Symptoms of Abuse - Threats; Power Misuse; and Control
What symptoms below fit your life?
Using Emotional Abuse
- Putting the other person down
- Making the other person feel bad about themselves
- Calling the other person names
- Making the other person think they are crazy
- Playing mind games
- Humiliating the other person
- Making the other person feel guilty
Using Privileges
- Treating the other person like a servant
- Making all the big decisions
- Acting like the master of the castle
- Being the one who determines the roles
Using Economic Abuse
- Preventing the other person from getting or keeping a job
- Making the other person ask for money
- Giving the other person an allowance
- Taking the other person's money
- Not letting the other person know about or have access to family income
Using Coercion and Threats
- Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt the other person
- Threatening to leave the other person, to commit suicide, report the other person to welfare
- Making the other person drop charges
- Making the other person do illegal things
Using Intimidation
- Making the other person afraid by using looks, gestures, or actions
- Smashing things
- Abusing pets
- Displaying weapons
Using Children
- Making the other person feel guilty about the children
- Using the children to relay messages
- Using visitation to harass the other person
- Threatening to take the children away
Using Isolation
- Controlling what the other person does, who they see and talk to, what's read, and where they go
- Limiting their outside involvement
- Using jealousy to justify actions
Minimizing, Denying, Blaming
- Making light of the abuse and not taking the other person's concerns about it seriously
- Saying the abuse never happened
- Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior
- Saying the other person caused it
HAS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Does your partner:
Blame everyone else especially you, for his or her mistakes?
Yes___ No___
Prevent you from seeing your family or friends?
Yes___ No___
Curse you, say mean things, mock you or humiliate you?
Yes___ No___
Force you to have sex or force you to engage in sex that makes you feel uncomfortable?
Yes___ No___
Restrain, hit, punch, slap, or kick you?
Yes___ No___
Intimidate or threaten you?
Yes___ No___
Ever prevent you from leaving the house, getting a job, or continuing your education?
Yes___ No___
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship.
http://www.police.nashville.org
