One thing for sure is that females are not the only victims, although that is usually the general perspective. There are some vicious and sick females out there who feel the need to hurt others in different ways.
Abuse is not confined to physical abuse . . . it goes much deeper than that!
It is human nature for some personality types who have the need to hurt others to make themselves feel better.
In the case of an abusive lover, it is the wearing down of another's emotions to the point of the abused person just wanting to run and never go back. That is, if they are lucky and come to their senses. Too bad for the bully since they will more likely than not say that they will change . . . they never do.
Many don't get out of the situation with tragic consequences. Others go on to take the abuse from the bully out of love or perhaps fear, because the hope that the person will change is always there and they more than likely proceed to a life of unhappiness, depression and crying instead of enjoying a happy life with lots of laughter that we all deserve.
Emotional abuse hurts as bad as being struck physically, over and over again. My dad was an abusive dad. He never hit me, but his emotional abuse left me with the scars that are still with me today. A child knows what it learns from the people they trust the most because they don't know any better.
Some of us are caught in the crossfire of falling in love with one of these types or having been born into a family with no escape from that type of person. You just learn how to adapt and eventually come out of it feeling this behavior is normal.
Since it was my unfortunate perception this was normal behavior, my first serious relationship was extremely abusive and I am so grateful and blessed to have gotten out of that relationship. I hate to even think about that time in my life.
The abuser is the lowest form of a human, in my opinion.
To this day, if someone raises their voice to me, I will cry. It is instinctive. Although in my personal relationships, it sometimes proves to be a problem, and it is very difficult to get past the moment. The psychological problems, although apparent, are difficult to deal with.
While some people who go through this type of abuse will come out of it rough and tough, ready to fight anyone who is perceived to hurt them, others retreat and just want to turn the other cheek and forget about it.
It affected me a different way. After being humiliated, degraded, cursed and made to feel like an idiot who could not ever do anything right, I strived to become the best at anything I ever attempted to do, having to excel at everything. I was fiercely competitive growing up. Succeeding in school and in the workplace gave me my self-worth, self-esteem, self-confidence that could have been stripped from me had my spirit been completely broken.
Relationships are different. Any similarity to my dad's behavior freaks me out, making it very difficult for me to develop trust in a relationship.
Know the signs as you enter a new relationship . . . run like a bat out of hell if you see the signs of a bully that will suck the life out of you.
