The Marriage Masks: Three types of sociopathic relationships
Here at Lovefraud, we’ve heard thousands of horror stories of marriages to sociopaths. Thinking about these unfortunate involvements, it seems to me that there are three types of romantic relationships with sociopaths. I call them the Marriage Masks, and they are:
1. Calculated exploitation
The sociopath targets an individual for the explicit purpose of exploiting him or her, using the unsuspecting partner for money, sex, a place to live or something else that the sociopath wants.
My ex-husband, James Montgomery, targeted me because I had what he wanted: money, good credit, my own home and business connections in the city where he decided he was going to make a fortune. He sweet talked me, married me and drained me, and then he moved on without a thought.
We are allowed to recover from the trauma of a relationship with a sociopath. We are allowed to move on. In fact, if we don’t move on, if we don’t take our lives back, we are still in the trauma. It is healthy to put an end to it.
Editor’s note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we’ll call “Claudette.”
There’s a rumor floating around in mental health circles that sociopaths “burn out” with age, that they engage in less antisocial behavior as they get older.
Your stepparent
The behavior of some people in your life leaves you shocked and mystified. They tell stories that don’t add up, in fact, they flat out lie. They are charming one minute and hateful the next. They hurt you, seemingly on purpose, and then act like nothing happened.
When Samantha was six years old, she tried to choke her two-year-old sister as they sat in the back seat of their mother’s car. After mom separated them, Samantha said she wanted to kill everyone in the family.
Donna Andersen is author of three books, including 
