Anonymous asked this question on 4/27/2000:
What is Emotional Abuse?
DoveWingsT gave this response on 4/27/2000:
Emotional/psychological abuse -- where one partner continuously degrades or belittles the other or accuses the other of being stupid, unattractive, a bad parent, unfaithful or any other similar fault -- can indicate domestic violence or the potential for domestic violence.
Although emotional, psychological and financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of domestic violence and can lead to criminal abuse.
Examples of emotional abuse:
Putting someone down Making someone feel bad about him/herself Making someone think he/she's crazy Playing mind games Humiliating someone Making someone feel guilty Asserting "Male Privilege" Making all the big decisions *Acting like the "Master of the castle" Being the one to define men's and women's roles Using one's economic power to control another Preventing someone from getting or keeping a job Making a partner ask for money Giving a partner an allowance Taking a partner's money Not letting a partner know about or have access to family income Controlling others through coercion and threats Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt another Threatening to leave or commit suicide Threatening to report someone to the authorities Making a partner drop charges Making a partner do illegal things Controlling others through intimidation Making someone afraid by using looks, gestures, or actions Smashing things Abusing Pets Displaying Weapons Controlling others through the children Making a partner feel guilty about the children Using the children to relay messages Using visitation to harass a partner Threatening to take the children away Controlling others thorugh isolation Controlling what a partner does, who he/she sees and talks to, what he/she reads and where he/she goes Limiting a partner's outside involvement Using jealousy to justify one's actions Controlling a partner through minimizing, denying and blaming Making light of the abuse and not taking a partner's concerns about it seriously Saying the abuse didn't happen Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior Saying, "She caused it."
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