3 Characters in The Psychopath's Love Triangle

There are three main characters in a psychopath's love triangle. Each with very specific masks they must apply:

1) You: Unlike the normal shame felt during a cheating relationship, the psychopath actually goes out of their way to ensure you know about their infidelities, without ever admitting to them. This involves openly flirting with others (often over Facebook), bragging to you about all of the people who want to sleep with them, and calling you crazy & jealous when you react accordingly. The mask is covert, ambiguous, condescending, pseudo-concerned, and always trying to keep you doubting the relationship.

2) The New Target: Unlike with you, the psychopath is not interested in torturing the new target yet. Instead, they use your pending self-destruction to lure in the next victim, the "favorite". As they watch you fall apart, it is easy to point at your desperate texts and evoke sympathy from the new target about how crazy you've gotten. The psychopath will put the new target on a pedestal, explaining how much happier they feel now. The new target will feel elated, being the one to save the psychopath from their supposedly abusive partner (you). The mask is innocent, sympathetic, pity-filled, and very flattering.

3) The Fan Club: The psychopath also needs to keep a close watch on their supply of friendships. Even the least perceptive person in the world could notice when a relationship coup is happening. So instead of openly cheating and replacing (like they do with you), the psychopath must be more careful. They will engage in serious talks with their friends about how much the current relationship is hurting them, and start to hand out shallow praise as a way to ensure loyalty. This is preemptive damage control, to make sure they remain in a favorable light even after the obvious cheating. They want to be sure their fan club is there to clap louder than ever before when they put the new target on display, showing just how perfect their new life is. Every bit of support they get from their friends is another nail in the coffin to triangulate you and make you wonder how in the world anyone could support this person. The mask is schmoozing, charming, self-victimizing, and ultimately very cheerful when it comes time to parade the new target, receiving all of the support & congratulations they crave.

Think about the amount of calculation & planning it must take to pull this off. They are cunning, cold, and very aware of their own behavior. They take on three different personas in order to make you doubt your own sanity. This is not accidental, and it is not insensitive. It is pure evil.

To learn more about the way psychopaths manipulate, check out the Psychopath Free book

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