The Sociopathic Style™

The Sociopathic Style™ is an ongoing educational and research project created by Marion Trent and John McCormick. Together, they have identified a relationship style that undoubtedly has touched every person on earth. It is a relationship style first discovered in their work with victims of sociopaths.

When we look at the news, it becomes clear that there is a significant increase in the reports of sociopathic behavior in our society.

• Scott Peterson is convicted of killing his wife and unborn baby. His mistress testifies in court to his conning her into believing he loves her.
• A young boy on an Indian reservation walks into a school on a killing spree.
• A mother drowns her babies in a tub.
• A father walks into a Texas school and shoots a teacher because his child had a failing grade.
• Enron scandal and other significant executive and corporate crimes.

These are but a few of the news items that hit our media daily and the focus is mainly on the perpetrator.

Trent and McCormick began their focus on the victims of sociopaths who did not make the media, but who number in the thousands or even millions.

A central theme for all victims was a significant drop in vital life energy with attendant fear and depression, a serious shift to low self-esteem and self-doubt, a loss of sense of direction in life and a serious questioning of spiritual values.

In their work beginning with support groups for victims of sociopathic relationships, they discovered a relationship style operative in the victim as well as the sociopath.

In some cases, the victims got into a relationship with a diagnosable sociopath and were true victims. However, there emerged another pattern that seemed broader and more complex. Many of the victims had been in similar relationships before and repeatedly sought out other sociopaths with whom to be in a relationship. In addition, they were blind to what seemed to be an obvious relationship pattern. It became clear that some victims played a role in the relationship dynamics.

Even more interesting, relationships that began as somewhat normal, developed into true sociopathic relationships. It was evident that the perpetrators became sociopaths only in the relationship process. It is widely recognized that there are people who can be diagnosed as sociopaths (or psychopaths) according to the guidelines of mental health diagnostic protocols. However, The Sociopathic Style™ addresses a relationship style that is not necessarily diagnosable by consulting only an individual.

They believe this dysfunctional relationship style, or relationship dis-ease, is the spiritual source of all addictions and child - spousal - sexual abuse. As well as the abuse of power in business and personal relationships.

Marion Trent and John McCormick also recognize it is essential to view the problem from the perspective that is different from the traditional psychiatric perspective. Rather than a static diagnosis of a person, they look at the a dynamic evaluation of a relationship system that uses as a perceptual base the tradition of ego psychology, a family systems approach and a life energy approach as it applies to the body. It includes an understanding of spiritual dynamics in human systems.

It is with this approach that they have been able to develop critical survival tools. These tools permit early recognition of the dynamics -- permitting the prevention of (further) victimization -- as well as insights and procedures vital to the recovery process.

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