Eroding Happiness Through Emotional Abuse

People experience having bad relationships with their friends, co-workers, family, and their partners. It is considered normal for them to fight once in a while, have misjudgments, and so on. But sometimes, things can get a little nasty whenever two people fight over the most simplest of things. Emotions can make or break a relationship, depending on how two people manage their connection to each other. Sometimes, troubled relationships can spiral down to an emotional breakdown, creating damage on each person's self confidence and self-esteem.

Emotional abuse is based on power and control. Forms of rejection can take place, like refusing to acknowledge a person's presence, value, or worth. People can be rejected by communicating or telling him/her that he/she is useless and inferior, adding a devaluation of thoughts and feelings. He/she can be degraded by insults, ridicules, name calling, behavior that diminishes identity, dignity and self worth of that person. Inducing terror by intimidation, threatening, and extreme fear. Isolation can also be seen whenever there is emotional abuse. Confinement, restriction of normal contact with other people, and limiting freedom within a person's environment may be present when this situation arises.

Many people are falling as victims of this kind of abuse. It starts with a simple tension among two people, eventually breaking down their communication in their relationship. After this, the verbal and emotional abuse takes place. This is where intimidation, anger, blame, threats, and arguing occurs. Of course, after any heated argument, the abuser apologizes, gives excuses, blames the victim, denies the abuse that just happened, or even says that the abuse was not as bad as the victim claim it to be. Then the incident is forgotten, as if there were no abuse that took place earlier. This cycle is to be repeated and sustained, and if not dealt with properly, may even get worse.

A harsh aspect of emotional abuse would be brainwashing. The abuser keeps the victim unaware of what is going on and what changes are taking place in their environment. He or she may control finances, make plans on their own, talk behind a person's back, or isolate the person from her friends or family. The abuser controls the person's time and physical environment, and works to suppress the person's behavior. He creates a sense of powerlessness over the victim, together with fear and dependency.

In experiencing all these, the fallen victim can have sleep problems, and a hint of depression as well. The victim may feel severe anxiety, low self-esteem, fearfulness, aggression, extreme dependence, frequent crying, and even suicide attempts, among many others. Without knowing it, a person may already be in need of professional help. When dealing with this kind of controlled relationship, it is best to seek advice from those who are closest to the victim. The victim of emotional abuse may need to hear what others think about their present relationship, since that person needs emotional stability in order to function well as a person. Try talking to a family member or close friend when dealing with emotional abuse. It is best that these things are discussed with people who love the victim most, before it's too late.