You may be suffering from emotional abuse if you see the one or more of these patterns in your relationship.
Domination. The person wants to control your every action. They insist on having their own way, and will resort to threats to receive it. This may cause you to lose respect for yourself.
Verbal assaults. Scolding, belittling, criticizing, name-calling, screaming, threatening, excessive blaming, and using sarcasm and humiliation are all signs of emotional abuse. Blowing your flaws out of proportion and making fun of you in front of others is a common pattern. Over time, this type of abuse erodes your sense of self-confidence and self-worth.
Abusive expectations. The other person places unreasonable demands on you and wants you to put everything else aside to tend to their needs. It could be a demand for constant attention, frequent sex, or a rule that you spend all your free time with the person. But no matter how much you give, it’s never enough. You are subjected to constant criticism, and you are constantly berated because you don’t fulfill all this person’s needs.
Emotional blackmail. The other person plays on your fear, guilt, compassion, values, or other “hot buttons” to get what they want. This could include threats to end the relationship, giving you the “cold shoulder,” or using other fear tactics to control you.
Unpredictable responses. This can take the form of drastic mood changes or sudden emotional outbursts, which are often a sign of borderline personality disorder. Whenever someone in your life reacts very differently at different times, tells you one thing one day and the opposite the next, or likes something you do one day and hates it the next, you are seeing possible signs of emotional abuse.
