- [Presenter] Hey, psych2goers.
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Now, let's begin the video.
Have you ever wondered
if you've suffered emotional abuse?
The American Psychological Association
defines emotional abuse as a pattern of behavior
wherein someone repeatedly, and deliberately,
harms another's mental health and overall wellbeing
through non-physical acts.
Emotional abuse is harder to spot than physical abuse
because the psychological markers of it
are made less obvious.
So, here are seven warning signs of emotional abuse.
One, they're overly critical of you.
Have you ever been overly criticized in a relationship
with a friend, family member or romantic partner?
Did they make you feel like you couldn't do anything right?
In an emotionally abusive relationship,
the abuser repeatedly insults you,
even after you've asked them to stop,
or they hold you to impossibly high standards
and then, depreciate you
when you don't measure up to those too high standards.
They might often swear or yell at you,
even when outside of an argument.
They use critical or threatening words
to make you break down or begin to doubt yourself.
Two, they intentionally humiliate you.
Has an emotional abuser ever intentionally embarrassed you
or made you feel ashamed?
Have they said things to you
like, "I'm the only one who could ever love you,"
or, "You'll never find someone as good as me"?
Emotional abusers may use humiliation as a tactic
in ways like degrading comments about your appearance,
intelligence or personal success.
Small insults and slights towards you
can negatively impact your self-esteem
when they're constantly repeated back to you.
Emotional abusers will take advantage of this
as a way to convince you
to maintain your relationship with them.
This is all a harmful tactic to keep you tied down to them.
Number three, they purposefully intimidate you.
You find yourself complying with the demands
of a close relationship because you fear the consequences
of disagreeing with the other person.
This is a sign that they hold the power
of intimidation over you.
It might look like unwarranted verbal threats
and harassment towards you.
These are dangerous patterns of intimidation
that can also potentially lead to physical abuse.
Number four, they mean to isolate you.
Has an emotional abuser ever isolated you
from your friends and family?
This person will try to isolate you
from the people who care about you.
They don't want others in your circle
to pick up on the warning signs of abuse.
They might threaten to end the relationship
if the other person expresses a desire to visit
with the other person,
or block new friendly relations.
Five, they reject you.
Do they physically distance themselves from you
or suddenly become emotionally unavailable?
This is another method of enacting control over you
through the power of rejection.
When you're unexpectedly cut off from their support,
it stirs up a sense of insecurity and self-blame.
When you're isolated,
you're also dependent on them for emotional support.
And when they grow cold towards you,
it can leave you spinning.
Another example of this is called public rejection,
where they ignore you in public or around friends and family
as a form of punishment.
Number six, they want to exploit you.
Does this person call you for every trivial problem?
Do they ask you for favors
that you don't feel comfortable doing?
The exploitation phase of emotional abuse
is characterized by them reaching out to you
only to use you.
They do little for you in return
and become emotionally unavailable when the tables turn
and you need them for something.
And number seven,
they have a harmful level of control over you.
Has someone in your life
ever tried to control everything you do?
Maybe it was a helicopter parent
or a partner in a relationship.
Even though it may come off as well-intentioned,
it crosses the line
when they start to micromanage your life
and refuse to listen or talk with you
about your personal goals.
Emotional abusers can make you dependent on them
for any decision, big or small.
They'll gaslight you, manipulate you,
and in turn, leave you questioning your own judgment.
You find yourself scared
that making a seemingly harmless decision
will anger the other person,
it's likely that you're dealing with emotional abuse
in that relationship.
Knowing and recognizing the signs of emotional abuse
is the first step to helping yourself,
if you're in an abusive relationship.
What's important is to take action
and get the help that you need and deserve.
There's a list of hotlines in the description box below
if you need help with an emotionally abusive relationship
in your life.
If this video helped you,
or you think it could help someone else, please share it.
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The references and studies used in this video
are added in the description below.
Thanks for watching.