| We often hear the terms emotional abuse and verbal | | | | Verbal abuse can often be merely sloppy bully-like |
| abuse used interchangeably, as though they were | | | | strikes of aggression. They are crude, impulsive and |
| one and the same. It's more accurate to say the | | | | hurtful. |
| two expressions of abuse do indeed overlap. | | | | Emotional violation, on the other hand, carries more |
| Verbal Abuse versus Emotional Abuse | | | | of an underlying premeditated sociopathic evil ring to |
| Verbal abuse is the use of specific language to | | | | it. However, it is true that some emotional abuse |
| demean, belittle, or outright slander and harm another | | | | evolves out of a lack of empathy, without there |
| person. | | | | being associated control issues. |
| Whereas, emotional violations are the use of | | | | When the control factor is operative, verbal abusers |
| manipulation, deception or deprivation intended to | | | | act like "pit bulls" and emotional abusers more like |
| violate the emotional or psychological integrity of the | | | | "cobras." Should either walk into your home as an |
| abused. | | | | intimate partner, beware! |
| Where they overlap is when verbal altercations are | | | | You are not dealing with something that is "only" |
| emotionally abusive, or when emotional manipulations | | | | verbal or "not physical," as we often hear people |
| are delivered in the form of name-calling and/or | | | | describe both emotional and verbal abuse. You may |
| verbal character assaults. | | | | be dealing with classic intimate partner violence. |
| Now you may think this is all a matter of semantics. | | | | If you encounter either verbal or emotional abuse as |
| That is true and false. I liken the distinction that I'm | | | | a pattern in your relationship, you will want to know |
| drawing here as is noted in the identification of two | | | | everything you can learn about recognizing it, coping |
| kinds of batterers. | | | | with it and arresting its insidious flow before it spirals |
| Core Distinction between Verbal and Emotional Abuse | | | | out of control. |