Sabotage - The spontaneous disruption of calm or status quo in order to serve a personal interest, provoke a conflict or draw attention.
Description:
In relationship sabotage, some form of chaos or crisis is manufactured and introduced into the center of the relationship.
Active examples of sabotaging behaviors include sudden verbal accusations or rages, feigning illness, quitting a job, having an affair, wrecking a car, spending a large sum of money, destruction or theft of property and self-destructive behaviors such as self-injury or suicide.
Passive forms of sabotage also exist, including withdrawal of co-operation, failure to keep promises, silent treatment, prolonged physical or emotional absence, abandonment of shared values or inappropriate exposure of shared property and finances to risk.
There are three primary motivations for sabotage:
Narcissistic Sabotage - Narcissistic Sabotage is any action designed to hurt, or damage the interests of another person or group for the purpose of making a direct, personal gain.
Provocative Sabotage - Provocative Sabotage is any action designed to hurt or damage the interests of another person or group for the purpose of provoking a reaction from them.
Histrionic Sabotage - Histrionic Sabotage is any action designed to hurt or damage the interests of another person or group for the purpose of drawing attention to oneself or to earn a reputation.
Narcissistic Sabotage is easier to comprehend, since there is a clear and immediate payoff for the saboteur - be it short-lived. Narcissistic sabotage may be open or covert. Some narcissists may secretly sabotage another person so they can feel more powerful and successful themselves. Others may do it more openly.
Provocative Sabotage is one level more complex. The gain for the saboteur comes from the ensuing conflict or chaos - usually a conflict which the provocative saboteur has calculated that they can "win" or make indirect gains from.
Histrionic is less obvious. The gain for the saboteur is the attention itself. The histrionic saboteur may seek infamy, fame, recognition or significance in the eyes of the victim and in the eyes of any witnesses. The loss the victim suffers is rationalized as a means to an end.
Acts of sabotage are usually tools a person will use in an attempt to try to feel better about themselves. The net result of all three types of sabotage is the same: the saboteur gets something they want and the victim loses something they wanted to keep.
Examples of Sabotage:
Narcissistic Sabotage -
A teenage son steals your money to buy drugs.
A co-worker secretly gives a bad report about you to your boss.
A spouse spends the household monthly budget on a luxury purchase.
Provocative Sabotage -
A co-worker publicly insults you in a meeting
You arrive home to find your music collection ransacked and destroyed.
A former girlfriend sends you 20 insulting text messages in a day.
Histrionic Sabotage -
A schoolyard bully hits you to look tough in front of his friends.
A former girlfriend throws a drink over you at a party.
Your girlfriend flirts and has affairs with your friends.
Coping With Sabotage:
Acts of sabotage are forms of abuse - plain and simple. If someone sabotages you or sabotages something important to you they are abusing you.
Acts of Sabotage are clear signals from an individual that it is time to stop working on "us" and time to begin working on "you". You can't live at peace with a saboteur any more than a hamster can live at peace with a cat.
If a person's intent is to "beat" you or run right past you - then probably your best reaction is to let them go. Narcissists are fighting a war for superiority in their own heads and the sooner they feel superior to you, the sooner they will leave you alone. Protect your assets and get yourself out of the fast lane.
Provocative Saboteurs and histrionic saboteurs are more of a problem. If someone is looking for a fight you can't just reason with them that you don't want to fight. They will just up the ante and increase the stakes until you are forced to engage. You will either have to give them the fight they want or disappear.
Disappearing is by far the easier of the 2 options - if a provocateur can’t find you they can’t fight with you. Remove yourself and any assets or treasures you may have from a provocateur - as far as is possible and remove yourself from their company. They can’t hit you if you are not there. Many people who have had trouble dealing with persistent provocation from a person with a personality disorder have decided to go “No Contact” - where they cut off all forms of personal contact including text, phone and internet correspondence. Some people also obtain legal restraining orders to protect themselves and their families from a saboteur.
If you feel you are being victimized by a saboteur but feel unable to disappear from them, you may need to get help. Many people stay in abusive situations for many years because they feel trapped. Here are some of the more common reasons people give for staying in an abusive relationship:
I can't afford to leave - I have no money of my own.
I don't believe in divorce - I made a vow.
I am staying for the kids. I don't want them to grow up in a broken home.
Most of the time things are fantastic. It's just once in a while...
They are my parents. I can't abandon them.
He/she needs me and has made great progress. It would really destroy him/her if I left.
These are arguments that are used over and over again by abuse victims to justify their position in staying and keeping their children exposed to an abusive environment. Most abusers are intelligent enough to already know you probably have these feelings, and are relying on them to sustain their own status quo.
What NOT to do:
Don't stay in an abusive environment. Get yourself and any children away from an abuser.
Don't argue or try to reason with an abuser. Abusers aren't looking for the truth. They want to feel better about themselves.
Don't retaliate with an abuser. You will only give them cover - or justification for their own abusive behaviors.
Don't compete with an abusive person. Healthy competition is great. Unhealthy competition damages both parties.
Don't pretend it's not that big a deal. It takes very little abuse to hurt a person significantly.
Don't let yourself become isolated. Talk to people who care and share your story.
Don't just do nothing and hope "it will go away". Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes.
Don't pretend to yourself that you can "fix" another person who has a personality disorder.
What TO do:
Get support. Talk to people who care and who understand personality disorders.
Promptly remove yourself and any children from any abuse you may be experiencing.
Remove any important assets and properties from harm's way.
Forgive yourself for your past mistakes and move on to a healthier set of choices.
For More Information & Support...
If you suspect you may have a family member or loved-one who suffers from a personality disorder, we encourage you to learn all you can and surround yourself with support as you learn how to cope.
Five years ago, a photographer, an engineer, a writer, an office manager, a grandmother, a graphic artist, a law student, a husband, a librarian, and a stained-glass artisan came together to connect a diverse, isolated population in search of information, support, and growth as they strive to cope with a family members, spouses or partners who suffer from a personality disorder. Since its launch on November 1, 2007, Out Of The FOG has grown from a fledgling discussion group with 10 participants, to a vibrant community of over 4000 registered members world-wide, with new members joining every day.
On August 31 2012, the Out of the FOG Support Forum crossed two significant milestones - 100,000 member posts and 10,000 topics. Thanks to all who participate and contribute to the OOTF support board, which is a unique source of support to non-personality-disordered individuals all over the world.
