Key Concepts:
Vocabulary: physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, stalking
Preventing and Overcoming Abuse
Abuse in Relationships
Main Idea: All forms of abuse are extremely harmful.
Abuse is the physical, mental, emotional, or may include mistreatment of one person by another. In Chapter 7, you learned about abuse in families. However, abuse can also occur in other types of relationships, including dating relationships. A dating relationship may be abusive if one partner
tries to pressure the other into unsafe or unwanted activity.
tries to make the relationship serious or exclusive right away.
acts jealous or possessive.
tries to control the other’s behavior.
yells, swears, or otherwise emotionally attacks the other.
threatens the other with physical violence.
Forms of Abuse
Main Idea: Abuse in relationships can take several forms. The most common forms include the following:
Physical abuse is a pattern of intentionally causing bodily harm or injury to another person. Examples include hitting, kicking, shoving, biting, pulling hair, and throwing objects at another person. Physical abuse can result in serious injuries. It can also leave the victim emotionally scarred. Victims of physical abuse may respond with violence of their own.
Emotional abuse is a pattern of attacking another person’s emotional development and sense of worth. One form
of emotional abuse is verbal abuse, the use of words to mistreat or injure another person. Examples include yelling, swearing, and making insults. Abusers may also humiliate their victims, attempt to control their behavior, threaten physical harm, or cut the person off from friends and family members. Emotional abuse can damage self esteem and lead the victim to feel worthless or helpless. Victims may even come to feel that they deserve the abuse.
Stalking is repeatedly following, harassing, or threatening an individual. Stalkers may follow their victims physically from place to place. They may also harass them by calling or e-mailing repeatedly and sending letters or gifts. More than 3.4 million people are stalked each year in the United States, and most of them know the stalker.
Overcoming Abuse
Main Idea: Counseling can help survivors of abuse recover from its effects.
Victims of abuse may be reluctant to tell others about what has happened to them. Recognizing that they are not to blame can be the first step in recovering from the experience. People need to understand that all forms of abuse are illegal. Reporting the incident to authorities can help prevent future abuse.
Help for Survivors
People who have survived abuse may feel angry, confused, or ashamed. They may withdraw from friends and family or develop symptoms of depression or anxiety. The traumatic experience can lead to a fear of intimacy and an inability to trust others. In the long term, these individuals may be at risk for problems such as alcohol or drug abuse, eating disorders, self-injury, and suicide.
Seeking professional help is the best way to work through these feelings and avoid long-term health consequences. It can be difficult to talk about something as traumatic as abuse. However, talking about the experience in a safe, supportive environment is the best way to move toward healing. Survivors can seek support from sources such as parents, guardians, or other trusted adults.
Help for Abusers
In cases of abuse, the victim isn’t the only one who needs help. Abuse is a learned behavior, and many abusers were once victims of abuse themselves. They need help to break the cycle of violence. Some abusers may see their behavior as normal or justified. They need to recognize that abusing others is wrong and to learn healthier social behaviors. Other abusers understand that their behavior is wrong but feel powerless to stop it. They need to learn that they are responsible for their own behavior, and that with help, they can control their violent impulses.
Counseling can help abusers learn to cope with their emotions in healthier ways. Abusers should recognize that asking for help is an act of courage. Without it, their violent behavior may increase until it destroys their relationships or causes serious harm to someone they love. By getting the help they need, they may be able to save their relationships and stop the cycle from continuing to the next generation.
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