Psychological abuse involves the regular and deliberate use of a range of words and non-physical actions used with the purpose to manipulate, hurt, weaken or frighten a person mentally and emotionally; and/or distort, confuse or influence a person's thoughts and actions within their everyday lives, changing their sense ...
It's sometimes called psychological abuse. Emotional abuse can involve deliberately trying to scare, humiliate, isolate or ignore a child. Emotional abuse is often a part of other kinds of abuse, which means it can be difficult to spot the signs or tell the difference, though it can also happen on its own.
Emotional or psychological abuse
Emotional abuse often coexists with other forms of abuse, and it is the most difficult to identify. Many of its potential consequences, such as learning and speech problems and delays in physical development, can also occur in children who are not being emotionally abused.
These conditions include genetic, congenital, and other disorders that may result in poor weight gain, bone fracture, or skin lesions that appear to be bruises or burns. Society demands that medical personnel who care for children be aware of the many indicators that suggest CAN.
Also referred to as psychological abuse, mental abuse occurs when an abuser manipulates a victim into thinking a certain way or makes attempts to control what they think. A common form of mental abuse is gaslighting.
Psychological abuse can include someone regularly: Embarrassing you in public or in front of family, friends, support workers or people you work with. Calling you names. Threatening to harm you, your pets, children, or other people who are important to you.
Common examples of narcissistic abuse include: Withholding: This may include withholding such things as money, sex, communication, or affection from you. Emotional blackmail: Emotional blackmail is another form of manipulation to make you feel fear, guilt, or doubt.
Victims of emotional abuse are often worn down so that they cannot see the harmful dynamics clearly. They come to believe that the relationship challenges are their own fault. They may spend time ruminating and bargaining, considering how they can adapt their behavior or avoid confrontation.
PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.
Staying in an emotionally or verbally abusive relationship can have long-lasting effects on your physical and mental health, including leading to chronic pain, depression, or anxiety. Read more about the effects on your health. You may also: Question your memory of events: “Did that really happen?” (See Gaslighting.)
In some cases, though, abuse may go through a cycle of four stages: tension, incident, reconciliation, and calm. Abuse may be evident or subtle, but its effects are real. It's OK if you haven't found the ways to exit the situation, but ending the cycle of abuse is possible.
Here are some examples: He tells you that what you say happened didn't really happen or that he remembers things differently than you. He denies saying things you remember him saying, or saying “I didn't mean it that way -you misheard me.” He looks at you as if you are wrong, deluded and can't trust your perceptions.
Emotional abuse can involve any of the following: Verbal abuse: yelling at you, insulting you or swearing at you. Rejection: constantly rejecting your thoughts, ideas and opinions. Gaslighting: making you doubt your own feelings and thoughts, and even your sanity, by manipulating the truth.
As well as physical violence, examples of domestic abuse can involve: undermining an individual's self-confidence; threats to others including children; controlling behaviour such as isolation from friends and family; restricting access to money, personal items, food, telephone etc.; and stalking.
Physical or sexual abuse may be easier to identify, as they often have physical evidence and a clear incident to reference. Emotional abuse is more often characterized by a pattern or collection of behaviors over time that can be difficult to recognize.
Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. Physical abuse may include beating, shaking, burning, and biting. The threshold for defining corporal punishment as abuse is unclear.
Emotional abuse is the most common form of abuse – and yet least talked about. Part of the reason it is so easy for people to overlook is that so that much of what is considered normal and acceptable forms of communication is in fact abusive.