Signs of Verbal Abuse in a Marriage

Your spouse doesn’t need to physically beat you or threaten you to be abusive. In fact, you can claim that your spouse is abusive if you can prove that he or she has used hurtful and damaging words to tear you down. Most victims believe that they are feeling too sorry for themselves when they claim that they are a victim of verbal abuse. They may believe that claims of verbal abuse aren’t legitimate, or that they don’t have tangible proof so the issue isn’t worth pursuing. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you have been verbally abused, you have every right to report that to the authorities and to claim that you want a divorce.

One sign of verbal abuse is name calling. If your spouse always degrades you with hurtful names, then this is harming your self-esteem. From crude words to simple phrases like “stupid” and “idiot,” name calling is an inappropriate and painful action that can cause a man or woman to become depressed and insecure. Another sign of verbal abuse is shouting. If your spouse yells and screams at you constantly, then you may be a victim of abuse. Spouses should try to speak to each other in moderate tones of voice when possible. Yelling can connote an anger problem.

Another sign of verbal abuse is blaming. When a spouse constantly blames the other spouse for all financial, emotional, physical or mental issues, it is a sign of hurtful and damaging abuse. It is also abusive for a spouse to threaten another spouse. Whether the threats are of violence, blackmail, or another concern, you have the right to consider this abuse. Shame is an emotional and verbal form of abuse. If your spouse constantly hurts your feelings by saying things that are not necessary or are shameful to you, then you should tell this to your lawyer. By identifying patterns of verbal abuse, you may be able to use this to help get your away in a family law case.