Hope Domestic Violence

Psychological or emotional abuse - is any action which has an effect on an individual's mental well-being, causes suffering and effects their quality of life and ability to function to their full potential.

Domestic violence is an epidemic and the number one health concern in our country. There are more abusers and their victims compared to past years. As a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship, domestic violence is used by one person to gain or maintain power and control over another one. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse and not look the same in every relationship because every relationship is different. This kind of abuse affects people of all ages and sexes, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, education and employment levels. Abuse towards children and the elderly can be violent or aggressive behavior. Thus, there are many types of abuse that one can suffer; awareness of the signs of domestic violence is especially important before getting into any kind of intimate relationship.

Signs of abuse include, but are not limited to, controlling nature, resistant to chance, dismissive, and manipulative behavior. Melinda Smith and Jeanne Segal state that the most telling sign of abuse in the relationship is fearing the other partner (Smith and Segal, 2006). If a woman is afraid of her partner then she may be in an abusive relationship. Men that are abusing women will tear her down and make her feel like she is worth nothing and that she does not deserve any better than an abusive man. An abuser will take away control from her and make her feel worthless. Segal and Smith also state that “abusive behavior and violence is a deliberate choice made by the abuser in order to control you” (Smith and Segal, 2006). An abuser wants to make their victim afraid and they will do certain things to make sure that the victim does not leave. It is also noted that just because there are not any physical signs of abuse, such

Sexual abuse is sexual activity that is deemed improper or harmful, as between an adult and a minor or with a person of diminished mental capacity.

Emotional / psychological abuse is when a person uses threats, bullying, trying to control a person’s mind, makes them feel powerless, as well as making them believe it is their own fault. This type of abuse results in mental and physical distress and includes

* Emotional abuse. Threats of harm, controlling, intimidation verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.

According to “The United States Department of Justice” Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence has different forms sexual, physical, emotional and psychological actions or threats. These forms of treatment can influence another person. There are

This act of abuse is when the victim is being touched or sexual act is being preformed is unwanted. The abuser sometimes uses this tactic as a punishment. “Financial abuse is the use or misuse, without the partner’s freely given consent, of the financial or other monetary resources of the partner or of the partnership.” (Types of Domestic Abuse). The abuser will keep the victim(s) away from their jobs, which will cause them to lose money and eventually get fired. The abuser will also create conflict with the victim’s coworkers. They will also take the victim’s credit cards and will also take control of their bank account(s) and control their spending. “Identity abuse is using personal characteristics to demean, manipulate and control the partner…tactics overlap with other forms of abuse, particularly emotional abuse…comprised of the social “isms”, including racism, sexism, ageism, able-ism, beauty-ism, as well as homophobia.” (Type of Domestic Abuse). The abuser will stereotype the victims(s) by their ethnicity, race, sexuality, or gender. They will also humiliate them and judge them by their behavior and how they do things. This will also lower the victim’s self esteem and self confidence. These types of abuse are very dangerous psychologically and physically.

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior or coercive control in any relationship that is used by one person to gain or maintain power and control over another. (Violence). Most of society’s think domestic violence is when one of the spouses is abusing the other spouse. Domestic violence can occur between anyone who has lived together at one point of time; couples who have never lived together, but have a child together and family member who has live together in the same household. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of their class, religion, ethnic background, education, age, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, gender presentation, or immigration status. The domestic violence can place in different categories, such as; emotional abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and financial abuse. Researcher had discovered tactics that the abusers use to control their victims such as; dominance, humiliation, isolation, threats, intimidation, denial and shifting blame. (Helpguide.org).

Another common form of abuse exhibited against women is sexual abuse. Despite sexual abuse having the overarching inclusion of a sexual activity, Women Against Abuse candidly states, “Sexual abuse is not about sex. It is about power, and includes any sexual behavior performed without a partner’s consent” (“Types of Abuse”). Sexual assault is about exerting power over one’s partner, and in similar way,

Some signs of an abusive relationship are being physically hurt or restrained by a partner, a partner

There are many different types of domestic violence. Physical abuse is the most obvious form, but this is not to say that outsiders always recognize it. Generally, physical violence causes bodily harm, using a variety of methods. Slapping, pushing, throwing, hitting, punching, and strangling are only a few methods. An object or weapon may or may not be used. There is not always physical evidence of physical abuse such as bruising, bleeding, scratches, bumps, etc., therefore, absence of physical marks does not necessarily mean physical abuse had not occurred. Physical abuse sometimes escalates to murder (Morris and Biehl 7, Haley 14-17).

Domestic violence can be defines as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic pr psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound

There are several signs of domestic violence, such as jealousy. "The abuser will question the victim about who the victim talks to, accuse the victim of flirting, or become jealous of time spent with others” (“Abuser Tricks”, New Hope for Women). The abuser may even become so paranoid that they randomly stop by the victim’s work frequently, and possibly to the extreme of checking the car mileage. (“Abuser Tricks”, New Hope for Women). Being concerned for a partner is completely understandable, but when it becomes majorly severe such as checking how many miles they are traveling it can become a big problem. A controlling mindset is a sign of domestic violence as well. The abuser will pretend to be concerned about the victim, but in reality, the abuser is trying to control the victim. “In the beginning an abuser will attribute controlling behavior to concern for the victim (for example, the victim's safety or decision-making skills)” (“Abuser Tricks”, New Hope for Women). As the behavior continues it will begin to worsen and the abuser will want all control of the victim. (“Abuser Tricks”, New Hope for Women). There is a huge difference between being concerned and wanting control. Isolation is another sign of domestic violence. The abuser will make the victim cut all ties to all family members and friends. The batterer will assume the victim’s friends and family cause problems with their relationship. The abuser may even forbid the victim to use a car to go to work, or have a cell phone (“Abuser Tricks”, New Hope for Women).

Abuse can have many different meanings, there is one in particular that takes control in many Americans relationship, “physical maltreatment” (Abuse). Sadly there is an increasing amount of young adults going through an abusive relationship or were in one. Many of the people that become abusers consider violence as a normal behavior because they have witnessed it on a daily basis. They than begin to mistreat everyone that comes in his or her way. An abuser is frequently interested in controlling their victims. An abuser’s behavior is usually manipulating, in order to make their victims