Quote From: normanohioAbsolutely.
Sonja appears to be a crazy person.
She is insensitive, self centered, volatile, and manipulative.
She thrives on causing drama and turmoil in family.
She twists everything around to be a personal insult and accepts no blame for anything she has done.
It is likely Sonja person has a narcissistic personality disorder.
These people create absolute chaos in their families. But Doctor Phil has a blind spot in recognizing these people for what they are. The closest he comes to recognizing them is to call them right fighters And then misplaces blame to others in the family by stating you deserve each other. The chaos created by these people is 100% the fault of the person with NPD. Families will say things in response because they dont understand what they are dealing with and still want to believe they are dealing with a normal person. For the most part, any improper actions or statements by other family members are a reaction to a difficult situation. But they did not cause this situation.
Using the will as a weapon - This is a tactic I am quite familiar with from a family member with this personality. This attempt to control people with money is a symptom of the BPD.
I doubt that Dr Phil can fix this situation with family counseling.
Allowing Sonja to eavesdrop on the conversation between the sisters was wrong. It was a betrayal of trust to the daughter. Under normal conditions, it would be illegal. For a person with NPD (Sonja) it will produce no understanding and only provide more issues and statements to use against the out-of-favor family member.
I don't think Dr. Phil has a blind spot. I think he is just very
careful not to label someone for legal reasons. He is there to bring
peace to a family not to diagnose someones psychosis.
I do think Sonja has issues but it does take two to make a fight.
Sonja didn't get this way over night. Her daughter knew what she was
getting herself into when she purchased this property with her mother.
She had her own motives for getting into this situation and if she
wanted to avoid the control issues that her mother is exhibiting than
she should have steered clear of getting into a business deal with her.
Perhaps it was done through Sonja's manipulation. I don't know. But in
my experience when it comes to avoiding a controlling person from
taking over your life you don't agree to share property and live so
close together. Lisa should have known better.
I think if Lisa wants a relationship with her sister she needs to sit back and let Sara realize for herself through this experience that her mother is the root of her sisters distance. A loving mother doesn't pin her daughters against one another for her own selfish reasons. I am really curious to see how Dr. Phil can work this one out.
