Signs of Abuse
Do you suspect you or someone else is in an abusive relationship? Answer these questions as many are warning signs of abuse:
Does your partner…
- Control where you go, what you do, or your appearance?
- Act extremely jealous and possessive?
- Behave needfully, make statements like “I cant live without you”?
- Secretive or reluctant to talk about past relationships and experiences?
- Constantly check up on you?
- Give you the silent treatment?
- Ignore, insult, or put down your opinions, accomplishments, or feelings?
- Withhold approval, appreciation, or affection?
- Have a bad, unpredictable, or irrational temper?
- Have mood-swings ranging from sweet and charming to angry and controlling?
- Blow up or get angry over innocent comments you made?
- Keep you from seeing friends, family, or from going to work?
- Treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed or ashamed for friends or family to be around you when you are together?
- Criticize your friends and family members?
- Have dual personalities behave appropriately in public and appearing to treat you well in front of others, but changes into a different abusive or aggresive person when you’re alone together.
- Consistently find flaws with you?
- Criticize, put you down, or call you names?
- Manipulate with lies and contradictions?
- Limit access to money, phone, email, or transportation?
- Control or disapprove of spending but has no problems spending on himself?
- Deny your personal and basic needs?
- Hurt you in any physical form, or threaten to harm or kill you?
- Inflict fear, causing you to “walk on eggshells” in fear for your safety and going home?
- Ever hit or pushed you, even “accidentally” or just one time?
- Humiliate, disrespect, or yell at you, in public or private?
- Threaten to take your children away or harm them?
- Threaten to hurt others, himself, or make threats of suicide if you attempt to leave?
- Hurt your pets or damage your personal belongings?
- Force you to have sex, take advantage of you sexually, or make unreasonable sexual demands?
- See you as property or a sex object, rather than a person?
- Has a disregard for the law or sees himself as being above it?
- Lack the ability to laugh at himself?
- Destroy your belongings?
- Blame you for the abusive behavior? Convincing you he is “right,” while you are “wrong”?
- Never or rarely apologizes or admits wrong doing?
- Make excuses for the behavior or blame others for abusive actions?
- Causes you to lose confidence and question your perceptions and feelings.
- Acts like a parent, causing you to feel like a child in the relationship, forcing you to ask permission and apologize for your behavior?