6 Signs of Emotional Abuse That Go Unnoticed
Unlike physical abuse, emotional abuse is often subtle and can go unnoticed. This is one of the reasons why it takes longer to recover from the effects of emotional abuse because an individual can easily fall into a cycle of self-doubt and guilt by blaming themselves for not seeing the signs that were always there.
Identifying early signs of emotional abuse by navigating through the subtle displays of violence can be tough. This is because emotional abuse comes under the pretense of attentiveness, love, and care to gain your trust and make you vulnerable to subsequent forms of abuse.
Here are a few signs that can help you identify if your partner or friend is emotionally abusive toward you—even if it’s done subtly.
They make judgments about your perspective
Making judgments about someone’s perspective without trying to understand it stems from an intolerance of differences that can further lead to a dismissive attitude toward your beliefs, values, and morals. This can also invalidate your feelings and make you feel constantly unheard.
They want to spend an intense amount of time with you
It may be flattering to have your partner or friend want to spend more time with you in the beginning, but it can soon turn into a situation where you find yourself canceling other plans to prioritize them over and over again. This behavior stems from possessiveness on their part, and can also be linked to co-dependency as well as a projection of their insecurities on you.
They blame you rather than resolving conflict
If your partner blames you for a conflict or a fight, they’re absolving themselves of the blame. This piques their adrenaline and increases their energy or confidence—allowing an individual to make a habit out of it. Once their body develops a tolerance for adrenaline, the blame game can turn into outright demeaning behavior to reach the same level of energy.
They tell you how to feel to be “helpful”
This displays a lack of value for a person’s individuality and can be detrimental to the mental health of the person who’s at the receiving end of the abuse. This can also cause the abused person to enter an unhealthy cycle of self-loathing.
They get disappointed easily
If your partner expresses disappointment at every little thing you do, it won’t be long before you start walking on eggshells around them so you can become more acceptable for them. This would lead you to constantly self-edit your words and thoughts so that you can avoid unpleasant exchanges.
They withdraw affection in the face of disagreement
This behavior can render the relationship contingent on the agreement, which ultimately weakens it. This is because the behavior implies that an individual isn’t worthy of love and affection in the face of disagreements.
It can be difficult to find these signs on your own, but if you have come to identify some of these red flags, reaching out for help can help you cope and even break out of an emotionally abusive relationship before things worsen.
Comprehensive Counseling Services, LLC is a mental health clinic in Winder that offers a variety of individual counseling and group therapy services such as family counseling Winder, family violence intervention, and Anger Management Winder.
Learn more about our services here.
