Sign of Emotional Abuse

Signs of Emotional Abuse

• Tell lies and half-truths to avoid having to explain their actions
• Accuse and blame to divert attention away from themselves
• Refuse to accept the perspective of others while irrationally defending their own positions
• Withhold information in areas affecting the lives of those they are abusing – it give them the control to manipulate future events. 
• Avoid acknowledging the feelings of others, yet will often bring up how their emotions are being effected
• Slight or take digs in a non-aggressive or joking manner, allowing the abuser to say he was just kidding while still being abusive
• Change the subject to divert attention from themselves
• Make others feel worthless in an attempt to lower their self-esteem and bring them down to the level of the abuser.
• Threaten or hint of physical, mental or sexual abuse
• Deny anything is wrong (not being responsible and lying to self)
• Show inappropriate emotional out bursts (a form of distracting attention, confusing the abused or shifting blame)
• Try and control others to domineer and limit freedom or expression
• Forget commitments and promises.
• Deny success by placing unreasonable demands, unjustly singling out or constantly placing someone in the category of a loser.
• Take advantage of vulnerabilities using shame, guilt or fear
• The actions and promises are out of alignment. They say one thing and do another
• Only be nice when all other options have been removed, when they feel they are trapped into a corner
• Cut someone off so they are not allowed to speak. Suppressing self-expression.
• Look to eliminate the choices of others, while gathering control for themselves
• Ask inappropriate questions or make insinuating comments to evoke emotional responses
• Humiliate others in public situations to show their superiority
• Keep pushing buttons and activating places of sensitivity
  
• Pretend to understand concerns and then disregarding them
• Slander the name, reputation, associations or activities of those they can’t control