identity and sense of self. By isolating you, they make you more reliant on them and less likely to seek external support or validation, further solidifying their control.
5. Your finances
Emotionally abusive partners often exert control over your financial resources. This can manifest as preventing you from working, dictating how you spend money, demanding access to your bank accounts, or creating financial dependence by withholding funds. This form of economic abuse leaves you vulnerable, limits your options, and makes it incredibly difficult to leave the relationship, trapping you in a cycle of control and submission.
6. Your emotions and perception of reality
Abusive partners frequently try to control your emotional responses and even your understanding of reality. Through tactics like gaslighting, they may deny events that happened, invalidate your feelings, or tell you that you are ”to sensitive” or “crazy.” This insidious form of control erodes your self-trust, makes you question your own judgment and sanity, and leaves you feeling confused and disoriented.
7. Your personal space and privacy
Emotionally abusive partners often infringe upon your personal space and privacy. This can involve constantly checking your phone, emails, or social media, demanding to know your whereabouts at all times, tracking your location, or going through your personal belongings without permission. This constant surveillance and lack of boundaries create an habitat of distrust and anxiety, stripping you of your autonomy and the fundamental right to privacy.
