| Abusive relationships are not always so easy to spot | | | | necessarily physical control, though, they aren't |
| right off the bat. Particularly if the relationship is not | | | | attempting to kidnap the person. They want to gain |
| physically abusive, you may be torn about whether | | | | psychological control. They want the victim to be |
| you or a loved one are currently involved in one. The | | | | dependent upon them for every outside contact and |
| best way to make the determination about whether | | | | need. They want the victim to begin to feel like it |
| you are or are not involved in an abusive relationship, | | | | would be unthinkable, even impossible, for them to |
| though, is to watch out for the signs of an abusive | | | | exist in the world without the help of the abuser. |
| relationship. You can look out for these signs whether | | | | They want the victim to feel that they have no |
| the person involved in the relationship which is | | | | identity in the outside world, except that second |
| possibly abusive is you, or perhaps another family | | | | hand identity that they have developed while relating |
| member, friend, or other loved one. | | | | to the world through their abuser. |
| One sign of an abusive or controlling relationship is | | | | In short, they want the victim to feel desperately |
| that the abuser cuts the victim off from members of | | | | and despairingly that their only connection with reality |
| their family and their previous social circle. They want | | | | and the outside world is through the very person |
| to gain complete control of their victim - not | | | | that cut them off from it. |