Q: I grew up an extremely shy kid. I was an only child and lived in a big house in the woods with very busy parents. My parents were wonderful, but didn’t communicate well, didn’t show emotions, and had really high expectations. Growing up, I had very few friends and very little to no social [...]

Q: I have read Dr George Simon’s description of psychological manipulation techniques. (Editor’s note: see Dr Simon’s series on Manipulation Tactics and Impression Management and Tools of Personal Empowerment: How Not to Be Manipulated. Also see Psychopathy 101.) I believe that I match a lot of those. I can also say that I exhibit characteristics [...]

Q: I think your column is great, and I would appreciate any feedback if you get a chance to answer. My partner is driving me nuts. I’m not trusting him and I feel like he’s being passive-aggressive. When we first met, he broke up with someone he’d had an affair with. When he told me [...]

Q: I was with my ex for almost five years. We broke up about four months ago. I am finding it really hard to move on. I keep churning over everything in my mind. We had a great first year together. She had some commitment issues but worked through them somewhat. After two years, she [...]

Q: I have heard the term “passive-aggressive” many times and I am aware of some of the characteristics of this type of behavior. Some people I know exhibit what I would consider “passive-aggressive” behavior because the label seems to best explain their behavior. However, I think their behavior doesn’t really fit the clinical definition of [...]

Q: About two months ago my fiancé of three years broke up with me for reasons unknown to me after he moved to find employment in another state. During the last two years of our relationship we fought continually. I was blamed for causing each and every fight. At the beginning, I didn’t believe that [...]

Q: I am worried that I am in a relationship with an emotional abuser. I want to get out of the relationship but I don’t know how. He is a very romantic person which makes it more difficult to think about leaving. A: Abusive individuals can use a variety of tactics to manipulate and control [...]