Effects of Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse teaches us destructive lessons about ourselves and the world around us and about coping with stress, anger, and other uncomfortable feelings. Some effects are well documented, such as low self-esteem and the continuation of the cycle of abuse. Some, however, like eating disorders, social anxiety, and dissociation, are less well known. Although emotional abuse is likely not the only factor in producing any of these effects, it’s probably at least one factor, and in some cases, a major factor.

(articles listed in alphabetical order)

Anger Management Problems: Abuse creates a lot of anger that we don’t learn to handle well, which can lead to anger management problems later in life.

Dissociation and Fantasy: It’s not unusual for emotional abuse survivors to zone out and fantasize more than most people do, sometimes to the point of it interfering with our lives.

Dysfunctional Relationships: Abuse teaches us destructive things about relationships, which can lead to destructive relationships later on in life.

The Inner/Internal Abuser: The continuing destructive effects of emotional abuse have a lot to do with an internal abuser that we develop within us, which is modeled on the abusers in our lives.

Low Self-Esteem: In an effort to control us, abusers keep our self-confidence and self-respect down, leading to real problems fulfilling our potential throughout our lives.

Mistrust: Because abuse is a major violation of trust, it becomes difficult for us to trust others throughout our lives.