Verbal Abuse Definition

Verbal abuse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Verbal abuse (also called reviling) is a form of abusive behavior involving the use of language. It is a form of profanity that can

occur with or without the use of expletives. While oral communication is the most common form of verbal abuse, it includes abusive words in written form.

According to the University of Cincinnati, there is no universally accepted definition of emotional or verbal attack.

Verbal abuse is a pattern of behavior that can seriously interfere with one's positive emotional development and, over time, can lead to significant detriment to one's self-esteem, emotional well-being, and physical state. It has been further described as an ongoing emotional environment organized by the abuser for the purposes of control.

The underlying factor in the dynamic of abuse can be viewed as the abuser’s low regard for him- or herself. As the abuser may fear not being "good enough" and/or meeting other’s expectations, the abuser may attempt to place their victim in the position to feel or believe similar things about him or her self.

Reports of verbal and emotional abuse indicate that it frequently occurs in romantic relationships between men and women, with the behaviour typically being identified by the woman. Verbal abuse can occur to one of any race, culture, age or gender.

Verbal abuse typically increases in intensity over time and often escalates to physical abuse as well.

With couples usually during intense verbal abuse, the target of the abuse usually suffers by having lower self-worth and low self-esteem. Because of this, victims may fall into clinical depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Verbal abuse, although not physically harmful and having no visible signs, is damaging nonetheless. Verbal abuse is arguably the most common type of abuse which is emotionally traumatic and not yet looked at or taken nearly as seriously as the many other forms of abuse. In reality, however, moderate to severe cases of verbal abuse in which the victim is under constant attack, especially a child, may be even more detrimental to a person or child's health than physical abuse or other forms of abuse.

Verbal abuse starting from a young age may contribute to inferiority complex, machismo attitudes, and many other negative

behaviors that plague many people into adulthood. People who feel they are being attacked by a verbal abuser on a regular basis should seek professional counsel and remove themselves from the negative environment if possible. Staying around verbal abusers is damaging for a person's overall well-being and all steps to change the situation should be pursued. Children in school violence may be victims of verbal bullying.