In public, abusers often appear charismatic, friendly, kind and even compassionate, while behind closed doors they are terrifying, unpredictable and calculating—think Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. Most abusers work very hard to keep up a positive image outside of their home.
An abuser often denies the existence or minimizes the seriousness of the violence and its effect on the victim and other family members. An abuser objectifies the victim and often sees them as their property or sexual objects. An abuser has low self-esteem and feels powerless and ineffective in the world.
1 The adult may be a relative, caregiver, step-parent, religious figure, coach, or babysitter, though the majority of perpetrators are parents of the child. In the United States, children experience child abuse or neglect at a rate of 8.9 per 1,000 children.
Abusers often suffer from their own mental illnesses; a mood disorder may make them more prone to irritability and anger. Both depression and mania can manifest in heightened snappiness and quickness to attack, especially when associated with insomnia.
Abusive people believe they have the right to control and restrict their partner's lives, often either because they believe their own feelings and needs should be the priority in the relationship, or because they enjoy exerting the power that such abuse gives them.
Stockholm syndrome is a coping mechanism to a captive or abusive situation. People develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time. This condition applies to situations including child abuse, coach-athlete abuse, relationship abuse and sex trafficking.
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.
Abuse perpetrators are sometimes quick-tempered, have a history of being abused themselves, blame others for their problems, have low self-esteem and self-concept, and act controlling, impulsive, and highly jealous.
Abusive partners often display a fourth attachment style, a fearful attachment. Like anxious-preoccupied individuals, they don't expect adults to be responsive to their needs which in turn gives rise to anxiety.
Antisocial or borderline PD are commonly associated with the risk of violent behavior, especially when comorbid with substance abuse. Several other severe mental disorders are also linked to increased risk of violent behavior, particularly schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
There are four main categories of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.
The cycle of abuse often goes through four main stages: tension, incident, reconciliation, and calm. Abusive behaviors may escalate from cycle to cycle, although this isn't always the case.
Opportunist offenders take advantage of a situation
Opportunistic offenders may still invest time/effort to groom and molest a child, or they may use physical force to subdue the child. Similar to predatory offenders, opportunistic offenders do not always groom their victims and may act impulsively.
Abuser: A person who physically, sexually, verbally, or emotional hurts or attempts to control an intimate partner. Target: A person who is subjected to controlling behavior or hurt physically, sexually, verbally, or emotionally by an intimate partner.
By far the most visible form of abuse is physical abuse. This kind of abuse is condemned by almost everyone and it is estimated that one in four women are victims of this kind of abuse. The most common forms of abuse include hitting, throwing and scalding, even suffocation is on the list.
Those with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can portray themselves as the victim and their partner as the villain who becomes blamed for the problems. Often, the person with BPD will react towards loved ones as if they were the abusers from their past, and take out vengeance and anger towards them.
Some reasons you may still love your romantic partner despite their abusive behaviors might include: experiencing denial as a defense mechanism. being caught in the abuse cycle. having a personality disorder or attachment style that leads you to feel dependent on your partner.
Anxiety and depression commonly develop as a result of narcissistic abuse. The significant stress you face can trigger persistent feelings of worry, nervousness, and fear, especially when you never know what to expect from their behavior.