Abuse is an excessive or wrongful harm, voluntarily caused to one person by another. Abuse can come from any person and show itself in a variety of forms. Victims of verbal and mental abuse often fail to perceive the true aggression to which they have been beset, and the damage is most often to mental and emotional well-being, imperceptible to the naked eye. Learning to recognize the types of verbal and mental abuse can help you or someone you know.
Economic Abuse
Economic or financial abuse is the attempt, made by any person, to deny another the right to resources, earnings or the pursuit of self-sufficiency. An abuser will often use such tactics to force the victim into a position of dependency. By withholding resources, the abuser creates an environment in which the victim must rely solely on the abuser for life's necessities. Financially abusive maneuvers include those that directly interfere with a person's occupational performance, withholding information regarding the state of shared financial affairs and demanding that even moderate spending be justified to and subject to the abuser's authority.
Intimidation
Intimidation is the act of using threats to instill fear in another. These threats may be either spoken or implied, through words, gestures, looks or behaviors. Intimidation can also be applied through the tone of voice, subtle sarcasms and retorts of an abuser intent on backing the victim into a mental corner.
Allowing yourself to be intimidated, over time, has a corrosive effect on your self-esteem. You may lose confidence in your ability to make personal choices and seek to determine how your abuser would respond before making decisions. Acting in this manner then diminishes your self-esteem even further.
Criticism
When your are unjustly criticized by another person, it can feel as if your sense of self is under attack. Unlike constructive feedback, which is presented in a spirit of aid and good-will, criticism is constructed in a way that de-values its recipient's worth. It contains an implication that the victim is inherently incapable, incompetent or flawed in some way. Criticism is often masked as an attempt at humor or an effort to look out for the victim's "best interest". However, its true meaning is felt whether or not it is revealed.
