Episode 175: Warning Signs: The Story of Chris Watts with Lena Derhally

Lena Derhally is back on the show! Last time we talked about social media narcissism and other harmful effects of using social media. This time she joins me to talk about Chris Watts, who was the topic of her book My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer.  

On August 13, 2018, Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann and two young daughters. Why is this story important for all to hear and especially those listening to this podcast? It’s important because it’s a case study of narcissism and the warning signs we all might miss. In Lena’s book (and this episode) Lena pieces together the crime, the events leading up to it, and her beliefs about the “why.”

Lena Derhally is a Washington DC-based licensed and Imago certified psychotherapist in private practice. She is the author of the Amazon True Crime and Criminology bestseller, My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer, and the forthcoming pop psychology book, The Facebook Narcissist: How to Identify and Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Social Media Narcissism.

Show Highlights

• What led to Chris’s confession of murdering his wife and children (5:59)
• Psychopaths don’t have the same empathy or attachments as others, but they can learn to mimic the emotions and experiences of others around them (15:05)
• How to use this story as a way to protect yourself or spot red flags (24:14)
• The shame and blame of victims of intimate partner violence (43:21)
• Once a partner starts devaluing you, it is time to question what you want/don’t want from your relationship (54:22)