Editor's note: The Lovefraud reader "Seekeroflight" sends us the following story related to her almost being dragged into a cult. In Lovefraud's view, cult leaders are sociopaths on steroids, and engage in mind control over cult members. There is a story from my past that I've wanted to share somewhere publicly, and I am thinking this might be a good place to do so. It doesn't deal with a sociopath directly, but it is a type of situation that those of us vulnerable to sociopaths also may be vulnerable to. I certainly was. It also deals with a specific group which is incredibly dangerous, but of whom there is almost zero knowledge of within the United States even though they are practically …
New weapon against domestic abuse: GoPro camera
A former Army Ranger from Dunedin, Florida, wore a GoPro camera on his belt while picking up his two-year-old twins from his former wife. It was rolling while the woman grabbed his genitals. With the video as evidence, Corinne Novack, 37, was charged with domestic violence. Soldier uses GoPro to prove wife's domestic abuse, on WTSP.com. Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader. …
Mission almost impossible: Finding mass shooters before they kill
It's become all too familiar all of a sudden, someone opens fire on people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the aftermath, the question is asked: Didn't anyone know that the shooter was disturbed? Sometimes, unfortunately, the answer is no. Matthew Goldenberg, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, explains why it's so hard to identify potential mass murderers. Can we pick out the mass shooters before they kill? on LATimes.com. A guide to mass shootings in America, on MotherJones.com. …
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Researchers say a wide face predicts psychopathic traits in men
Wow might there be a way to spot a psychopathic man just by looking at him? Researchers from Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, have published a paper showing that a man's facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) predicts psychopathy. In a study that included undergraduate students and prison inmates, the researchers found an association between the fWHR and the psychopathy traits of fearless dominance, self-centered impulsivity, and with overall psychopathy scores. According to the Daily Mail, "Last year, a separate study found both men and women with wide faces tend to be more aggressive, dominant and angry." What's interesting is that this research apparently began with monkeys. …
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All of his abuse was secret
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader whom we'll call “Marla Marie.” Following 9/11, I moved back home and within just three years married my ex-husband. I think the trauma of 9/11 inspired me to hurry up and get a life, and in doing so I overlooked some red flags. I was also naive in love matters. My ex-husband is the hallmark charming, handsome nomad. Although even prior to marriage not all of his stories "checked out" it immediately escalated once we were married. He was using drugs, had a criminal record and two prior marriages. He also had a child he never knew/saw. We were married and divorced within 2 years. All of his abuse was secret. He would berate me …
I was supposed to give and give, but was not allowed to ask for anything
I have spent the last 7.5 years in a relationship with a sociopath. I gave more than I had to give mentally, emotionally and financially. He barely worked in that time. He lied, cheated and did his best to convince me I was crazy. He would steal and swear on his children he would never do that to me. The last two years of the relationship I would often tell him he was a sociopath, but it wasn't until the last six months that I truly started researching the disorder and everything I read on the topic was him to a T! It was as if someone sat back documenting his behaviors, then put them all together to create this disorder. The charm, false sense of entitlement, pathological lying, parasitic …
I was supposed to give and give, but was not allowed to ask for anythingRead More
Gaslighting in real life
Here on Lovefraud, we often talk about "gaslighting," which is a strategy employed by sociopaths to exert control over their targets. According to Wikipedia: Gaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which information is twisted or spun, selectively omitted to favor the abuser, or false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own memory, perception, and sanity. Instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim. The term comes from the 1944 movie Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. In this movie, the villain, G …
Genevieve Kelley fled to save her daughter, now goes to jail
In 2004, Genevieve Kelley of New Hampshire fled the United States with her daughter, Mary Nunes, then eight years old. Kelley said that her ex-husband, Mark Nunes, was sexually abusing the girl. New Hampshire authorities said the charges were unfounded. Genevieve felt that the only way she could save her daughter was to leave. For more than 10 years, they lived in Costa Rica, along with Genevieve's new husband, Scott Kelley. Arrest warrants were issued for Genevieve and Scott Kelley. Genevieve returned to the United States last November, and Scott returned in April. Both were arrested and convicted of custodial interference. Scott Kelley served five months. On Monday, Genevieve reported to …
Genevieve Kelley fled to save her daughter, now goes to jailRead More
Josh Duggar, scandal, and a religious cult
The media love a scandal, and the reports about Josh Duggar, of the hit reality TV show 19 kids and counting, just keep coming. First was the report that Josh Duggar, the oldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, had sexually molested his sisters as a teenager. (Four of the 5 girls Josh Duggar molested were his sisters: Parents, on ktla.com.) Then there were reports that Josh Duggar cheated on his wife and had two accounts on the Ashley Madison cheating website. (Family values activist Josh Duggar had a paid Ashley Madison account, on Gawker.com) Then porn star Danica Dillon alleged that Josh Duggar paid her for sex, and he has "no remorse" for his behavior. (Josh Duggar has 'no remorse' …
Highly Sensitive People are perfect targets for sociopaths
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader who posts as “emotionallyraped.” I visualize a spectrum for 'living beings' on an emotional scale ”¦”¦ from the HSP (highly sensitive people) at one extreme, to sociopaths at the other extreme. I've taken excerpts from some reading online. ----------- The personality trait highly sensitive people, which was first researched by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D., in the early 1990s, is relatively common, with as many as one in five people, or 20% of the population, possessing it. (Taken from Huffington post) Psychologist Martha Stout — who was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for 25 years — estimates in her boo …
Highly Sensitive People are perfect targets for sociopathsRead More