Emotional abuse
is a series of destructive behaviour and/or verbal attacks
by an adult on a child with the result that the child’s
self-esteem is severely damaged. This damage often lasts until
adulthood. There are many different ways that emotional abuse
manifests itself e.g.
- Rejecting: not responding to a child's need for love,
affection and support.
- Terrorizing: terrifying a child with constant use threats
and/or intimidating behaviour.
- Ignoring: not interacting with or responding to the child
at all.
- Isolating: not allowing the child to form normal social
contact such as not allowing friends.
- Exploiting: giving a child adult responsibilities which
are greater than children of that age are able to handle
such as taking care of a parent.
- Corrupting: teaching and/or encouraging the child to engage
in criminal or anti-social behaviour
No parent is perfect and occasionally they
may behave in one of the above ways. It becomes abuse when
this is a regular and consistent pattern of treating the child.
The psychological damage done to the child is often significant
and long-lasting.
Neglect is also considered to be emotional
abuse and is the failure of the primary caregivers to provide
for the child's basic needs and as a result the child's health,
development and safety is threatened. Abandonment and rejection
by the caregivers also constitutes neglect. Neglect occurs
when parents or caregivers choose not to provide adequately
for the child.
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