This “deep dive” podcast explains why some individuals react negatively to love by being cruel to their partners, suggesting this behavior stems from traumatic childhood experiences. These individuals may initially be warm and loving, but as the relationship deepens, they can become distant, unreliable, and even hurtful.

The article posits that they are unconsciously repeating patterns of mistreatment they endured from their own caregivers, projecting their past pain onto their current partners. Ultimately, it is suggested that escaping such a relationship may be necessary as the partner is often unable to acknowledge or change their destructive behavior, and true love is inherently kind and never inflicts pain.

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