Why Does Verbal Murder Happen?

People become verbal murderers for several reasons. Some murderers act unconsciously—they couldn't tell you why, but something deep within their psyches allows them to act in such a “toxic” manner. Other murderers are quite conscious. They know exactly why they speak to you the way they do. The following section explores both the subconscious and conscious reasons for verbal murder.
All too often, people who say and do ugly things to you have no idea why they treated you that way. Even if you sit them down and ask them point blank why they act as they do, they can't answer you. They know only that for some unknown reason, you seem to bring out the worst in them, perhaps stimulating their deepest fears.