The 9 types of abuse and their characteristics

What types of abuse occur in our societies?

Suffering abuse is one of the worst experiences a human being can go through.Because the victims of these acts can not only suffer physical consequences, but the psychological consequences for them can be devastating and last for a long time, even a lifetime.

Unfortunately, abuse can occur in different situations, with a partner, at work, at school, etc. In this article we will delve into the different types of abuse and review their characteristics..

Profile of the abuser

The person who suffers the mistreatment can be marked for life. But, what is an abuser like? what characteristic traits define him? In many cases, this type of person suffers from psychological problems, some have grown up in poorly structured families and in environments conducive to developing this type of personality.

Abusers are usually intolerant, authoritarian, psychologically inflexible, aggressive, cruel and insensitive people. But, what stands out most about this type of person is that they tend to be pleasant at first, they are blackmailers and are easily offended.

If you want to know more about what abusive individuals are like, visit our article: "Profile of the psychological abuser: 21 common traits".

What types of abuse are there and what are their characteristics?

There are different types of abuse, but which ones are they?

Below you can find a list with the definition and characteristics of the different types of abuse.

1. Physical abuse

Physical abuse is a type of abuse in which there is more than just words, i.e., there is physical violence.. Therefore, this maltreatment usually produces a physical injury, the product of a single or repeated punishment, which may vary in magnitude or intensity.

Because this type of abuse takes many forms and can occur in a wide variety of contexts, it overlaps with other categories discussed below.

The most common forms of physical abuse are:

• Scratching, hitting, biting, strangling or kicking.
• Throwing an object at a person: a telephone, a book, a shoe or a plate.
• Pulling hair
• Pushing, pulling or shoving
• Grabbing by the clothes
• Grabbing to prevent the victim from leaving.

2. Verbal, emotional or psychological abuse

In psychological abuse there is no physical contact, however, the after-effects may be more lasting than those produced by pushing, hitting or hair pulling. It may appear together with physical abuse, and is characterized as a type of emotional violence. is characterized as a type of emotional violence in which the following behaviors, among others, are used:

• Insults, yelling, emotional blackmail and manipulation.
• Control of the victim's social networks, telephones, schedule and friendships.
• Constant criticism
• Acts of public shaming
• Preventing the victim from talking to family members
• Telling her what to do and wear
• Damaging property belonging to the abused person. For example, throwing his or her phone against the wall
• Threatening to harm the victim, the victim's child, family or pet without actually carrying it out
• Threatening to take a child away

3. Child abuse

Child abuse can be of different types, for example, physical or psychological.. Its main characteristic is that the person who is the victim of this type of abuse is a child, someone in a vital stage in which he or she is especially vulnerable.

At this age, sequelae can last a lifetimealthough their severity varies greatly. One of the psychological phenomena that is most conducive are the problems of low self-esteem and avoidant attachment.

4. Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is one of the worst forms of maltreatment, because the after-effects of these intimate acts may never disappear.. Abuse of this type can take two forms: either by exercising this type of violence directly on the victim or through sexual exploitation.

This type of abuse can manifest itself not only with very violent contact, but kissing, caressing, touching and even words with intimate content are catalogued as behaviors of this type of abuse. The psychological impact it can generate varies depending on the nature of the aggression and certain personality attributes of the person attacked.

5. Bullying

Bullying is a term of Anglo-Saxon origin that is currently very popular. It refers to both physical and psychological mistreatment that occurs in the school environment.. The vulnerability of people who suffer bullying and the Pain they feel is so great that they can even commit suicide in the most extreme cases, since the child, in addition, has the obligation to constantly go to school, exposing themselves to mistreatment.

6. Mobbing

The mobbing is a phenomenon practically identical to the bullying, with the difference of which it happens in the labor scope. This causes serious problems for the victim, who is forced to go to work and suffer all kinds of abuse and belittling that can undermine their self-esteem.

Many times, mobbing is aimed at forcing a resignation from work, since the dismissal of the abused person would cause problems with the law. In other cases, it may be motivated by problems of competitiveness and envy associated with an environment based on individualism. In other words, this type of mistreatment may be instrumental or may be induced or facilitated by psychological aspects such as prejudice, impulsivity, irritability, etc.

If you want to go deeper into this subject, you can read our article: "The 6 types of mobbing or harassment at work".

7. Digital abuse or cyberbullying

A modern form of abuse is cyberbullying. This type of abuse is more frequent in adolescence and is characterized by the following characteristics is carried out through the digital world and social networks.. Cyberbullying can manifest itself as follows:

• The abuser sends negative, insulting or even threatening emails to the victim. He also sends such messages via Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.
• He uses the abused person's account without permission. For example, by making updates to his or her Facebook status.
• Puts the victim in his or her status updates, trying to discredit him or her.
• Sends unwanted images via digital media
• Threatens to publish and broadcast things that may compromise their privacy in the 2.0 world.

8. Institutional abuse

Not only individuals can abuse other individuals, but also institutions, both public and private, can abuse them. institutions, both public and private, can, by means of laws, rules, procedures or actions, abuse other individuals.The fact that the system is not a system of public administration, causing abuse, neglect and discomfort to individuals or collectives of individuals. This reflects dynamics of discrimination against minorities or, simply, a system of administration and attention to people that allows some individuals to harm citizens without being restrained or removed from their position for it. Moreover, where it occurs constantly and systematically, it facilitates the emergence of bribery.

9. Economic mistreatment

Mistreatment or abuse is a pattern of behavior used to gain and maintain power and control, and can take many forms.It can take many forms. One of these is financial abuse, which can occur with any individual, but mostly with a partner or an older person.

For example, within a couple, when one partner spends the other partner's money or makes it impossible for the other partner to make use of his or her own purchasing power.