Psychological violence
Psychological violence
How is psychological violence expressed? What devastating effects does it leave on victims? What can online therapy do?
Psychological violence, often overlooked in its varied and insidious forms, is a type of emotional and mental abuse that leaves deep, invisible scars. This kind of violence is expressed through behaviors such as insults, unfounded accusations, denigrating acts, threats, name-calling, humiliations, and devaluation. No less harmful are forced social isolation, limiting personal freedom, suffocating control over everyday life—such as forbidding contact with friends and relatives—and exclusion from important decisions concerning the family or couple. A particularly cruel aspect is the refusal to provide help in times of illness or need, revealing a profound disregard for the person’s dignity and well-being.
These behaviors, often perpetrated by close others or authority figures, can have a devastating impact on victims’ mental health, leaving them in a constant state of anxiety, fear, and insecurity. Addressing this topic in modern society is crucial in order to recognize and counter every form of psychological abuse, promoting awareness and prevention. It is essential to educate the public on what constitutes psychological violence, how to recognize it, and how to intervene, to protect victims and prevent further harm.
This article aims to shed light on these dynamics, offering reflections and practical solutions to address a phenomenon as complex as it is widespread.
Manifestations of Psychological Violence: A Theoretical Analysis
The manifestations of psychological violence, intricate and complex, can be better understood through various psychological theories. John Bowlby’s attachment theory, for example, suggests that insecure attachment styles within a relationship can lead to abusive behaviors. A partner with an anxious attachment style, for instance, might exert excessive control or jealousy, which can evolve into forms of psychological abuse.
Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory offers another perspective, showing how victims of abuse may justify or minimize mistreatment to reduce internal conflict. This conflict arises from the discrepancy between affection for the partner and the awareness of their harmful behavior.
Furthermore, French and Raven’s social power theory sheds light on how different types of power can be used abusively. Coercive power, for example, manifests through threats and intimidation, while referent power can be exploited for emotional manipulation by leveraging the victim’s emotional identification with the abusive partner.
These theoretical approaches help us understand the dynamics underlying psychological violence. Whether it involves social isolation, manipulation, humiliation, or devaluation, it is essential to recognize how these behaviors are rooted in complex power dynamics and insecurities within relationships. Through this understanding, we can identify signs of psychological violence and develop more effective strategies for recognition and intervention.
Understanding the Dynamics of Psychological Violence
Psychological violence, less visible but no less devastating than its physical counterpart, profoundly affects an individual’s psyche and emotional well-being. This form of abuse, often neglected or underestimated, lurks in daily interactions, disguising itself as normal relational dynamics. However, its insidious nature and its capacity to erode self-esteem and personal dignity make its recognition and understanding in all its forms essential:
- Insults and Name-Calling: These repeated, targeted verbal attacks aim to undermine the victim’s self-confidence, negatively impacting their self-perception.
- Unfounded Accusations and Denigrating Acts: Through false accusations or undeserved criticism, the perpetrator seeks to make the victim doubt their own validity and integrity.
- Threats and Humiliations: Such behaviors establish a climate of terror and inferiority, with a devastating impact on the victim’s mental health.
- Devaluation and Social Isolation: Minimizing the victim’s skills and interests, combined with separating them from their social environment, serves to compromise their self-esteem and independence.
- Restrictions on Personal Freedom and Excessive Control: Obsessive control over everyday aspects of the victim’s life limits their autonomy and personal freedom.
- Bans on Seeing Friends and Relatives: Preventing the victim from maintaining external social ties makes them more isolated and dependent on the abuser.
- Exclusion from Important Decisions: Not including the victim in decisions concerning couple or family life marginalizes them and takes away their voice.
- Failure to Help in Times of Need: Neglect in moments of necessity constitutes severe emotional abandonment, leaving the victim unsupported in critical situations.
Understanding these manifestations is crucial for identifying psychological violence and taking preventive and intervention measures. Through this awareness, we can begin to effectively counter the harmful impact of this kind of abuse.
Understanding the Effects of Psychological Violence
Psychological violence—an invisible, insidious abuse—deeply affects the human psyche, leaving experiences of pain that reverberate long after the relationship ends. This type of abuse, often hidden and minimized, generates profound and lasting psychological damage, sometimes even greater than physical harm. Its effects appear in various forms, drastically influencing mental health and emotional well-being.
According to John Bowlby’s attachment theory, presented in his seminal work Attachment and Loss, damaged emotional bonds can lead to decreased self-esteem. Victims of psychological violence, subjected to constant humiliations and degradations, may develop a negative self-perception, internalizing the abuser’s criticisms and distorted views.
The relationship between psychological abuse and mental health disorders is explored in depth in Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score. The author emphasizes how traumatic experiences, including psychological violence, can leave a lasting imprint on body and mind, leading to states of anxiety and depression. These disorders can be exacerbated by the ongoing environment of insecurity and threat perpetuated by the abuser.
Judith Herman, in Trauma and Recovery, examines how psychological violence can cause post-traumatic disorders, especially when the abuse is prolonged and intense. These disorders manifest with symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of situations that recall the abuse, and hypervigilance.
The effects of psychological violence are not limited to the mental sphere; they can also impact physical health, causing sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems, and stress-related illnesses, as documented in research on stress and health.
Victims may also develop self-destructive behaviors, such as substance abuse or self-harm—desperate strategies to cope with emotional pain. These behaviors often express an attempt to control or alleviate inner torment, as explored in various studies on the psychopathology of trauma.
Understanding the effects of psychological violence is crucial for victims’ recovery. Through awareness of these impacts and adequate therapeutic support, victims can begin a healing journey and reclaim their lives—a path toward restoring mental health and self-esteem.
What can online therapy do?
Online therapy represents a vital path to healing for those who have suffered psychological violence. This type of abuse, often hidden and insidious, leaves deep emotional and psychological scars. Online therapy offers a safe, welcoming environment where victims can confront and process the trauma they have experienced—a fundamental step toward recovery and rebuilding the self.
In a therapeutic context, victims of psychological violence have the opportunity to express and analyze their emotions and experiences, often for the first time. The therapist helps validate these experiences and recognize the reality of the abuse—an essential process for breaking the cycle of denial and minimization that often accompanies this type of violence.
Through online therapy, victims learn strategies to manage anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders that may result from the abuse. Online therapy provides tools to challenge negative thoughts, rebuild damaged self-esteem, and develop better self-understanding. This process empowers the victim, restoring a sense of control over their life.
A crucial element of recovery is re-establishing healthy relationships. Therapy can guide victims in recognizing harmful relationship patterns and in learning to set healthy boundaries, reducing the risk of future abuse. The therapist can also assist in strengthening the victim’s social support networks, encouraging positive relationships that offer additional support and reinforcement.
In conclusion, online therapy is a fundamental pillar in the healing journey for victims of psychological violence. It offers a space for listening, understanding, and growth, enabling victims to overcome trauma and regain control of their lives. Through this therapeutic process, victims can gradually reclaim their inner strength and build a brighter, healthier future.
References
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.
French, J.R.P., & Raven, B. (1959). “The Bases of Social Power.” In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in Social Power (pp. 150–167).
O’Leary, K. D., & Maiuro, R. D. (Eds.). (2000). Psychological Abuse in Violent Domestic Relations. Springer Publishing Company.
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
For more information, write to Dr. Jessica Zecchini.
Email contact: consulenza@jessicazecchini.it, WhatsApp contact: 370 32 17 351
