Codependency is a bit of a buzzword—a term we hear mentioned frequently but may not quite understand. Perhaps you think you know: It’s when two partners can’t function without each other, right? Not quite—and it’s not the same as relationship anxiety. Understanding codependent behaviors starts with examining how they can…
This past year, you (and fellow Thriveworks.com readers) read our articles 3,920,946 times — for a total of 2,940,710 minutes or 49,011 hours! That’s a lot of reading and learning about your mental health. We couldn’t think of a better way to spend your time — but we did wonder…
Camille and Amma couldn’t be more different. Camille is a 30-something journalist who prefers to stay under the radar. Amma, on the other hand, is her more outgoing and rebellious kid sister. That said, there is one common thread between them: their mother Adora. Or more specifically, her abuse. If…
When I was a teenager, there was a girl at another school — let’s call her Allison — who was notorious for telling “little white lies,” but eventually she told a big lie with big implications. It was just another dull day in math class when an alarm began to…
We deem an individual “narcissistic” when they’re overly self-centered, they make every conversation about them, and they make selfish decisions. But many of us don’t realize that there is a personality disorder characterized by overblown self-importance called narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). So, what’s the difference between having narcissistic tendencies and…
The idea of brainwashing had a viral moment in the 1950s when the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) decided to wage psychological warfare against Communism. Project MKUltra secretly experimented with “mind control” techniques, dosing people with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) without their consent. In fact, at one point the CIA…
Narcissists are self-absorbed. They often dominate conversations, manipulate their loved ones, and engage in deceptive behaviors for profit. You might try to steer clear of these disingenuous individuals, but you might also fall victim to their manipulation. So, how do they accomplish this? How do narcissists control you? And how…
Q: I have a friend that I think might be a manipulative narcissist and we definitely aren’t on good terms right now. They’re part of a larger group of friends that I hang out with pretty often. Basically, they tend to monopolize all of our conversations, and usually only talk…
This was supposed to be the year when we collectively recovered from our pandemic trauma, found greater happiness in the workplace, and renewed loving relationships with our friends, our family, and ourselves. Did it all happen the way we mapped it out last New Year’s Eve? Probably not. But based…
Perhaps it’s something about the magnetic allure of narcissistic personalities — or maybe it’s our own dark, inner desires to focus intensely on ourselves that spark interest in narcissism. Whatever the case, we know a lot about the extroverted, grandiose persona typically associated with narcissists — but introverts can be…
We’ve already shown how destructive cults and manipulative marketing tactics can weaponize extreme psychological influence. But what about a form of “mind control” that doesn’t have an industry or a social scaffolding behind it? Manipulation by an intimate partner can feel even more insidious because it’s perpetrated by someone you…
Whether you’re concerned about a friend, a family member, or even yourself, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if someone is self-absorbed or rightfully confident. On the outside, these character traits can look very much the same: successful, bold, and charismatic. Beneath the surface, though, the self-absorption that comes…