A British woman who was tormented by anonymous cyberbullies on Facebook filed suit to find out who they were—and won. Read Bullying victim wins court case forcing Facebook to unmask anonymous tormenters, on News.Yahoo.com. Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader. …
Lessons from Jurassic Park: Sociopaths simply are
Editor's note: The following article was written by the Lovefraud reader who posts as "Adelade." She previously wrote "12 steps of recovery from love fraud." I very much enjoy reading, especially those fictitious works that cause me to think and learn. Without a doubt, nearly everyone has seen the movie, Jurassic Park, based upon a book that was written by Michael Crichton over 20 years ago. Well, I re-read the book over the long Memorial Day weekend. It is far, far different from the movie, and drives home the ramifications of the human myth of “control.” If you haven't read the book, I would urge you to do so, simply because it speaks to a part of the human condition that is inherent in …
Diamonds After All – Discovering Self-Worth After The Sociopath
This week I'd like to start off with another quote. As with many phrases I've come to value, it was sent to me by a good friend when I was going through one of my darker periods. Even today it still makes me smile: “A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure” It's particularly relevant to me this week because I'm discovering all manner of riches around me at the moment. In most cases, treasures that have been hidden away from view and that are only now coming to the surface. I've been doing a little DIY at home you see. It's all part of my process to reclaim my space. Making my home my own home, arranging my space and my stuff the way I like to have everything arranged. …
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‘Teacher of the year’ accused of sexting
Days after being named "Teacher of the Year," John McDaniel, band director of a middle school in Texas, was arrested for sending an explicit photo with a student. Read 'Teacher of the year' winner accused of sending nude photos to student, on MSNBC.MSN.com. Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader. …
Spreading the word on domestic violence and personality disorders
By: Linda Hartoonian Almas, M.S. Ed This past month, I have had the honor of speaking about domestic violence at a training day for law enforcement administrative professionals, as well as at a continuing education program for a local judicial circuit. Both were wonderful days, spent with many amazing men and women in the areas of law enforcement, advocacy, and mental health, as well as those in the spiritual community. My main goal was to raise awareness. I could speak all day on the topic of domestic violence and its relation to personality disorders and still only scratch the surface of what I have to share. With time constraints in place, I chose to highlight some of the press …
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent
This week finds me well and truly back on my soapbox. Because I am feeling suitably goaded to address the somewhat emotive subject of the lack of support and comprehension offered to victims of abuse. The fact that too many people in various circles (friends and family, law and order and other professionals) simply don't ”˜get' what it means to be held captive in a manipulative relationship. I know many of us here in the Lovefraud community have already experienced the indignity of having to convince people of the validity of what we know to be true. I'm of course familiar with the remarks from well-intentioned friends and relatives that go along the lines of “he/she always seemed such a n …
LETTERS TO LOVEFRAUD: Mind the gap
Editor's note: This artice was written by the Lovefraud reader who posts as "One/joy_step_at_a_time." I have been thinking a lot about Donna's May 28 blog thread, If you feel an emotional void, the sociopath will step in, and the responses to it. Tonight I took a long walk and sat down by the lake and thought about what the spath drew out in me. She showed me ”˜the gap.' It's humourous to me to type the phrase ”˜the gap.' When I lived in Eastern Europe, I heard a phrase over the loud speakers at the train station, over and over again. I finally asked a friend the meaning of the phrase, and he told me it meant, ”˜mind the gap between the platform and the train.' I haven't minded the g …
If you feel an emotional void, the sociopath will step in
I recently received email from a woman whom we'll call Adriana: I am told I am a very beautiful, intelligent, fun, woman, but that is all subjective. I am 61 years old but pass for late 40's; good genes. I have been divorced for 10 years and engaged once during that time. I have dated so many men and feel that I have no purpose because I can't find “him.” I don't find most men attractive don't have chemistry with them and I don't want to settle. I have not been successful in love at all and have tried to look within myself to see my faults but the truth is I just want to love and be loved. Anyway, I am so tired of dating and getting my hopes up each time I meet someone I really am att …
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Australian employers may refuse to hire school bullies
Social clubs in New South Wales, Australia, launched a new program last week that may mean serious consequences for school bullies. Under the BullyCheck program, which has government support, people aged 17 to 22 who apply for jobs at registered social clubs will be asked to submit to a character check. If they were bullies in high school, they will not be hired. Read: Job ban on school bullies, on MyFoxPhilly.com. School thugs risk job ban under BULLYCheck, on Fairfield-Advance.WhereILive.com.au. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader. …
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An MRI scan cannot diagnose psychopathy or identify sociopaths
This past week I was talking on the telephone with my student and research assistant when he was mugged by a group of 5-7 thugs. One hit him from behind, knocking him down and another punched him in the abdomen. Ironically, among the items stolen was a copy of “Without Conscience” by Robert Hare. Yesterday, my student asked me, “Those guys in the group who do have empathy and guilt, how do they feel about doing this? What makes them do it?” To which I replied, “I don't think they feel a thing. They are likely all psychopathic (sociopaths). No one wants to admit just how many of them there are. So they draw an artificial line based on the PCL-R (a psychopathy test) and say these thugs are …
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