4 Facts about Abusive Relationships

The Definition of Abusive Relationships

Although rarely uniform, Abusive Relationships are defined as unhealthy, damaging, and destructive partnerships involving individuals who are linked in a romantic fashion; despite the varying types of Abusive Relationships, the end result of all Abusive Relationships involves the victimization of one or both partners as a result of abuse.

Although Abusive Relationships typically involve partners who at one time or another agreed to participate within a joint partnership – ranging from casual dating to marriage – the existence of abuse, neglect, cruelty, or duress is neither permitted nor legal:

In many cases, individuals who have been victimized by Abusive Relationships have cited that they felt a multitude of emotions upon the consideration of leaving an abusive relationship, ranging from fear to guilt

However, psychological findings illustrate that remaining within Abusive Relationships can result in a wide range of devastation and tragedy – in certain cases, these results may be fatal

Types of Abusive Relationships

Although domestic violence varies with regard to location, religion, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic classification, the aftereffects of abusive relationships are uniform; abuse sustained by one or both of the romantic partners result in both physical and emotional devastation – the following are the most common types of abusive relationships:

Abusive relationships classified as emotional in nature may include domestic violence enacted in a physical manner, which constitutes physical abuse or assault sustained a member of a romantic partnership at the hands of another member of the romantic partnership

Abusive relationships classified as emotional in nature may include domestic violence enacted in an emotional or psychological manner, which constitutes verbal abuse or the demeaning of a member of a romantic partnership as expressed by another member of the romantic partnership

Abusive relationships considered to be sexual in nature may include domestic violence enacted in a sexual manner, which constitutes physical sexual abuse or sexually-charged verbal assault or harassment sustained a member of a romantic partnership as a result of the expression

The Cycle of Abuse and Abusive Relationships

The Cycle of Abuse is a psychological methodology founded by Dr. Lenore Walker, who is considered to be amongst the most prominent specialists with regard to the analysis of abusive relationships; this cycle is considered to manifest on a habitual and repetitive basis within abusive relationships - within her study, she outlines the 4 behavioral phases latent within abusive relationships:

The ‘Tension’ phase; the first phase in which fear and anxiety is spawned within the abused partner, which is facilitated by the abusive partner

The ‘Incident’ Phase; the second phase in which the abusive act or expression takes place

The ‘Reconciliation’ Phase; the third phase in which the abuser expresses an apology and remorse for their respective actions

The ‘Calm’ Phase; the fourth phase in which past abusive activity is subsequently forgotten and forgiven

Ending Abusive Relationships and Recovery

Domestic Violence assistance allows for the provision of helpful and preventative resources that are available for victims of domestic violence due to their respective involvement in abusive relationships; however, despite the many domestic violence cases taking place within modernity, half of these

Domestic Violence acts go unreported. In the event that an individual has been made aware of ongoing Domestic Violence, or has been involved within Domestic Violence cases that have occurred in the past, they are encouraged to contact their local authorities or law enforcement department in order to report the details of the offense:

A multitude of resources and assistance exist; please contact the appropriate government department, such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline through their 24-hour telephone number: (800) 799-7233

Individuals are also given the opportunity to report Domestic Violence offenses in an anonymous fashion; remember, no one deserves to be victimized by Domestic Violence

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