[optimisticcynic]

There many distinctions between self-preservation/indecisiveness/ambivalence/being two-faced. Lauren's actions do not seem to be steeped in malice but reflect a desire to be accepted and liked and avoid confrontation. Hence she will interact with those she feels are close and those by whom she is threatened, giving little away to isolate herself, and her discussion of how she really feels isn't really bitching. You may hate half the people you work with but there is no benefit from shouting this from the rooftops on a daily basis. You simply get on as best you can, and whinge to your nearest and dearest when you get home. The inability to put these boundaries in place with constant argument as a result (I think this is the "being real" that everyone seems to aspire to), is actually the pathological behaviour and gets people nowhere in the real world.