Understanding Emotional Abuse

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Emotional abuse is used by perpetrators of domestic violence to undermine a partner's confidence and sense of self. Name calling and insulting are forms of this type of abuse. Abusers are extremely manipulative and may say demeaning things in a joking manner, as if it doesn’t classify as mean, nasty or insulting because the abuser thinks its funny. Some may make a negative comment every time their partner does something that should be positively acknowledged, e.g., “Oh, I see you made a roasted chicken for dinner. I hope its not overdone like last time.” Ignoring the emotional needs of a partner is abusive, and the persistent use and/or display of pornographic material against a partners' wishes is abusive. Indicating to a partner that their feelings do not matter, or any other callus behavior, can cause a victim to become “numb” over time. If you know someone who constantly makes snide remarks to their partner and you see no reaction from that partner, this could very well be an indication of further abuse at home. 

Diminishing talents and abilities, especially the abilities of children, is abusive and cruel. This can impact their fragile confidence as they grow, particularly during adolescence and even through adulthood. Threatening to hurt children or take them away from a primary parent is a very painful form of emotional abuse. Likewise, it is emotionally abusive to tell children that they can be taken away from their mother, and exceedingly traumatic to actually do so. The damaging effects of emotional abuse can last a lifetime.