Emotional Abuse by: Ashlyn Long

Think back onto the abuse you’ve seen in television and the media. Swollen black eyes and multicolored bruises coat the victim. The attacker begs for forgiveness. “It was only because you made me angry” they say, “it won’t happen again.” But it happens again, over and over and over. The victim stops believing the promises and instead starts to believe that this is just what happens to people This is their new normal. Most people think of situations like this when they think of abuse. 

But let’s see what it would look like as a more common, less known about abuse, one that doesn’t leave bruises. “You’ll never be good enough,” they say, “no one will ever want you. Ever.” 

Emotional abuse can be considered verbal abuse, such as constant criticism or degradation, manipulation or intimidation. More often than not, the people being abused don’t even know that they are being victimized. Emotional abuse can affect the way a person lives their life. This can have long term effects on their self esteem, and destroy a person’s view of society and the world.

In regards to school, people who suffer from emotional abuse can expect to notice a drop in participation in school related activities and a fall in their grades. That means disassociating from their classmates, instead opting to sit in the back of class, off by themselves. A normally bubbly student will seem sad or angry. As the abuse progresses, they will become less and less involved in the things they were previously passionate about. 

Students are most likely to be abused by people they are close to, such as parents or friends. Many parents are emotionally abusive without even knowing it. Parents often belittle their children and compare them to other children, which destroys their self confidence.

In regards to home life, a person is more likely to isolate themselves from others; instead, they spend all their free time in their bedroom. They will cancel plans with friends and hide in the shadows of their former selves.  

Emotional abuse of any kind can be catastrophic for a person’s mental health, and can seriously damage the way a person views what a healthy relationship is. If you believe your friends or loved ones are in a toxic situation please tell a trusted adult, or at the very least make sure they know that they have a friend in their corner no matter what.