Psychological abuse

Psychological abuse or emotional abuse refers to the humiliation or intimidation of another person, but is also used to refer to the long-term effects of emotional shock.
Psychological abuse can take the form of physical intimidation, controlling through scare tactics and oppression. It is often associated with situations of power imbalance, such perhaps as the situations of abusive relationships and child abuse; however, it can also take place on larger scales, such as Group psychological abuse, racial oppression and bigotry. A more "mild" case might be that of workplace abuse. Workplace abuse is a large cause of workplace-related stress, which in turn is a strong cause of illness, both physical and mental.
There need not be an agitator for psychological abuse to occur — one can undergo self-abuse, as in the case of someone who is a depressive, or self-mutilation.
Any situation in which the repeated and extreme impact of a situation affects a person's emotional and rational thinking, in such a way as to adversely impact their later lives, could be termed as psychological abuse at some level.
Psychotherapy and psychiatric methods can help some people overcome the negative effects of abuse, given time and a healing environment

Emotional or psychological abuse involves any behaviour, verbal or non-verbal, that negatively impacts another person's emotional or psychological well-being.
Emotional/psychological abuse occurs in various relationships such as between spouses, intimate partners, parents and children, siblings, and toward the elderly or, in general, where a power difference exists
You may find that the person who is abusing you:
• Frequently ignores your feelings.
• Ridicules or insults your most valued beliefs, gender, sexuality, ability, age or sexual orientation.
• Ridicules or insults your religion, race, heritage, class or language.
• Withholds approval, appreciation, and affection.
• Continually criticizes you, calls you names, shouts at you.
• Humiliates you in private or in public.
• Refuses to socialize with you.
• Keeps you from working, controls the money, makes all decisions.
• Tries to prevent you from seeing your friends and family.
• Regularly threatens to leave you or tells you to leave.
• Manipulates you with lies and contradictions.
• Behaves in a threatening way.
• Uses intimidating facial expressions and/or body posture.
• Accuses you of being unfaithful.
• Uses sexualized language.
• Verbally abuses the children and pets in your household.


You may, in turn, feel:
• Worthless.
• Dependent on the abuser.
• Confused.
• Sad.
• Angry.
• Isolated.
• A loss of control over your life.
How can I deal with this on my own?
if you feel unsure of whether you are being abused, confide in friends or relatives whom you find emotionally supportive and whose opinion you trust.
Remember that since you likely feel dependent on the abuser, you may distrust the people who are trying to be helpful.
Remind yourself that you have the right to a life free of abuse.
Start giving yourself positive, empowering messages such as, "I'm a good person and I deserve to be treated as such."
Engage in simple activities that you enjoy doing and that boost your confidence.
Ask yourself what you would say to a friend who was in a similar situation.
If you are dependent on the other person's income, try getting a job of your own. You might even want to have a separate bank account and save up some money, in case the abuse escalates.
Always have phone numbers available and a little extra money in case you must leave abruptly
Simply put, psychological abuse is abuse that damages the psyche, or the mind. Psychological abuse happens when one person attempts to gain power and control over another(1), and can include:
• put-downs or derogatory comments
• ridiculing or blaming
• witholding affection
• spiteful inaction
• isolation from family and friends
• stalking or checking whereabouts
• dominating decision making in the relationship
• controlling the partner's money
• threats(2)
One instance of yelling is not abuse. Everyone fights; everyone yells. Abuse is a campaign.
Abuse follows a pattern, or a cycle. It may not be present all the time. Part of the cycle is a 'honeymoon phase', a time when the abuser attempts to reconcile or 'make up' for his actions. But, in an abusive relationship, after the honeymoon phase the tension builds and the abuse begins again.
Psychological Abuse affects more than 1.5 million American women a year.
Based on an exhaustive study of violence in the United States, The National Institute of Justice estimates that over 1.3 million women are assaulted annually(3) by an intimate partner. Over a lifetime, that’s one woman out of every five.
But experts agree that physical battering is usually the final stage in a violent relationship: Abuse becomes physical after the abuser is confident that the victim will not leave, in other words, after she has experienced some form of psychological abuse.
The difference between physical and psychological abuse seems pretty clear: Physical abuse is slapping, pushing, choking and the like, while psychological abuse consists of threats, put-downs, acting jealous, isolating a partner or controlling the finances.