ABSTRACT
Ominous, right? Grooming behaviors sound like a pedophile trying to lure a child to his van with candy and promises of puppies and kittens. And the term is best understood in that context, lowering the natural defenses by playing on themes of attention, fun, pleasure, and flattery. While some grooming behaviors are rather unsophisticated, such as coercive pressuring or aggressive flirtation,
others are subtler, like slowly isolating a person from his or her support group and friends or making negative comments about the way the person dresses or behaves to lower his or her self-esteem.
