Recognizing Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse in relationships can manifest in various ways, often undermining a person’s sense of self-worth. It is something I’ve seen with many clients, and the effects can be heartbreaking. It can be challenging to recognize psychological or emotional abuse due to things like subtlety, lack of awareness, and stigma. Below are common signs that may help you recognize psychological abuse:
Constant criticism: Belittling, demeaning, yelling, or ridiculing are all forms of criticism. At times, the abuser may attempt to cover the belittling by saying they are “Just teasing.” Other times, the criticism is outright such as saying “You can’t do anything right.”
Gaslighting: A form of manipulation to make a person question their memory, feelings, or perspective of a situation. This is one of the biggest signs. Common phrases that indicate gaslighting are “I never said that. You’re imagining things,” “You’re too sensitive,” “If you hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have reacted this way.” Basically, when a person gaslights their partner, they are doing whatever they can to deflect blame away from themselves in order to avoid any accountability.
Isolation: If someone prevents their partner from seeing friends, family, or engaging in social activities, they are working to isolate them. Isolation is a form of control they have over their partner so they can monitor their activities and even control their decisions.
Financial: Another way someone can engage in psychological abuse is demonstrating financial control so their partner is dependent on them. They restrict access to money, control financial resources, or even sabotage employment opportunities.
Threats & Intimidation: The person may use looks, gestures, or actions to instill fear in their partner to keep them from leaving the relationship. They may also use threats of harm to their partner, themselves, or others in order to maintain control.
Emotional withholding: They withhold physical and verbal affection, approval, or communication as a form of punishment. Or the person may use affection as a way to evade responsibility for mistreatment and only show it as a means to get what they want.
Jealousy & Possessiveness: This can fall under intimidation or isolation, due to possessive behavior. The person may go to extreme lengths to keep their partner to themselves due to jealousy.
Disregard for boundaries: The person invades their partner’s privacy by going into their phone, reading their messages, or going through their mail. They keep tabs on their partner to know what they’re doing, who they’re communicating with, and where they’re going.
Although this post focused on intimate relationships, psychological abuse can happen in any type of relationship and have significant impacts on a person’s mental and emotional well-being. Their sense of self-worth can become unstable, resulting in low self-esteem and self-confidence. They may have difficulty in personal relationships due to their inability to trust others. Symptoms of anxiety and depression, including anxiety attacks and suicidal ideations, can also result from enduring psychological abuse. Overcoming the effects of psychological abuse may be challenging, but achievable with the right support, tools, and a safe environment for you to heal.
Schedule sessions with Sage Grove
If you struggle with low self-esteem, people-pleasing, and relationship issues, reach out to schedule an appointment with me. With the use of CBT, DBT, mindfulness interventions, and a compassionate, supportive environment, I will help you to rewrite your narrative, find your inner beauty, and increase your self-worth. Visit my contact page and send me an email to begin your healing journey.
