Hurt By Love: What Every Teen Should Know About Emotional Abuse...

Today an interesting topic pertaining to emotional dating abuse aroused while conversing with a close friend. The topic did not startle me because 96% of teens in America will experience emotional abuse in a relationship, but it did startle me because I was hearing it for the first time, from a close friend . She explained she has been dating this guy for the last 7 months; that there has been a few sexual encounters; and that she was really feeling him, until recently, because she believes that he has been emotionally abusing her. I immediate ask "what does he do to make you feel like he is emotionally abusing you". She then replied "he talks down at me, he treats me like a child, he criticizes my weight, and he basically makes me feel like I'm two feet tall". It sounded to me that he was definitely showing signs of emotional abuse because the signs are one, controlling you through minimizing, denying or blaming you; two, continually criticizing you, calling you names, or shouting at you; three, emotionally degrading you in private, but acting charming in public, and four, withholding approval, appreciation or affection as punishment.So now that I have defined the characteristics of emotional abuse, I  proceeded to explain  the solution to it which includes four steps. One, remember that you are not alone; and that there are people who can support you; two, remember that it is NOT your fault; three, talk to someone you trust about the situation like a friend or counselor; and four, never forget that you are a great person and that you do not deserve to be treated this way. I hope this helped her in many ways, as well as other females who are experiencing the same thing...

Written By; LaToya Rippy