Psychological Abuse...5 Signs You Need To Recognize

It is no secret that many people think that our society has too many “weak” people. Perhaps they are right, but that is a deep dive is for another blog. What I do know is that people often try to justify their nasty behavior by calling the other person weak.

Not that what was done or said was cruel or hurtful, but if you weren’t such a big baby I could mistreat or insult you without consequences.

I agree that it seems people are offended by everything these day. But sometimes individuals can be downright cruel or abusive, and do not want to own their crap so they gaslight. It’s you, not me. You made say those horrible things to you.

You made me betray you and treat you poorly. They take zero ownership of their own bad behavior.

Psychological abuse is basically emotional abuse. Psychological abuse is a form of abuse, characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychological and emotional abuse can happen in just about any relationship, but it most often occurs in our closest relationships with those we trust and should be safe with.

5 Signs Of Psychological Abuse

Shaming

An emotional abuser will make you feel ashamed of your body, your looks, your intelligence, and even your parenting skills. They put you down and shame to make you work harder to please them.

Like a narcissist, the psychological abuser enjoys making you jump through hoops to try and please them, only to make you feel like a failure when you do not live up to their unrealistic demands.

Blaming

Emotional abusers are great at blame shifting. They will blame their abusive behavior on work stresses, alcohol, and especially you. They will not take responsibility for their actions.

The psychological abuser is also a notorious gaslighter, and will somehow turn every bad decision they make into being your fault.

Controlling

Emotional abusers are controlling. They want to make all the decision, and control all the money, and to control the relationship. The more control they have in the relationship, then the more power they have over you.

The psychological abuser will make you question your ability to make decisions on your own. They convince you that you need them and that without them you would be a complete failure. They “remind” you that you cannot make it on your own.

Isolating

Isolation is a common tactic for an emotional abuser. By limiting contact with people outside the relationship, the abuser is able to make their partner more mentally and emotionally dependent on them. They don’t like your family and friends and convince you that they are bad for your relationship.

Mood Swings

Emotional abusers moods are unpredictable. One moment they are happy and light hearted and the next they are sullen and angry. You have to walk on eggshells with this person because you never know when their mood will turn.

You will find the relationship both mentally and physically draining, but you do not want to give up. You so desperately want the Prince Charming you fell in love with to return. The problem is that he was never Prince Charming. It was just an act to win you over.

Psychological abuse is just as damaging as physical abuse, the only difference is that it leaves invisible scars. No relationship, and no one, man or woman is worth tolerating any type of abuse.

Since psychological abuse is often invisible to others, victims often feel alone, and convince themselves that because they are not being physically hurt that it is not that bad.

Victims of abuse are not alone, and there are many people and organizations available to help. If you or someone you know is the victim of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse please contact Live Your Dream or RAINN for help.

What are your thoughts on psychological abuse? Do you agree with the signs? Please share your thoughts or experience!

“If you alter your behavior because you are frightened of how your partner will react, you are being abused.” ― Sandra Horley

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