Sinistar said:
...You have great insight on this topic dude!!! Although I can never be positive, I am quite sure I ran into one of these myself. They are the ultimate mind fvkc + emotional vampire somehow wrapped up into the same individual.
We all discuss the father's role in the daugher's development, but their mothers have such great potential to wreak havoc. In the case I speak of I knew the woman's grandmother was a wicked alcoholic. My guess is that her mother in-turn raised this woman in the way you describe above (although I never met her to confirm it). And every time this chick got herself into trouble it was always the guys fault for not taking care of her and *doing the right thing* especially when there was alcohol involved (and there always seemed to be).
These types are the ultimate mind fvck because when you meet them it's as if they are exactly who you want them to be. And they typically need rescuing/saving so when she crosses paths with the AFC (with this mentality) it's like the match was made in he11. Then as soon as the guy reveals his feelings (most likely first, AFC) that mirror stops reflecting and you see what's really behind it.
I like to think of myself as a pretty decent, easy going guy. However, had I known then what I know now I would have given her a much different ending. These types are crushed by receiving their own treatment. I wish I would have just started dating someone else and never revealed my feelings. Then eventually, almost as if on a whim tell her i found someone better and then vanish. They are programmed to do this. They are not programmed to receive it. Ironically, it is probably only experiences extreme as this that might lead them towards help because I swear 101% of them will deny it.
A great way to dig a bit deeper early on. Ask them the last time they got together as a family and what they did together. Believe me, it won't take long and you'll start hearing "my brother doesn't talk to my mom any more", or "I haven't visited my mom in years", etc, etc, etc. Some covert digging into the family will not sit well with them. With a decent woman who has a decent family she won't be able to wait to have you meet them and do things together.
There is one positive outcome to this though. Experiencing this is stressfull enough for a guy that during the sh!tty part afterwards, his receiver is open to DJ programming - the AW'ish wackjobs are like subprograms in the matrix who's purpose is to destroy AFC's with the unexpected side-effect of unplugging a few along the way.
Excellent insights guys.
As I was reading your post it really struck a chord with me. I recently came out of a relationship with a girl who is very much like what you described above...so much becomes clear when the storm blows over.
I was with her for 2 years and our relationship was consistently tumultuous. She had MAJOR family issues from day one, which I was too AFC to acknowledge at first, and too emotionally wrapped up in her after that to leave her. But, even as an AFC, i realized that there were HUGE red flags in her family life. Her mother was extremely passive-aggressive, and they would fight almost daily when she was home. Often they would go weeks without speaking to each other...in the same house!! Her dad seemed to be a good man, but he never spoke. He was good to his daughters, but had no active role in helping anything, he just stayed quiet and did his thing. One of her sisters was a certifiable bipolar/alcoholic, and they hung out all the time. The others were either moved out or constantly at odds with their mom.
In retrospect i have noticed that when she did hang out with her psycho sister on a daily basis, our relationship went to sh!t...she got this flippant b!tchy attitude with me and we would fight about ridiculous issues.
She also had an abusive past with an ex-bf, which played a huge role in our dysfunctionality as well.
But far and away the most impossible hurdle to overcome was her family. I was with her for 2 years and was NEVER invited to come home w/ her to meet her family. I met a few of her sisters casually, and her dad once when he dropped her off...but in two years i went to her parents house ONCE, and that was when they werent home. I would often ask her about it, and she usually told me that she didnt want me to meet them, for vague reasons. Also, her family had TERRIBLE communication skills, which she assimilated and carried into our relationship.
Not to say that every minute with her was hell, because it wasnt. When she lived up here at school, our relationship was 10x better. But every time she made that weekend trip home, she would come back with a load of baggage and a chip on her shoulder. It usually took us few days to get back to 'normal'.
There were other issues too, but looking back i think this was the crux of why it was such a difficult relationship.
If you do become aware of red flags, i have learned it is ALWAYS better to jump ship than to 'wait and see' if its really a concern.
We have been split for a few weeks now, and somewhere along the line I took that red pill. Even though i still miss her and have roiling emotions at times, i cant help but see things now for what they really were, and are. I had all of this DJ knowledge while we were together, but i wasnt a self sufficient MAN; i never made that internal transition to manhood.
Deep down, I think i looked to her for validation as a man, to a degree, and that's part of my own piece that i have to own. My father actually pointed this out to me, and i knew he was right.
More is revealed every day. Good thread.