How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

You are here: Home / Archives for Donna Andersen

Meet the new Lovefraud author: Stephen Appel, Ph.D.

//  by //  28 Comments

Psychopaths are not necessarily great liars. That's the premise of a series of articles Dr. Stephen Appel, the newest Lovefraud Blog author, has recently posted on his website, The Top Two Inches. "The Top Two Inches," in case you're wondering (as I was), refers to the head, but means the mind, brain and thinking. Dr. Steve's website is devoted to contemplating "the mysterious workings of the mind." In Myth: Psychopaths are great liars, Dr. Steve agrees that psychopaths are pathological liars. "They are pathological, they are chronic tellers of untruths, and this dishonesty is tied up with their pathology," he writes. But according to Dr. Steve, research shows the speech of a …

Meet the new Lovefraud author: Stephen Appel, Ph.D.Read More

Should I warn the sociopath’s next victim?

//  by //  291 Comments

As many of us have painfully learned, before sociopaths dump one victim, they usually have already targeted another. In the following letter, a Lovefraud reader asked what she should do about the new victim: I am finally away from the sociopath, although he still continues to contact me from time to time demanding money. He has a new target—as always, a financially secure woman, vulnerable and he has "given her a shoulder to cry on." Her father just died, her mother has cancer and she stands to inherit some valuable land and she is already "hooked" thinking that he is "so caring" and "has been there for her and she for him." He has told her I left him took all his money, etc.—the same story …

Should I warn the sociopath’s next victim?Read More

LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: That was horrible, but the worst was yet to come

//  by //  95 Comments

Editor's note: How can one woman cope with cheating, abandonment, cruelty and worse? A Lovefraud reader has sent the following letter, and would appreciate your insight and advice. I was the perfect victim for the man who has fathered two of my children, having just gotten out of a relationship with a previous sociopath (power and control was that guy's motivation and he was cruel, vicious person behind closed doors). I was insecure, looking for a person with integrity and morals, and I still believed in the general goodness of mankind. The first sociopath hadn't smashed my general outlook on life, though, and I was rising to the challenges I faced. The second one has, though. He was the …

LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: That was horrible, but the worst was yet to comeRead More

Media profiles psychopaths without identifying them

//  by //  2 Comments

One con artist called himself Luc Sonnet. He claimed to be a fine artist who studied with Picasso and sold his paintings to wealthy international clients for as much as $250,000. The other con artist, Robert Freegard, claimed to be a British spy. He tracked international terrorists. Both of these con artists were profiled in the media on Sunday, December 2. The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper began its story about Luc Sonnet, whose real name was Richard Grossman, on the front page. The story continued inside for three more full pages. Dateline, the investigative reporting television show produced by NBC News, told the story of Robert Freegard, a Brit who abducted an American woman …

Media profiles psychopaths without identifying themRead More

Is there any constructive, legal action to take against sociopaths?

//  by //  306 Comments

Lovefraud recently received the following e-mail from a reader: My psychologist referred me to this web site. It's terrific save one section: How can running away from these people be the only solution? Granted, it's a stop-gap solution to protect yourself from future abuses; however, it's not a solution for full/final resolution. Allowing [them] to perpetuate their endeavors and perpetrate them on others only permits proliferation. Please tell me that there is some constructive, legal way to be proactive and preventative in a more communal fashion. I have visions of: 20 years from now they rule the world. It won't be survival of the fittest. It will have become survival of the …

Is there any constructive, legal action to take against sociopaths?Read More

Most cheaters are amateurs; sociopaths are professionals

//  by //  59 Comments

Lovefraud recently received a very nice e-mail from the editor of HowToDoThings.com, complimenting the information provided by Lovefraud. She suggested that an article from her website might be of interest to Lovefraud readers. It is called How To Recognize the Signs of Cheating Men. I checked out the article. Now, I mean absolutely no disrespect to HowToDoThings.com, but the article describes cheating by mere amateurs, not sociopaths. Signs of a cheating man According to the article, all of the following should raise a woman's suspicions that her guy might be cheating: 1. He improves his personal appearance. 2. He finds fault with you. 3. Your sex life changes. 4. He uses a …

Most cheaters are amateurs; sociopaths are professionalsRead More

LETTERS TO LOVEFRAUD: I met another sociopath on MillionaireMatch.com

//  by //  69 Comments

Editor's note: Lovefraud recently received the following e-mail from a reader. I went on a date last night with a man I met on MillionaireMatch.com. Looked great on paper. His photograph was so-so and I didn't expect much. We met at a restaurant and when he walked in I thought to myself, "Oh that's not him; he's too good looking." Well it turned out to be him. We introduced, started talking and he teased me, and asked if I was buying dinner. That was my first red flag. Why would a proclaimed millionaire ask me to pay? I thought perhaps he was screening out gold diggers. We never left the bar nor had dinner, although he paid for an appetizer and drink. He talked about his life …

LETTERS TO LOVEFRAUD: I met another sociopath on MillionaireMatch.comRead More

Veterans Day wake-up call: Sociopaths as military impostors

//  by //  96 Comments

Every Sunday my local newspaper, the Press of Atlantic City, prints the names of servicemen and women who died the previous week in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every Sunday, I make myself read the names. It's the least I can do to honor their sacrifice. Today, Veterans Day, the newspaper printed a story about a local young man, a private, killed in Baghdad six months ago. I'm afraid I couldn't read the story—it was too upsetting. Veterans Day was always important to my ex-husband, James Montgomery. He wanted to show his patriotism and commemorate the comrades he lost in Vietnam as a member of the Australian military. In fact, when we met, 25 years after Vietnam, Montgomery claimed he was still a …

Veterans Day wake-up call: Sociopaths as military impostorsRead More

BOOK REVIEW: How to Spot a Dangerous Man

//  by //  198 Comments

Lovefraud received the following letter from a reader: I have been involved with a man for the past seven years. We don't live together but he has stayed at my home on and off. Anything rotten in a relationship I have had to deal with--lies, cheating, humiliation, emotional abuse and financial, not that he took money from me but sponged off a single mother. This man makes good money and has never made a commitment to anyone, lots of broken promises and excuses. He has a problem with breaking the connection with me, always trying to get back in and regain his supply. I believe this man is a psychopath/narcissist. I have reverted to just trying to remain friends but I don't think for him …

BOOK REVIEW: How to Spot a Dangerous ManRead More

“Cybersharks,” on Canadian TV, includes a Lovefraud story

//  by //  7 Comments

W-FIVE, the top Canadian investigative TV journalism show, will include the story of Liz Cole, a Lovefraud reader, in its Cybersharks episode airing Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m. The program reveals the real dangers of online dating. In this episode, W-FIVE's Victor Malarek uncovers cases where women who met potential suitors through online dating services were later conned for thousands of dollars, and in some cases, forced to endure extensive physical and mental abuse. W-FIVE cameras are rolling as Malarek tracks down one known criminal and online predator. The show will air on Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m. (EDT) on CTV network in Canada and will be repeated on Sunday, November 4 at 5 …

“Cybersharks,” on Canadian TV, includes a Lovefraud storyRead More