Domestic Abuse: Common Types of Abuse To Be Aware Of

Awareness is a powerful tool, often providing an understanding that can help one avoid or escape potential harm. In the realm of domestic life, it is unfortunately necessary to understand the different types of abuse.

Domestic abuse, a widespread yet often hidden issue, takes various forms and affects individuals from all walks of life. Let's delve into the scope of domestic abuse, its common forms, and how to recognize it.

Physical Abuse

Physical violence involves situations where the abuser uses or threatens to use brutal force against a targeted individual, often causing injuries. This type of behavior can manifest itself as physical assaults, including but not limited to strikes, kicks, shoves, scratches, suffocation, obstruction, object throwing, and restraint.

As a form of control or punishment, withholding basic necessities like food, sleep, money, or medical treatment is also considered physical abuse. Someone can use physical force to destroy property or against others, such as children or pets.

To intentionally inflict pain is a key sign of physical abuse. Physical violence is the most deadly form of domestic abuse since it can lead to significant physical harm or even death, and it is illegal in the United States. Simple assault, intimidation, felonious assault, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and homicide are all examples of criminal charges commonly linked with domestic violence.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse, also called psychological abuse, is the intentional infliction of emotional or mental distress on another person for power or control. This form of domestic abuse can happen in any type of relationship.

Emotional abuse, at its foundation, is a struggle for dominance and control. The perpetrator will use many different methods to break down their victim's defenses and make them feel helpless. For example, name-calling, slander, and criticism are all forms of verbal abuse that have the same goal: to make the victim feel inadequate. Some abusers may also make their victims cut off contact with others to make their victims feel dependent on them.

Gaslighting is another form of emotional abuse in which the abuser manipulates the victim into doubting their own sanity by distorting reality. Abuse denial, victim blame, and memory manipulation are all forms of abuse. The effects of gaslighting on the victim might include feelings of bewilderment, insecurity, self-blame, and a deterioration of their sense of reality.

Emotional harm can also involve attacking the victim's sense of morality or religion. The abuser may try to dominate the victim by using their religious beliefs against them.

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse is when a partner exerts control and manipulation over their partner using their money resources. Abusers employ financial abuse to keep their victims under their control by restricting their access to resources.

The abuser may access all of the victim's money, including their paychecks and bank accounts. They may also make it so the victim has no access to joint finances or information about those finances. Because of this, the victim may have to rely on the perpetrator for their financial support.

Using money as a weapon to keep someone in an abusive relationship is another form of financial abuse. By withholding necessities, the abuser can keep the victim from getting away and reaching safety.

Economic abuse, in which the abuser purposefully causes the victim to become economically dependent on them, is a subset of financial violence. One method is to restrict the victim's access to finances and other resources, making it difficult for them to get a job or go to school.

In many cases, outsiders may be unaware that financial abuse constitutes domestic violence. Because of this, the abuser can keep their power over the victim, making it hard for them to leave or get help.

Contact us at James W Bodiford Jr Law Office for legal representation with domestic violence cases in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.