High Conflict Personalities in Law

High Conflict Personality and Counseling

Counselors who do not understand the dynamics of narcissism, sociopathy, and coercive control may unknowingly assist an abusive person by unintentionally colluding in the dynamic. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “blaming the victim” by assuming s/he can simply extricate him/herself from a relationship dynamic that is more akin to Stockholm Syndrome than “codependence” or “love addiction.” I speak on these topics to help therapists not only enhance their understanding so that results may better serve their clients, but also to avoid the Board complaints that can ensue when clients feel harmed by a professional’s lack of awareness.

High Conflict Personality and Law

It shouldn’t surprise us that lawyers often find themselves working with high conflict people! After all, when a person needs a lawyer, s/he is often facing some kind of crisis. Under the best of circumstances, a person who is normally calm may become stressed; but a person who is normally stressed or has a personality disorder may become particularly high conflict! People who are high conflict may be those who take a highly adversarial approach to litigation even when it is against self interest to do so, or those who are adversarial even with their own lawyers. These are people who may put you at risk by misrepresenting facts to the court, enlist you to take on a “scorched earth” approach unnecessarily, take out their aggressions on you, or may ultimately file bar complaints. It’s a lawyer’s job to be able to identify the red flags to these behaviors to save time, money, and human resource. I can help you understand these dynamics to address them optimally to the benefit of all.