20 Signs of Emotional Abuse

Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone,
yet the problem is often overlooked, excused, or
denied. This is especially true when the abuse is
psychological (Emotional), rather than physical.
Noticing and acknowledging the signs of an abusive
relationship is the first step to ending it. No one
should live in fear of the person they love.

Emotional abuse, while it leaves no marks, can
sometimes be the hardest type of abuse to
understand in a relationship. It's hard to imagine that
someone who "loves you" could abuse you and
besides , it's just words, right? It's not like you're
being BEATEN. Nothing is more damaging to your
confidence and self-esteem than being in an
emotionally abusive relationship.
Sad truth is, while broken bones heal, the wounds
left from emotional abuse can last a lifetime.
Emotional abuse is a form of abuse in which a
partner uses verbal assault, fear, or humiliation to
undermine the other person's self-esteem and self-
worth. Emotional abuse is every bit as damaging as
physical abuse.
The aim of emotional abuse is to chip away at your
feelings of self-worth and independence. If you’re the
victim of emotional abuse, you may feel that there is
no way out of the relationship, or that without your
abusive partner you have nothing.
Male and female abusers tend to have high rates of
personality disorders including borderline personality
disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and
antisocial personality disorder. Although emotional
abuse doesn’t always lead to physical abuse, physical
abuse is almost always preceded and accompanied
by emotional abuse.
The victim of the abuse quite often doesn’t see the
mistreatment as abusive. They develop coping
mechanisms of denial and minimizing in order to
deal with the stress. But the effects of long-term
emotional abuse can cause severe emotional trauma
in the victim, including depression, anxiety, and post
traumatic stress disorder.
Here are 20 signs of Emotional Abuse:-
1. They humiliate you, put you down, or make fun of
you in front of other people.
2. They regularly demand or disregard your opinions,
ideas, suggestions, or needs.
3. They use sarcasm or “teasing” to put you down or
make you feel bad about yourself.
4. They accuse you of being “too sensitive” in order
to deflect their abusive remarks.
5. They try to control you and treat you like a child.
6. They belittle and trivialize you, your
accomplishments, or your hopes and dreams.
7. They try to control the finances and how you
spend money.
8. They give you disapproving or contemptuous
looks or body language.
9. They regularly point out your flaws, mistakes, or
shortcomings.
10. They blame you for their problems, life
difficulties, or unhappiness.
11. They make excuses for their behavior, try to
blame others, and have difficulty apologizing.
12. They make subtle threats or negative remarks
with the intent to frighten or control you.
13. They withhold sex as a way to manipulate and
control.
14. They disengage or use neglect or abandonment
to punish or frighten you.
15. They play the victim and try to deflect blame to
you rather than taking personal responsibility.
16. They have extra marital affairs and blame it on
you.
17. Threatening to commit suicide if you leave them.
18. They make you believe that you deserve to be
hurt or mistreated.
19. They resort to pouting or withdrawal to get
attention or attain what they want.
20. They don’t show you empathy or compassion.
It is important to remember that it is absolutely not
your fault. Abusers are expert manipulators with a
knack for getting you to believe that the way you are
being treated is your fault. These people know that
everyone has insecurities, and they use those
insecurities against you. Abusers can convince you
that you do not deserve better treatment or that they
are treating you this way to "help" you. Some
abusers even act quite charming and nice in public
so that others have a good impression of them. In
private is a different story, which is also quite
baffling.
If you see yourself in these words, know that there is
little hope for your relationship to improve. It would
take a monumental amount of insight and motivation
for the abuser to change and unfortunately, this is
rarely the case. If you are in an abusive relationship, I
urge you to get out and with professional help if
needed. Often the first step in leaving the abuser is
obtaining counseling just to rebuild your esteem so
that you can leave.