Topics: Crime, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships, Education
To be honest, it's something you don't really want to be thinking about at any point in your life, but knowing whether you partner is planning to kill you could save your life.
Unfortunately, far too many stories have come out in recent months where a person has been tragically killed by a controlling partner.
The statistics are quite staggering really, with six women killed, five from alleged violence by men, in Australia in the past ten days.
The tragic murder of Lilie James at the St. Andrew’s Cathedral School has made media headlines recently, with an epidemic of men murdering women really taking to the forefront in Australia.
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None of us can really get into the mind of a murderer, though a psychologist has revealed some of the common traits people who kill their partners show.
In a column for News.com.au, criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro explained how the first red flag is love bombing.
He explained: "Upon meeting their prospective partner, the woman is showered with affection, gifts and intense attention. Whilst this may be flattering, it may well also signal more insidious psychological forces operating within the male."
The psychologist went on to say these individuals tend to move faster to quickly achieve that relationship status, where a pattern of controlling can then take place.
"This may include coercive control, where the male insists on knowing his partner’s whereabouts, attempts to block ongoing relationships with family and close friends, and demands increasing exclusive time," Watson-Munro went on.
"Objections to this are met with emotional withdrawal such as silent treatment, denigration attacking a person’s self-esteem and eventually, an escalating pattern of violence which may involve breaking furniture, artefacts and then assaulting the victim."
On his next common trait, Watson-Munro revealed that gaslighting is a popular tool used to achieve control.
This involves the controlling partner denying the partner’s reality, essentially causing them to question their judgement, and even question their sanity in some cases.
Watson-Munro added: "Other factors may include substance use with alcohol and drugs impacting upon the offender’s judgment and impulse control, making it more likely that they will act in a violent manner."
The psychologist has been studying such traits for a while, as he explained in his column: "The dynamics surrounding domestic murder are multifactorial and complex. As a criminal psychologist, I have examined and reported upon many offenders who have killed their partners and it is clear that they possess a number of common, persistent personality traits."
