Emotional Abuse Hurts

Emotional abuse is mistreating and controlling another person through insults, giving orders, making unrealistic demands, or saying things to confuse them. Sometimes emotional abuse is disguised as caring – but it is really a form of control. Below are some ways emotional abuse is used by a boyfriend or girlfriend.

• Ignoring you in front of other people
• Insulting, humiliating, or embarrassing you
• Calling you names
• Making fun of you
• Controlling your plans and friends
• Telling you to give up activities you enjoy
• Making you change the way you dress, think and act
• Threatening to break up with you if you don’t do something
• Making decisions for you
• Saying that you don’t really love or care about them
• Criticizing your performance when others compliment you
• Using any mistakes you made in the past against you
• Not allowing you to disagree
• Accusing you of flirting
• Becoming jealous without reason
• Ignoring your feelings and ideas
• Withholding affection as a way to punish you
• Saying that you will never find someone else
• Hurting or threatening to hurt a friend, family member or pet
• Denying things that really happened
• Blaming problems in the relationship on someone or something else
• Breaking promises
• Blaming you for problems in school, work, or at home

Like other forms of abuse, emotional abuse hurts and happens more over time

People who emotionally abuse their partner may not think their actions or comments are a big deal… but when they continue to hurt and control their partner, it is emotional abuse.