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 …
‘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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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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Are clinical “continuums” silly?
The narcissistic continuum? The psychopathic continuum? The sociopath explained as being someone located at the apex of the narcissistic continuum? Are clinical continuums silly? Maybe they are. How “nice” are you? Well, maybe you're somewhere on a continuum of “niceness.” At the apex, you are a super-nice individual; in the middle, sometimes very nice, sometimes less so; at the nadir, you are just an incredibly “un-nice” (or “mean”) person. Hmmm. Wow. Somehow this doesn't seem like a newsflash. How sloppy are you? Well, couldn't Robert Hare have developed clinically a “sloppiness” (versus a psychopathic) measure that places all of us somewhere on a “sloppiness” continuum. Wit …
Yet another military fake
Brian Khan of Harrisburg claimed to be a Marine who served in Afghanistan. He had everyone fooled, including a documentary filmmaker and his own kids. Read Harrisburg man who faked being a Marine even fooled his family, brother says, on PennLive.com. Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader. …
Domestic violence and the high-risk personality disorders
Certain personality types are at high risk of perpetrating domestic violence. I want to emphasize physical domestic violence here. As in my last article, the borderline, narcissistic and sociopathic personalities lead the risk pack here. Let's look first at the borderline personality. The borderline personality is a powder-keg of rage prone to detonate at any experience of a perceived wound, insult, threat of abandonment or (as a less appreciated match to their rage), threat to their malignant pride. Sound pretty narcissistic? Welcome to the synergy between these two personality types. The borderline personality, much like many narcissists, is littered with “rage mines” that can “tr …
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Malingering and psychopathy: a likely connection
By: Linda Hartoonian Almas, M.S. Ed There may be a correlation between psychopathy and malingering. Some studies support that increased PCL-R (psychopathy checklist) scores correspond with an increased potential for malingering, while others are less conclusive. Regardless, if psychopathic individuals, or those with such features, seek to gain or avoid something through manipulations, they are good at bringing their intentions to fruition. What is malingering? Malingering is defined as intentionally making up or exaggerating medical or mental symptoms in an attempt to avoid one or a variety of responsibilities. It is an intentional misrepresentation of facts in an effort to app …