Dear SSS:

Thank you for the detailed example. Kit was nice enough to loan Peg $100. Several months later, Peg was feeling quite comfortable and pleased about keeping the $100, and not paying it back. But alas, Kit asked for the money back, and Peg got angry, as in: how dare Kit take away my comfort and pleasure at keeping the money???

So, she lied, saying that the $100 was a gift. Later, Peg unintentionally admitted that indeed the $100 was a loan, not a gift. And when she realized that you caught her in the lie, she got angry and attacked you.

My mother was frequently angry at me and wanted to hurt me, so to justify hurting me, she lied and said that I was trying to hurt her (offering made-up details to support her lie), and proceeded to hurt me, as a sort of payback.

anita