Why Some People Can Never Take Accountability: The Psychology of the Entitlement Schema abusive relationships accountability blame shifting coercive control coercive relationships darvo emotional abuse entitlement schema externalisation manipulation in relationships minimisation perpetrator psychology relationship psychology responsibility shifting toxic communication Jun 08, 2026

You rehearse it beforehand, working out how to frame it so it doesn't come across as something it isn't. You keep your voice level, say what you meant to say, and for a few exchanges it almost feels like it might go somewhere. Then, somehow, you are no longer talking about what you raised. You are e...

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Why Smart People End Up in Harmful Relationships - The Psychology Behind It attachment theory attachment wounds coercive control coercive relationships cognitive dissonance darvo emotional abuse emotionally harmful relationships gaslighting manipulation in relationships relational patterns relationship psychology self-trust trauma bonding why people stay May 22, 2026

At some point after a harmful relationship ends, most people arrive at a version of the same question. It might surface at 2am, or in a conversation with a friend who's trying to understand, or just quietly in the background while you're getting on with your day. And the question is some version of:...

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Was It Actually Abuse? The Psychology of Self-Doubt After Emotionally Harmful Relationships coercive control coercive relationships cognitive dissonance darvo emotional abuse emotionally abusive relationships gaslighting manipulation in relationships psychological abuse relationship psychology self-doubt after abuse trauma bonding trust your instincts why do i doubt myself May 11, 2026

One of the most consistent things people say after leaving a psychologically harmful relationship is that they weren't sure - and often still aren't sure - whether what they experienced was "bad enough" to be called abuse.

Not because nothing happened, but because what happened was complicated. The...

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What Is Intermittent Reinforcement - And Why Does It Make Harmful Relationships So Hard to Leave? attachment and trauma coercive control cognitive dissonance darvo emotional abuse intermittent reinforcement nervous system response relationship patterns relationship psychology trauma bonding why can’t i leave May 08, 2026

If you've ever found yourself completely unable to move on from a relationship that you know, logically, wasn't good for you - this doesn't make you irrational or incapable of making good decisions. You're experiencing the predictable psychological aftermath of something very specific. That somethin...

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