Effects of Emotional Bullying In Relationship

Just as every wound leaves behind a scar, emotional abuse comes with its after effects on the victim. The effects are hardly physical, they are rather psychological traumas that can haunt the sufferer, for a life time. Emotional abuse tends to affect the work, mood, social life, sex drive, school, life dreams and goals, and other areas of life of the victim. There is no gainsaying stating that the effects of emotional abuse are worse felt than that of physical abuse.
Effects of emotionally abusive relationship are in two folds: short-term and long-term.

Short-Term Effects of Emotional Abusive Relationship

Short-term effects of emotional bullying in relationship on the victim usually stem from the surprise of finding himself/herself in the situation. The victim is boxed without warning into a corner, as he/she grapples with, albeit with difficulty, the questions of "how did I get into this?" or "what went wrong with me?"

Some short-term effects of emotional abuse are:

• Anxiety or fear of what to expect 
• Undue shame and guilt 
• Distrust of one's spontaneity 
• Getting overly passive 
• Giving in to learned helplessness 
• Becoming excessively compliant with the abuser's wishes and demands 
• Transfer of agggression borne out of frustration to other people around

Long-Term Effects of Emotional Abusive Relationship

In the case of prolonged emotional bullying in relationship, the abused is plagued with such low self-esteem to the extent of believing he/she is the one with the problem in the relationship. And at this point, the victim will compulsively defend the abuser, creating enough defence in accepting in his/her mindset that the abuse is justified afterall.
Long-term effects of emotional abuse include:

• Depression 
• Loss of memory 
• Low self-esteem and self-worth 
• Loss of enthusiasm
• Excessive dependence on the abuser 
• Abysmal dip in self-confidence 
• Sleep disturbances 
• Anxiety or fear of 'going crazy' 
• Loss of peace of mind
• Doubts over accepting one's perceptions on things 
• Distrust of future relationship 
• Physical pain without known cause
• Abuse of substances (drugs) in order to escape from the misery 
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts 
• Setting in of Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome is a situation where the abused becomes so terrified of the abuser that he/she overly identifies and becomes so emotionally bonded with the abuser in an attempt to stop the abuse. The victim becomes so emotionally attached to the abuser that he would repulse every attempts by anyone to get him/her away from the abuser. 

The effects of emotional bullying in relationship is better imagined than experienced. But is there hope for anyone who might have found himself/herself in an emotionally abusive relationship? The answer is 'YES'. There is a way out for the victim of emotional abuse...

                                                 

Let's keep it a date here tomorrow when we will discuss the way out of emotional abuse.