The definitions provided are for overview purposes only and are not intended to be all-inclusive.

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Gaslighting Abuse is a form of mental and emotional abuse that instills extreme anxiety and confusion in the victim. The abuser systematically presents false information to make the victim doubt her own perception, judgement, memory, and sanity. Abusive acts range from denial and omission of facts, to sophisticated fabrication and staging. It is a deeply insidious set of manipulations that are subtle and cunning making it difficult for anyone, especially the victim, to discern that abuse exists. Over time the victim’s mental and emotional stability and sanity are undermined. In the most serious of cases the victim may have a nervous breakdown. In the worst, the victim may have a breakdown, as well as become suicidal. The term "gaslighting" originated from the 1938 stage play, Gaslight.

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Cyberstalking is the use of electronic devices to stalk another person. Surveillance has long been part of domestic violence. With the digital platform, the abuser has a new arsenal to stalk the victim’s activities, thoughts, and whereabouts. Cyberstalking includes reading emails and text messages, frequently checking the victim’s cell and landline phone use, monitoring internet search history, using sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep constant tabs on the victim, use of keystroke logging software to access passwords and PIN numbers, altering the victim’s passwords, accessing bank or similar accounts to monitor or use monetary funds, using the victim’s identity and/or credit card(s) to purchase merchandise or services online, and more.

 

Betrayal Trauma occurs when continual and numerous infidelities exist, the related cumulative levels of betrayal are defined as “High Betrayal Trauma” or  “HBT”. According to betrayal trauma theory, betrayal awareness is suppressed when survival is involved with basic needs such as food, shelter, and emotional attachment. The victim will attempt to maintain a relationship with her intimate partner/abuser which can result in unawareness of the trauma altogether, and/or self-blame. This complicated mix of psychological factors puts the victim at long-term risk for mental health problems, and they are prone to severe depression, dissociation, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Economic Abuse is a pattern of controlling money by which the abuser obstructs the victim’s access to money and forces her to depend on him financially. It includes not being allowed access to shared money, having to account for everything spent, having to ask for money, having to beg for money, being prevented from getting or keeping a job, not being allowed to quit a job, being forced to hand over personal paycheck, not being allowed access to personal money earned, withholding money for necessities; clothing, food, & shelter, victim being the sole credit guarantor/responsibility for family bills such as house and car notes & credit cards, having personal credit score ruined because money to pay bills is withheld, not being included in investment decisions, hiding assets and money, abuser spending a large share of family income on himself, being forced to write bad/NSF checks, inadvertently or directly being forced to commit money related crimes, and more. Women who are married to abusers who are self-employed experience other unique and wide-spread abuses in this area.

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Sexual Abuse in the non-physical sense must be understood in the context of a pattern of behaviors that are degrading and harm the emotional, and physical health, of an intimate partner. It includes lewd comments and glances, coerced participation in pornography, pressure to perform acts that make a person uncomfortable, pressures and controls choices in clothing, non-disclosure of sexual relations with another person(s), and passing on sexually transmitted diseases and infections, repeated infidelity with one or more partners including casual sex and use of prostitutes, children born out of another sexual relationship, and all secrets and non-disclosures thereof. Victims are at a higher risk for HIV because abusive men are likely to have multiple sexual partners.

 

Verbal Abuse is a pattern of verbally demeaning another person. A verbal abuser uses his tongue as a weapon. It takes on many forms such as insults, belittling, slander, badgering, yelling, threats, angry outbursts, name calling, sarcasm, scolding, mockery, reprimands, profanity, teasing, insinuations, humiliation, constant put-downs, back-biting, and more. A verbal abuser either makes an insincere apology, or none at all. There is no remorse or desire to change, and the pattern continues. Retraction of the hurtful words and statements rarely occurs, and similarly, any retractions made are not genuine.

 

Emotional Abuse is a pattern of behavior that degrades another person. An emotional abuser normally employs a combination of the following abuses; verbal assaults, constant criticism, lying, aggressive demands or expectations, abandonment, neglect, refusing or withholding love, threats, false allegations, jealous accusations that have no basis, monitoring time and whereabouts, restricting, social isolation, ignoring and excluding, using silence, shaming, refusing to listen/ validate feelings, intimidation, scapegoating, exploitation, intentionally frightening, punishment, terrorizing, and more. Often, victims internalize and assume the treatment (abuse) is warranted, and they are at fault. They are left feeling fearful, insignificant, unworthy, needy, unlovable, as if they were bad, deserving of punishment (abuse), and to blame. In addition, emotional abuse may turn inward and manifest in the victim as depression, or turn outward and manifest as anger or rage.

 

Emotional Abuse, Psychological Abuse, and Mental Abuse are terms that are used inter-changeably. The inter-linked terminology refers to a repetitive pattern of harm/abuse on another person, which negatively effects the thoughts (psychological/mental), and feelings (emotions) of that person; the victim. Many women who suffered both non-physical domestic violence and physical domestic violence, report that the non-physical abuse was worse than the physical abuse they endured. It has deeply profound and long-lasting effects, and can cause psychological problems for many years after the actual abuse stops.