How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Research suggests parenting style can turn children into narcissists

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A new study from Ohio State University suggests that parents who "overvalue" their children, treating them as more deserving than others, are not nurturing self-esteem, but they are nurturing narcissism. Narcissism is partly based on genetics, according to research. So Eddie Brummelman, one of the study's authors, says that if a child has inherited a genetic risk for narcissism, it's important not to inflate the child's sense of self-worth, because that could enable the narcissism to flourish. Too much praise can turn kids into narcissists, study suggests, on Forbes.com. Link submitted by a Lovefraud reader.   …

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Grandmother, 63, on trial for stabbing husband, dismembering him, and keeping his body parts in Tupperware

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Loretta Doyle Burroughs, 63, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, is accused of murdering her husband, Daniel Burroughs, in 2007. "This defendant killed her husband in cold blood, eviscerated his corpse and placed him in Tupperware to rot for seven years," said Seth Levy, Atlantic County chief assistant prosecutor, in his opening statement. Photos of the remains were shown to the jury last week. Donna Andersen, covering the trial for the Daily Mail, obtained exclusive photos of the remains. EXCLUSIVE: Photos of dismembered body parts positioned on a white sheet shown to horrified jurors as woman stands trial for stabbing her husband, chopping him up in pieces and then storing them in …

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Why am I a magnet for sociopaths?

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I received the following email from a woman, whom we'll call "Adriana," who had been in touch several years ago about the psychopath in her life. Her experience was so outrageous that I wrote it up as one of the True Lovefraud Stories. As you'll see from her email, after that destructive involvement, she met three more psychopaths. Her question is, "Why?" Read her story: Adriana's story After dealing with that psychopath I didn't date anybody for 3 years, the trauma was so hard on my trust I just couldn't bring myself to date anybody. Finally after 3 years of healing I dated a person from my workplace; I'm a teacher. It lasted only 4 months with multiple cheating on me with other …

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I was married to a pathological liar, manipulator, abuser, gaslighter and evil person

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Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Liliana." I married a pathological liar, manipulator, abuser, gaslighter, and evil person who breaks promises, lies directly into one's eyes for years on end, twist the truth, makes up complete falsehoods, accused ME of abuse, filed a report (unsubstantiated) with child services, accused ME of abusing myself(!), and accused me of a myriad of outrageous things, all to conceal what he really is. He nearly destroyed me. I loved him, or who I thought he was, and he left or was rather, court-ordered to get out, and he never looked back, except to try to achieve vengeance against me. He hasn't seen our …

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LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: Indian girl gets duped online

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Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a woman whom we'll call "Adya." The con that I went through might not be one that would make headline lines with the elaborateness of it. In fact it was kind of petty and cheap. But the emotional damage it has done me has been significant. I am not the trusting carefree person I once was. And like many women and men here I ignored my instincts that's things was Not right. If I had listened to my gut, I would not be where I am emotionally. I was going through a very bad phase. I had just ended what I thought was going to be a wonderful relationship that was going to end up in marriage. We had ended it the worst way possible. I had …

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How sociopaths make us believe them

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[youtube_sc url=https://youtu.be/2LuFOX0Sy_o] The Impostor, a documentary, tells the story of a 13-year-old boy from San Antonio, Texas, who went missing and turned up three years later in Spain. At least, that's what his family believed, and authorities in multiple agencies and countries believed the family. Nicholas Barclay, blond and blue-eyed, was last seen playing basketball on June 13, 1994. In October 1997, authorities from Linares, Spain called to say that he had been found. "Nicholas Barclay," the young man from Spain, claimed that he had been abducted by a child sex ring. "Nicholas Barclay" had brown hair, brown eyes, and spoke with a European accent. The missing …

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From date rape to abuse and violence

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Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Soundra." I met my now ex boyfriend on an online dating site; he contacted me; he was very attractive to me. We texted each other a few times and then he invited me to meet him at his place and then we would go out for a drink. Everything seemed great. He was so nice and gave me compliments and paid for our evening out. We went back to his house to have a nightcap and he got me drunk. He tried to force himself on me. I told him that I was not interested in a one night stand that I wanted a relationship. He continued to try to get in my pants. I tried pushing him away but he overpowered me, pulled down …

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Boston Marathon bombing survivor writes in-your-face letter to Tsarnaev

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Rebekah Gregory was standing at the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013 when one of two pressure-cooker bombs exploded. Three people died. Rebekah was severely injured, and eventually had part of her leg amputated. Rebekah testified at the first day of the trial for accused bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The defendant's attorney admitted that Tsarnaev did it, but plans to argue that he was influenced by his brother, who later died in a shoot out. After testifying, Rebekah posted a letter on her Facebook page. She said, in part: TODAY ”¦ I looked at you right in the face ”¦ and realized I wasn't afraid anymore. And today I realized that sitting across from you was somehow the crazy kind o …

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Abusers are hiding behind S&M

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Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Bernadette." In early 2012, I met a self-described strong alpha male on a dating site. His background was very impressive a vice president at a large IT firm, author, beautiful home, appeared educated, wonderful sense of humor. He would draw you in, he was what I thought I was looking for, what I thought I needed. Our early phone conversations would last for hours and the text messaging was never ending. He was a protector, he would always be a gentleman, keep me safe, what girl would not want that. I fell for him, it seemed like love. What I thought was the best day of my life, became my hell. My …

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CNN reporter calls ISIS a ‘sociopathic death cult’

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Yesterday WNYC public radio host Brian Lehrer Show interviewed CNN's international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. They talked about the phenomenon of people from Europe and North America traveling to the Middle East to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as jihadis. Amanpour described "Jihadi John," the British man who beheaded several Western journalists, recently identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Londoner, as a "psychopath." She also called the ISIS movement a "sociopathic death cult." Listen to the interview. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader.   …

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