Signs of Emotional Abuse

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Emotional abuse is a very real type of abuse. It’s a problem many men, women and children live with, and most don’t even realize they live with it. Unlike physical abuse, which leaves marks, emotional abuse is often subtle and imperceptible. It can go on for years without anyone even noticing. If you think you’re being subjected to emotional abuse at home, at work or at school, here are some signs to help you realize it.

Name Calling

Yes, name calling is abusive. It’s not something that someone does if they’re not abusing you. If your spouse, kids, boss or coworkers call you names, tell you you’re stupid or make you feel like you’re nothing with their “playful” nicknames for you, it’s emotional abuse. It might seem like fun and games, but name calling can actually cause you to start feeling that you really do resemble the names you’re being called and it can cause you to lose your self-respect.

Blame

This one is hard to notice, because it’s so common. If someone in your life is constantly blaming you for their problems, it’s abuse. Whether it’s a coworker who blames you for never getting to participate in group projects because you always take over or a spouse who blames you for his need to indulge in too much alcohol, it’s abuse.

Fear

If you feel even an ounce of fear around someone and you don’t know why, it could be because they are emotionally abusing you and your subconscious realizes it. You might not realize it, but that fear is a sign that there is something not quite right going on, and it might be your own natural reaction to the situation – or it could be you feel deep down that the emotional abuse could escalate to a more noticeable form of abuse.

(Photo by Bay Ismoyo – Pool/Getty Images)

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