What are the effects of verbal and emotional abuse?

Verbal and emotional abuse in marriage is a form of family violence that can have extremely harmful effects on the victim. Unlike physical abuse, there are no visible scars and wounds when a person experiences psychological abuse. Instead, the abuser uses words and actions to harm, control, and manipulate the partner.These behaviors include: persistent malice, resentment, anger, ridicule, and accusing the partner of behaving in an emotionally abusive manner. So, let us review together what are the effects of verbal and emotional abuse?

Disintegration of the family

When the husband is emotionally and verbally abusive, this can lead to deep negative effects that are much more serious than those that appear in the case of physical abuse, because emotional abuse often occurs on a daily basis and for long periods, without anyone noticing it, whether family and friends. This repeated abuse erodes the partner’s self-confidence and causes an increasing fracture in the marriage. Ultimately, emotional and verbal abuse will drain love from the marriage, making the victim strive to maintain peace in the relationship, especially if there are children who testify to the abuse.

Dominance and control

An abusive man in marriage will gradually gain control of the victim until she becomes weak, powerless, and at the mercy of the aggressor. This can include controlling your financial situation, limiting social and family activities, work obligations and hobbies. The victim will begin to feel isolated and it is common for the aggressor in marriage to cut off contact with the people who support her in her life, which poses a serious threat to his control over her. Ultimately this control and manipulation acts as a form of brainwashing in which the victim submits to the demands of her husband without question or resistance.

Low self-esteem 

A party in a marriage that is subjected to emotional and verbal abuse will develop a state of extremely low self-esteem because the constant assault will eliminate his personality, and thus the victim is likely to start blaming herself. 

Depression

When people experience emotional and verbal abuse in their marriage, they are at risk of depression and isolation. Depression can worsen the situation even more as the abuser can use this as another point of criticism to highlight a partner’s weaknesses, especially if he is struggling to follow his daily routine and work normally. Without the support of a spouse, recovery from depression will be very difficult and thus the condition can persist for long periods of time and in some cases may lead to suicide.