PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE: What is it, Examples, Types, Causes, Consequences and How to Prevent It

The psychological violence It is a serious form of aggression that does not use physical contact but can leave serious consequences on the victim's psyche since it is a very effective way of exercising power over another. In this Psychology-Online article we will address the subject in depth and answer the following questions: what is it, what are the examples, what are the types, causes and consequences as well as how we can prevent this kind of violence.

Index

1. What is psychological violence?
2. Examples of psychological violence
3. Types of psychological violence
4. Causes and incidence of psychological violence
5. Consequences of psychological violence
6. How to prevent psychological violence?

It is called psychological violence to all that assault carried out without the intervention of physical contact Between people. It can be given by one or more people at the same time and is basically manifested verbally:

It is a quite serious form of violence since it directly affects and damages the psyche of the person, the physical damage leaves marks visible and although the psychological damage cannot be seen, it leaves deep marks on the personality of the individual as well as on his reason and judgment. In some cases, this violence also appears in conjunction with physical, sexual violence, etc... Mainly, it seeks to reduce or eliminate the internal resources that the affected person may possess to cope with different situations of daily life.

Some examples of psychological violence are:

• Threat: generates fear and restricts the actions of the victim. Some more serious are punishable by law.
• Blackmail: form of control through fear or guilt.
• Humiliation: degrading actions in front of loved ones or strangers.
• Monopolize decision making: not let the other also participate in decision-making on any issue: money management, time management, work ...
• Control: if the control is excessive it can end up becoming a violent form of psychological violence.
• Abuse: humiliation.
• Disqualifying comparisons: Permanently pointing out defects and comparing the person with another can become a form of psychological violence.
• ScreamsArguments are common in relationships, constant screaming is not and can be considered psychological violence.
• Image control: control over the image carried out through humiliation, coercion, threats... it becomes a form of psychological violence.
• Teasing: Teasing that exceeds confidence and seeks to harm and humiliate is a form of psychological violence.
• Moralization: associated with blackmail and humiliation is related to the display of moral superiority repeatedly.
• Review: repeated and constant, harmful, that do not seek to help but to destroy.
• Denying the perceptions or feelings of the other: Disqualifying someone's feelings (sadness, loneliness, joy) in a systematic way causes an inability to express themselves and even mistrust in their own judgment.
• Indifference: remain indifferent to the other in any environment where relationships are shared (family, work ...).
• Psychological harassment: it is a deliberate form of psychological violence that seeks to destroy the victim's self-esteem.
  

We can differentiate 5 types of psychological violence:

1. Psychological violence against women

There are different ways to violence against women: physical, sexual and also psychological violence. The latter is related to abuse and therefore is part of gender violence since the WHO defines it as: “Any act or intention that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women. It includes threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether in public or private life ”.

2. Psychological violence in children

The psychological abuse of children and adolescents in the family is one of the main and potentially most harmful types of lack of protection child and at the same time one of those that presents the greatest difficulties for its identification, evaluation and approach. According to the author Glaser (2002), for an act to be considered psychological violence towards children by parents, it should comply with the following:

• "It describes a relationship between the parental figures and the child (rather than an event or a series of repeated events that occur within the framework of the parent-child relationship);
• The parental behaviors that make up the interaction with the child permeate or characterize their relationship current - that is, they occur always, usually or often and are observed at different times and contexts-;
• Parental behaviors are causing or potentially can cause harm to the child's psychological / emotional development and health;
• Includes both omission and commission; Y
• It requires no physical contact. "

3. Psychological violence in the family

It contemplates all that verbal aggression of any kind towards the children as well as towards the spouse. It must be borne in mind that in the family environment it is easier for the person to normalize the situation and feel anxiety or stress due to the very fact of experiencing ambivalent feelings: fear on the one hand, love for other. Here you will find more information about the domestic violence.

4. Psychological violence in the couple

It occurs between the spouses. Various scientific findings have shown that the psychological violence in the partner presents a high relevance as important as physical violence and also, being in many occasions an indicator of the latter. Research also indicates that psychological violence is more persistent over time than other.

5. Psychological violence in the workplace

Closely related to Workplace Harassment, that is, with the so-called Mobbing.

In the same way that it is difficult to know the exact data on other types of abuse, the same thing happens with psychological violence. When it occurs as a single form of abuse, it has little incidence since complaints are scarce, which does not mean that it does not occur.

As for the causes, they vary according to the typology. At a general level we find:

• Alcoholism
• Ignorance and ignorance
• Poor education
• Not being able to control impulses
• Lack of understanding towards others
• Drug addiction

In the case of psychological violence exerted by parents on children, the following has been found:

• Parents with poor parenting skills, substance abuse, depression, suicide attempts or other psychological disorders, low self-esteem, poor social skills, authoritarian educational style, lack of empathy, social stress, domestic violence and dysfunction family.
• Substance abuse or affective disorders by parents significantly correlate with verbal aggressions.
• Specifically, parents who abuse emotionally more frequently have a history of psychiatric and less frequently a history of delinquency, alcoholism and drug addiction or prostitution.
• Children at risk are those whose parents are immersed in a contentious divorce, unwanted or unplanned children, children whose parents are inexperienced or unskilled in parenting, parents with substance abuse problems, parents who abuse animals, children exposed to domestic violence, socially isolated children or disabled

On the other hand, regarding the causes of psychological violence against women, the question is more complicated. Human behavior has two components: emotional and instrumental. On the one hand, the first element refers to the affective load that the behavior has: anger, rage... The second asks why, what moves us to do it. In the case of violence against women in the context of the couple, the behavior is somewhat different, it contains a structural and cultural element that leads the aggressor to want to teach the woman for the simple fact of being.

The consequences of psychological violence are multiple and varied according to the specific typology.

Consequences of psychological violence in the family environment

The effects of domestic psychological violence are as follows:

• Ambivalence of feelings towards whoever is exercising the abuse. It feels fear as well as affection and love.
• Anxiety and self-blame for believing the cause of some problem for example family.
• Constant loss of self-esteem, insecurity.
• Stress due to pressure from the environment. This is because her environment, friends or family, encourage him or her to leave the partner, or vice versa: to stay with him or her.
• Difficulty effectively controlling your impulses.
• Complication to express affection.

Consequences of psychological violence directed at children:

According to a study by M. Gómez de Terreros:

• "1) At the level of thoughts, such as feelings of low self-esteem (including behaviors associated with it), negative view of life, symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as thoughts of suicide.
• 2) About emotional health, such as emotional instability, borderline or borderline personality, lack of appropriate emotional responses, impulse control problems, anger, self-injurious behaviors, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
• 3) On social skills, including antisocial behavior, bonding problems, limited social competence, lack of sympathy and empathy, social isolation, difficulty adjusting to the rules, sexual maladaptation, dependency, aggressiveness and violence, and delinquency or criminality.
• 4) On learning, poor school performance, learning difficulties and difficulties in moral development.
• 5) On physical health, failure to thrive, somatic complaints, a poor health and high mortality."

Consequences of psychological violence against women in the domestic sphere

The effects of psychological violence against women are:

• Anxiety
• Depression, loss of self esteem and feelings of guilt
• Social isolation
• Psychosomatic disorders
• Sexual disorders

Consequences of psychological violence in the workplace

Victims of psychological violence at work or mobbing may present:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorders
• Depression
• Post traumatic stress syndrome
• Somatization disorders, such as migraines, fatigue, digestive disorders,….
• Addictions
• Permanent changes in personality
• Intellectual dullness and impairment and memory loss
• Loss of ability to concentrate
• Focus and obsession on the harassment suffered to the exclusion of the rest of the life spheres of the person such as family and friends
• Social and professional isolation
• Inability to experience pleasure
• Insensitivity or depersonalization
• Professional abandonment
• Constant alert situation
• Sleep and appetite disturbances
• Greater vulnerability to infections (conjunctivitis, otitis, colds, etc.) due to the effect on the immune system

It is practically impossible to eradicate this type of violence in a simple way since there are many normalized behaviors in society. The best way to do it is educate in respect, in healthy and empathetic relationships from the beginning. It is important to equip people with social-emotional skills so that they learn to face conflicts in an assertive way and be able to manage and regulate yourself emotionally. Adequately channel emotions such as anger, frustration... and understand that they are normal, but they must know how to control themselves. We must all do our part in prevention and be able to criticize our own behaviors to try to improve those aspects that may cause psychological damage in others. It is also important to listen to ourselves to know how to detect when we are the ones who feel ourselves victims of this type of violence and thus be able to stop it as soon as possible.

In the following articles you will find information:

• How to prevent gender violence
• What is sexual violence and how to prevent it?
• How to prevent child abuse

This article is merely informative, in 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 Psychological violence: what is it, examples, types, causes, consequences and how to prevent it, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

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• Terreros, M.I. (2006). Psychological abuse. Forensic Physician Notebook (12) .43-44.
• Zubizarreta, I. (2004). Psychological consequences of domestic abuse in women and their children. ZUTITU Clinical Psychology. Recovered from: https://www.euskadi.eus/contenidos/informacion/proyecto_nahiko_formacion/es_def/adjuntos/2004.03.1

Psychological violence: what is it, examples, types, causes, consequences and how to prevent it