LOVE BOMBING AND COERCIVE CONTROL
Johnny first met Amber when she was 23 and he was 46 and they started dating when she was 25 and he was 48. He had already been married and divorced before Amber was even born. Depp was one of the biggest and highest paid actors at the time they started dating, while she was a relatively unknown up and coming actress. Depp displayed what is known as love bombing. Very early in the relationship a love bomber showers the other with lavish gifts, affection, and attention. It's a form of emotional manipulation to gain control of the other person's emotions. It leads to confusion and trauma once the love bomber's true self is revealed.
From the beginning there was a massive power imbalance in the relationship. The texts and emails from the trial showed how much he hated and attempted to control her career. He considered her ambition and desire to work to be a bad thing. As the relationship progressed, she took fewer and fewer roles and had to hide kissing or s3x scenes from Depp due to his jealousy and desire to control where she was and who she was with. The incident where he kicked her on the plane stemmed from his jealousy over her shooting a movie with James Franco, a much younger man. The goal is to make the other person dependent on them in every way possible. Depp had taken Amber's car under the guise of having it fixed and she was often forced to go everywhere with one of his drivers. This gave him the added control of knowing where she was a lot of the time, and his security could report back to him what she was doing and who she was with.
Depp consistently portrayed himself as the victim, denying any responsibility for causing harm while attributing his issues to Heard. This pattern involved denying any wrongdoing, launching personal attacks against Heard, and shifting the blame onto her. Depp's strategy of playing the victim allowed him to deflect accountability and maintain control over the narrative. By denying his actions and presenting himself as the one being wronged, he attempted to invalidate Heard's claims and cast doubt on her credibility. This tactic often aims to manipulate public perception and create doubt about the true dynamics of the relationship. Depp also employed these tactics during trial.
DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. It is a psychological defense mechanism often used by individuals, particularly in situations where they are being held accountable for their behavior.
DARVO typically involves three steps:
1. Deny: The person first denies any wrongdoing or responsibility for their actions. They may refuse to acknowledge their behavior or claim that it did not happen as described.
2. Attack: Next, the person may attack the credibility or character of the person who is confronting them. They might deflect blame by criticizing the other person's motives, actions, or behavior instead.
3. Reverse Victim and Offender: In this stage, the person reverses the roles, portraying themselves as the victim and the accuser as the offender. They might claim that they are the ones being unjustly treated or misunderstood, effectively flipping the situation.
DARVO is often employed in situations where there is a power imbalance or when someone wants to avoid accountability. It can be an effective manipulation tactic to evade responsibility and maintain control over a situation. However, it can also contribute to gaslighting and emotional abuse by invalidating the experiences and concerns of the genuine victim.