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In this episode of Adult Nonfiction, we explore reputational harm—the slow, cumulative damage caused by smear campaigns, rumor-spreading, exclusion, and group bullying in workplaces, neighbourhoods, parent communities, and social circles. We unpack why adults engage in these patterns, how group dynamics can escalate cruelty while disguising it as “concern,” and why repetitional harm can be deeply destabilizing even when no single incident seems “serious enough.” This episode offers practical, non-inflammatory strategies for targets and bystanders, including language to interrupt rumours, ways to document patterns, and how to protect your nervous system while rebuilding credibility and support.

Adult Nonfiction begins with a story—about disbelief, survival, and the quiet work of rebuilding after psychological abuse. In this solo introduction, the host explains the meaning behind the podcast’s name and why certain forms of harm between adults are so often minimized or ignored.

This episode introduces the themes of the show, including coercive control, stalking, bullying, smear campaigns and relational aggression, and explains the podcast’s mission: education over accusation, understanding over judgment. Future episodes will feature legal, medical, and academic experts who help translate lived experience of adult bullying into language that legal systems recognize.

DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) is a calculated strategy to evade accountability by flipping the roles of the accuser and the accused.

Research identifies three distinct phases that perpetrators use to manipulate social and legal systems:

• Denial: The offender outright rejects the wrongdoing, claiming "it never happened" or "you’re exaggerating".
• Attack: Instead of addressing the core issue, the offender attacks the victim's credibility, character, or sanity to shift the focus.
• Reverse Victim and Offender (RVO): The perpetrator assumes the victim role, claiming they are the ones being harassed or "falsely accused," thereby making the true victim feel guilty or like the aggressor.
• This is linked to Institutional DARVO, where systems like the courts or police may inadvertently support the perpetrator’s narrative, causing further trauma to the victim.