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Emotional Abuse
Introduction with Thesis Statement
There are many issues that women face in life, not the least being emotional abuse. It is
sometimes quite difficult to diagnose or even understand, for what constitutes emotional abuse?
How does one go about understanding and diagnosing it if one does not know how it shows up in
a person? Sometimes, emotional abuse will stem from someone who is in a position of power or
authority, such as a church leader or employer. Other times, it may come from a husband or
another family member. Additionally, it may come from friends or even children. The point being
that emotional abuse may come from many different places and it is important to be able to
recognize it. This paper will explore what emotional abuse looks like, what all it encompasses,
the dangers of it, as well as ways to find healing from emotional abuse.
Relevant Information about Emotional Abuse
Probably one of the hardest types of abuse to recognize and diagnose is emotional abuse.
Granted, any type of abuse is hard to talk about, for fear of the abuser. Particularly though, is
emotional abuse. Why? There is actually very little research as to how to recognize it, what to do
about it, and how to stop it. Essentially, emotional abuse can be broken down into four different
categories, which are denigration, personal degradation, public degradation, and verbal
aggression (Francis & Pearson, 2019). Emotional abuse is oftentimes found in romantic
relationships, and because of that, oftentimes goes undiagnosed. It can look like or sound like an
expression of love or even humor and may not even sound offensive when the abuse occurs
(Francis & Pearson, 2019). Emotional harm can cause reduced confidence, feelings of
helplessness, self-doubt, humiliation, and guilt (Francis & Pearson, 2019). Obviously for abuse,
any type, or neglect, there must be someone or something causing the abuse and neglect
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(Hayashi, 2022). This implies that there is some action happening, or lack thereof, that is causing
the abuse or neglect. There are eight conceptual components that the definition of abuse and
neglect encapsulate, and they are these: abuser characteristics, abusive behavior, frequency,
intention, consequences, interaction, child age, and other child’s characteristics (Hayashi, 2022).
While these refer to what to look for in a child’s life that may be abuse, these can also apply to
women and how they are emotionally abused. One of the scariest things about emotional abuse is
that it has the potential to lead to suicide (Cepuch, et al., 2022). While this is not nearly always
the case, the potential is definitely there, because it obviously affects a person confidence and
self-esteem, both of which are key factors in suicide. “Emotional abuse is the most common and
the most subtle type of maltreatment” (Cepuch, et al., 2022). Emotional abuse can show up in
several ways, such as a repulsive or hostile attitude, permanent criticism, manifestation of anger,
and other emotional responses to people (Cepuch, et al., 2022).
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1. Introduction
2. Relevant Information about the topic
a. Recognizing emotional abuse and how to define it (Francis & Pearson, 2022)
b. Emotional abuse has the potential to lead a person, specifically adolescents, to
suicide (Cepuch, et al., 2022)
c. Defining emotional abuse (Hayahsi, 2022)
d. What emotional abuse encompasses
e. Definition (Hyashi, 2022)
f. Statistics (Karakurt & Silver, 2013) (Sorbo, 2013)
g. Symptoms (Shapero, et al., 2013)
h. Impact on women
i. Social and emotional impact (Arslan, 2016)
j. Relational impact
k. Spiritual impact (Bryant-Davis, & Wong, E. C., 2013)
l.
3. Biblical response to the struggle
a. Romans 8:1 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
b. Ephesians 4:32 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
c. Ephesians 4:29 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
d. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
e. Romans 14:19 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
f. Romans 12:17-21 (English Standard Version Bible, 2001)
4. Counseling helps and techniques
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a. Questionnaire was developed to help measure emotional abuse (Momtaz, et al.,
2022)
b. Helps and techniques for counselors who see emotional abuse (Ness, 2022)
5. Treatment options for emotional abuse
a. Social support (Momtaz, et al., 2022)
b. Christian counseling (Ness, 2022)
6. Conclusion
7. References
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References
Arslan, G. (2016). Psychological maltreatment, emotional and behavioral problems in
adolescents: The mediating role of resilience and self-esteem. Child Abuse &
Neglect, 52, 200-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.09.010
Bryant-Davis, & Wong, E. C. (2013). Faith to move mountains: Religious coping, spirituality,
and interpersonal trauma recovery. American Psychologist., 68(8), 675–684.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034380
Cepuch, G., Liber, P., & Kruszecka-Krówka, A. (2022). “Child maltreatment” – sexual,
physical, and emotional abuse and neglect as potential predictors of suicidal behaviour
among adolescents – an acute problem in Poland. Medical Studies/Studia Medyczne,
38(1), 74-79. https://doi.org/10.5114/ms.2022.115150
Francis, L., & Pearson, D. (2021). The Recognition of Emotional Abuse: Adolescents’
Responses to Warning Signs in Romantic Relationships. Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, 36(17–18), 8289–8313. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519850537
Hayashi, M. Child psychological/emotional abuse and neglect: A definitional conceptual
framework. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15, 999–1010 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00448-3
Karakurt, G., & Silver, K. E., B.A. (2013). Emotional Abuse in Intimate Relationships: The Role
of Gender and Age. Violence and Victims, 28(5), 804-21. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-
6708.VV-D-12-00041
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Momtaz, Vahid et al. “Emotional Abuse Questionnaire (EAQ): A New Scale for Measuring
Emotional Abuse and Psychological Maltreatment 1.” Japanese psychological
research. 64.1 (2022): 1–11. Web.
Ness, S. (2023). A narrow focus in research on emotional abuse: A scoping review of definitions
and descriptions on emotional abuse in research on child welfare and social work. Child
& Family Social Work, 28(2), 572-588. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12967
Shapero, Black, S. K., Liu, R. T., Klugman, J., Bender, R. E., Abramson, L. Y., & Alloy, L. B.
(2014). Stressful Life Events and Depression Symptoms: The Effect of Childhood
Emotional Abuse on Stress Reactivity. Journal of Clinical Psychology., 70(3), 209–223.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22011
Sørbø MF, Grimstad H, Bjørngaard JH, Schei B, Lukasse M. Prevalence of sexual, physical and
emotional abuse in the Norwegian mother and child cohort study. BMC Public Health.
2013 Mar 2;13:186. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-186. PMID: 23452504; PMCID:
PMC3599849
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001
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