entice them to act in an immoral way.
- too immature – has impaired judgment and believes the exaggerated advertising claims.
- too materialistic – easy prey for loan sharks or get-rich-quick schemes
- too dependent – dependent people need to be loved and are therefore gullible and liable to say yes to something to which they should say no.
- too lonely – lonely people may accept any offer of human contact. A psychopathic stranger may offer human companionship for a price.
- too impulsive – make snap decisions about, for example, what to buy or whom to marry without consulting others.
- too frugal – cannot say no to a bargain even if they know the reason why it is so cheap
- the elderly – the elderly can become fatigued and less capable of multi-tasking. When hearing a sales pitch they are less likely to consider that it could be a con. They are prone to giving money to someone with a hard-luck story. See elder abuse.
We are NOT all the same.
Psychopath?
All too easily, we mistakenly assume that everyone else is honest, intelligent, and trying to do the right thing, just like us. In reality, some people are outright evil.
Similarly, a psychopath thinks that everyone else is evil like himself. When a psychopath sees an honest and intelligent person asking questions or giving logical explanations, he believes that it is an evil manipulation trick.
The Age of the Psychopath
(secondarywounding.wordpress.com)
Pathological Lying in the Narcissistic Age
With illustrations added by Psychopath Resistance.
Pathological Lying
Pathological lying is a particular kind of lying. Many would argue that lying is simply part of being human. We all do it at one time or another. Sometimes our lies are relatively benign and inconsequential. (That’s the character of “little white lies.”) But lying can be really problematic at times. And it can cause much unnecessary pain and suffering. It can decimate relationships. Moreover, some disturbed characters lie habitually. And they seem to lie for no apparent rational reason. They lie about little things. And they lie even when the truth would appear to serve better. We’ve often called such liars “pathological” liars.
Pathological lying seems to make no sense. It’s hard to understand why someone would lie when the truth would suffice. And it’s especially hard to understand why someone would lie when the truth might well serve them better.
Pathological liars aren’t crazy. There’s actually method to their apparent madness. They may
drive you crazy with their antics. But once you understand why they do what they do you can restore your sanity.
The Method to the Madness
Pathological liars have a singular purpose. They lie to keep a position of advantage. That’s right. As I assert in Character Disturbance, it’s always about position, position, position for some disturbed characters. Such folks view life as a game or contest. And they don’t want a level playing field. Whenever they engage, they want the advantage. Lying helps them keep the advantage. It’s hard to pin them down. And when you can’t pin them down, you can’t know what’s really going on. You don’t know what might really be up to. You cant tell how they really feel, or what they really want. And you can’t know who they really are. That automatically puts you in a one-down position. And that’s just the way they like it.
Pathological lying has its payoffs. But it can take its toll, too. Sometimes the truth simply has to out. But pathological liars persist to the very end. They don’t concede the truth until their wall of lies is forced to come crashing down. Sometimes, the evidence simply piles up against them. That’s when cracks in the wall develop. However, quite often the wall of lies doesn’t tumble until a lot of damage has already occurred.
Death of the Truth and Erosion of Trust in our Narcissistic Age
In our narcissistic culture, the truth, and regard for it has taken a real beating. Truth has no value when life is all about getting what you want or manipulating people’s impressions. And Lying is the penultimate manipulation tactic.
As I mention in In Sheep’s Clothing, it’s also the main way folks resist acceding to moral principles. For years, we’ve been in an age of deceit. And many have truly been at war with the truth.
Disregard for the truth has infected almost every aspect of culture. There’s deception in our advertising, our teaching, our politics, even our news. Sadly, deception has even infiltrated science, once the bastion of relentless, unbiased truth pursuit. The goal is no longer discovering and living by the truth. The goal is now winning, advancing an agenda, swaying opinions, securing power, etc., by any means necessary. And that means constantly, fudging, distorting, twisting, and “spinning.” In such a culture, there’s simply no room for the truth.
Lying, especially pathological lying, takes its deepest toll on relationships. The foundation of any healthy, intimate relationship is trust. Where there’s no trust, there can’t be intimacy. It’s simply too dangerous. As I point out in How Did We End Up Here?, breaches of trust have destroyed more relationships than I care to count.
Restoring Some Sanity
Sanity will be restored to our culture when reverence for the truth returns. Truth is, perhaps, the most precious “higher power” that can govern our lives. But as you may already know, narcissists neither recognize nor revere any higher power.
You may also view this post here: Pathological lying in the narcissistic age.
Also, by Dr. George Simon:
- Narcissists Can’t Recognize a Higher Power
- Egotists: Above the Need for a Governing Higher Power
- In Sheep’s Clothing (Amazon Books)
- Character Disturbance (Amazon Books)
- How Did We End Up Here? (Amazon Books)
- The Judas Syndrome (Amazon Books)
Tidbits from Dr. Simon
You can now listen to part one of a new pilot episode of the new Character Matters Program. And, also, part two.
Character Disturbance will soon be released on audiobook.
Word of mouth is helping The Judas Syndrome change lives. If the book has changed yours, please consider recommending it to others.
Podcasts of all but the new pilot Character Matters programs can be found on the UCY.TV YouTube channel.
More about liars and lying on Psychopath Resistance:
- The Skilled Liar
- Pathological Liars
- A “Pathology of Deceit”
- How to Spot a Liar
- The Smear Campaign—Trademark of a Sociopath
Why would anyone want to control you?
By Sarah Newman, MA
The need to control others may not make a lot of sense to you. If you’re a live-and-let-live person, you’d never want to control someone else. Even if you’re a perfectionist, you stay on your own case all day, not necessarily someone else’s.
But controllers are out there. They want to micromanage what you say, how you act, even what you think quietly in your own mind. It could be your boss, your spouse, or even your parent. You can’t be yourself around them. They insist on being your top priority and want undue influence over your life. They might push your buttons to get an emotional reaction out of you because they want to exploit it as weakness. They have no respect for you or your boundaries.
There are plenty of theories why someone would want to control you. One is that people who can’t control themselves turn to controlling others. This happens on an emotional level. A person full of insecurities has to exact a positive sense of self from other people because their self esteem is too low to do it for themselves.
Maybe people control because they are afraid of being abandoned. They don’t feel secure in their relationships and are often testing to see if they’re about to be betrayed. The paradox is that their behavior creates exactly what they fear the most… Continue reading:
Why Anyone Would Want to Control You | World of Psychology.
Published on PsychCentral.com
Sarah Rae Newman is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and a science blogger. The author of several books, she received her MA in psychology from the New School for Social Research and an MFA in writing from CCNY.
See also:
- People who can’t control themselves control the people around them.
- Manipulation Tactics
- Dr. George Simon explains how manipulation tactics work.
- Psychopaths are manipulators.
Narcissistic Grandiosity
When Narcissistic Grandiosity Crosses the Line
By Dr K Simon
Grandiosity is a principal feature of a certain type of narcissism. (See: Two Main Varieties of Narcissists.) Narcissists of the grandiose variety don’t just think they’re great. Some just know they’re great. They truly believe in their special status and their power. And because they often feel omnipotent, they can act in ways that reflect their perceived invincibility. There’s a big difference between a really healthy dose of confidence and pathological grandiosity. And you can’t always gauge the difference by a person’s status, wealth, or accomplishments. Some grandiose narcissists have plenty of reason to boast. Others have virtually nothing to show for themselves. Narcissistic grandiosity is mostly a matter of exaggeration—especially exaggerated self-importance and capability. And, when such grandiosity goes unchecked, it can lead to much bigger problems. Continue reading.
See also:
- Grandiosity — Wikipedia
- Validating a Grandiose Self-Image
- We’ll Tire of Trump’s Narcissism, Eventually
- Sense of entitlement
- Donald Trump and the Narcissistic Illusion of Grandiosity
- Criticizing a Narcissist
Psychopath Resistance 
