@CityGirl: And what is the point of adding more hurt? I will never understand it. Ever.
The only theory I've been offered, and it seems like a fairly persuasive one as I chew it over, is that it's either (or both) of Displacement -- separation of emotion from its real object and redirection of the intense emotion toward someone or something that is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid dealing directly with what is frightening or threatening -- or Distortion -- a gross reshaping of external reality to meet internal needs.
IOW, WAS must do this rather than confront the reality s/he has created, even though it is presumably a reality s/he wanted.
Sounds VERY cognitive dissonanc"y" and cognitive distortion"y."
