 Hey Psych2Goers and welcome back to another video. Thank you so much for all the love and support that you've given us. Psych2Go's mission is to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. Now, let's begin the video. Emotional abuse is defined as a pattern of behavior where someone intentionally and repeatedly uses non-physical acts to demean your behavior's effective functionality and your overall mental well-being. It is serious mistreatment of your feelings and emotional needs. If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, we want to urge you to get the help that you need. We have resources provided in the description below that you can use. With that said, let's look at 6 types of emotional abuse. 1. I hold a power of corruption. Does this person force you into things you don't want to do? This looks different than having to make sacrifices in your relationship or giving into peer pressure. In an emotionally abusive relationship, this person will threaten negative consequences if you don't do what they want you to do. The art of corruption starts out with small things, like asking you to skip work or school without warning, and then will lead to bigger manipulations, like unwanted alcohol or substance abuse, the act of gambling or even theft. 2. They exploit you. Does this person ignore your boundaries? Do they seem to care only about the favors you can do for them? Exploitation is a type of emotional abuse that can be hard to notice because it can start off with very simple requests and favors. You might be happy to oblige them in the beginning because you want to seem nice and respectful. But it can reach a point of toxicity when they cross over your established boundaries and repeatedly ask you for money, connections or things. The abuser might have a hard time empathizing with you and their focus will be on manipulating you into getting what they want from you. 3. They lash out verbally. Does this person lash out at you with their words? Do they get loud and yell a lot? Frequent outbursts that involve yelling, swearing, insulting you or humiliating you is another type of emotional abuse. This is also called verbal abuse. According to the American Psychological Association, verbal abuse is when one uses harsh words to demean, belittle, or frighten you. You might use verbal abuse to deflect attention off of themselves or from discussing the state of your relationship. 4. They frequently ignore you. Do they frequently give you the silent treatment? Do they seem suspiciously dodgy about certain aspects of your relationship? When someone is frequently and repeatedly ignoring you, it's so they can manipulate your feelings. This makes you question your own behavior and whether or not you did something to make them act so coldly towards you. This shifts the attention towards yourself, instead of on their abusive behavior. This might prompt you to apologize to them just so they'll acknowledge you again. The emotional abuser, though, will continue to use this tactic when they want something or to try and deflect blame off of themselves. 5. They isolate you. Do they repeatedly make negative comments about the important people in your life? Have they even cut you off from your friends and family? This type of abuse generally masquerades as a positive notion. They might argue that they're isolating you to protect you from getting hurt by other people, or try to convince you that spending even a little time with others will take away from bonding time with them. If they're overprotective in a way that stifles your ability to grow as a person, this is a sign that they're trying to isolate you. Isolation leads to complete dependence on the abuser, which gives them another level of power over you. 6. They throw out harmful, verbal threats. Does this person threaten to abandon you, blackmail you, or get mad at you if you don't do what they want? Do they threaten to physically harm you, but never follow through on those threats? If you try to leave the relationship, they can manipulate you into staying when they say something like, you'll never find someone who loves you the way I do. They may play the victim card and make you feel guilty for wanting to leave them. In extreme cases, they may even threaten suicide. This is extremely unhealthy and toxic. If you think you're being treated like this in your relationship, please know that it's not your fault. Emotional abusers are nasty manipulators and they can make almost anything sound believable. You have every right to feel supported, loved, and respected in your relationship with others. Remember that there are resources that can help you, listed in the description below. If this video did help you, or you think it might help someone else, feel free to share it. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more videos, and we'll see you next time.