Category: Abusers
Weaponized Attachment and Emotional Captivity Isn’t Codependency
Weaponized attachment can make someone feel like an emotional hostage, especially when an abuser uses closeness, withdrawal and intermittent reinforcement to maintain control. What looks like codependency may instead reflect trauma bonding, coercive control and emotional captivity. People often describe those who struggle to leave controlling relationships as codependent, needy or addicted to chaos. But…
Coercive Control Is About Taking Away Someone Else’s Freedom
Coercive control is not simply about someone being difficult or controlling. It is much more than that. Coercive control is about taking away someone else’s freedom. It involves manipulation, control and other methods, such as intermittent reinforcement, which I wrote about here. It begins when one person interferes with another person’s freedom to choose, decide…
What Does The Trolley Problem Reveal About Psychopathy?
The trolley problem and psychopathy present a disturbing moral dilemma. A runaway trolley is heading towards five people who cannot escape. You can pull a lever to divert it onto another track, but one person will then die instead. What does the trolley problem reveal about psychopathy and impulsive manipulative behaviour? A more extreme version…