8 Types of abuse and their characteristics

  • Jun 01, 2023
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Types of abuse and their characteristics

There are different types of abuse, each with specific characteristics, such as physical, psychological, economic, cultural, sexual abuse, among others. These are patterns of behavior used by a person when they want to exercise control over another. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst situations that an individual can go through and that leaves many consequences that are difficult to erase. In addition, regardless of whether it is physical, verbal or other forms of abuse, they are behaviors that tend to worsen with time, so it is essential to identify these patterns to get out of that harmful cycle as soon as possible possible.

In the following Psychology-Online article we will explore cwhat are the types of abuse and their characteristics so that you learn to identify them quickly.

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Index

  1. What is the profile of abusers like?
  2. physical abuse
  3. sexual abuse
  4. emotional abuse
  5. Economic or financial abuse
  6. Bullying
  7. Mobbing
  8. digital abuse
  9. institutional mistreatment

What is the profile of the abusers like?

The profile of an abuser can vary, however, there are some general characteristics that tend to be common. On the one hand, they are authoritarian and possess autocratic and uncompromising traits. They love order, but from a subjective perspective, that is, according to their personal criteria, and they can fly into anger if they are not obeyed, regardless of whether they are right or not.

On the other hand, acts of abuse are made voluntarily and intentionallyTherefore, these types of people are aware that these actions are a violation of the rights of the person they are mistreating. Violence can be exercised directly or indirectly through physical aggression, harassment, threats or coercion.

Another crucial aspect to take into account is that many times the abuses go unnoticed. There may be abusers in the couple, family, school, work and, ultimately, in any environment. It is important that you know the profile of an abuser or abuser so that you know what you may be dealing with. Therefore, it is important to be able to detect them quickly so that you can end the toxic relationship as soon as possible.

Physical abuse.

Physical abuse is the type of abuse that people often associate with the word “abuse” and, in fact, is often considered to be the only one there is. This type of abuse consists of physical assaults directed for threaten the well-being of people, that is, to harm them in her body or organism.

It can include hitting, scratching, shoving, kicking, slapping, strangling, forcibly restraining the person or pulling the hair, among other types of violent and uncomfortable behavior. Reckless driving or trying to invade someone's personal space without their consent is also considered physical abuse.

Types of abuse and their characteristics - Physical abuse

Sexual abuse.

Also known as sexual abuse, this type of abuse is a form of violence that involves sexual acts performed without the consent of a person. However, sexual abuse does not only refer to the sexual act itself, but to a series of events and actions that do harm and leave very strong consequences on the victims of this type of abuse.

It is an act of power and control that is used to humiliate, degrade and dominate to the victim. It can include behaviors such as unwanted physical contact, exposure to sexually explicit materials, sexual harassment, and rape. Here you will find the Difference Between Abuse, Rape, Harassment, and Sexual Assault.

This type of abuse can have lasting and traumatic effects, which can include physical harm, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, as well as psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, it can occur in any context, including family, romantic, work, school relationships, among others.

Emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse is also known as emotional or psychological abuse and, despite the fact that it does not leave visible wounds, its consequences can be even worse than those of physical abuse, since affects the psyche of people, emotions and feelings.

This type of abuse can include:

  • Blame the other person for everything bad that happens.
  • Insults, shouting and harassment.
  • Sickly jealousies.
  • humiliation and shame permanent.
  • Total control of personal independence.
  • Isolation and stalking, among other limiting and abusive behaviors.
Types of abuse and their characteristics - Emotional abuse

Economic or financial abuse.

When a person or organization tries to maintain power over your finances It is considered economic abuse. For example, if someone tries to keep your assets, damage your credit record, or cause you harm so you don't go to your job, they will be abusing your financial means.

Bullying.

Bullying encompasses all kinds of bullying that occurs in the educational environment, in which the students suffer physical or psychological abuse. Without fear of being wrong, we can affirm that it is one of the most worrying types of abuse, since children, young people and adolescents often do not have the tools to defend themselves and can even end up in the suicide.

In this article we explain How to prevent the bullying.

Mobbing.

First of all, the mobbing is the mistreatment that a person can experience in their WorkplaceTherefore, it is also known as workplace harassment. In general, it happens when there are authoritarian bosses or when a colleague wants to cause the resignation of a worker through hostility.

Here we explain What to do when your coworkers don't like you.

As for bullying, it is the harassment that occurs in the educational environment, in which the students suffer physical or psychological abuse. Without fear of being wrong, we can affirm that it is one of the most worrying types of abuse, since children, young people and adolescents often do not have the tools to defend themselves and can even end up in the suicide.

Digital abuse.

Digital abuse or technological abuse is a form of abuse that many people use to control social interactions of others and their personal movements. In general, it happens between some couples or between adolescents to control what is said or published on different social networks.

Some examples of digital abuse include to hack the other person's personal email or bank accounts, using mobile or computer trackers, or demanding the passwords of the partner or another person.

Types of abuse and their characteristics - Digital abuse

Institutional abuse.

some institutions, both public and private, they can mistreat certain people, either by omission, delay or bureaucracy regarding its procedures. This type of abuse can give way to other worrying practices such as bribery, cheating or scams.

On the other hand, the omission of the facts, the negligence, carelessness and abandonment, since all of them affect the integral well-being of the people.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of abuse and their characteristics, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.

Bibliography

  • Castillo, Neila. Types of abuse. Extracted on, 2006, vol. 3.
  • Thomson, O. c. & Vega, L. (2001). Research designs in the biomedical sciences. Mexican Journal of Pediatrics, 68 (4), 147-151.
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