Consequences of the Human Condition Is the

¶ … consequences of the human condition is the abusive manner in which people can treat each other, sometimes without even consciously realizing it. Although even otherwise-loving and happy couples who appear to "have it all" may experience emotionally abusive behaviors from time to time, when these patterns of behaviors persist, they can work an enormous toll on their victims as well as their perpetrators.

Unfortunately, studies have shown time and again that emotional abuse tends to perpetuate itself from one generation to the next, making the need for timely and effective interventions essential. The implications of emotional abuse are profound and include both social as well as economic costs that demand more attention from the healthcare community to break the vicious cycle of intergenerational emotional abuse. To this end, the reason for writing this study included identifying current approaches and best practices for emotionally abusive situations.

Overview of Sources A preliminary review of the recent (within the last 10 years or so), relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly sources at both public and university libraries indicated that a vast body of research exists on emotional abuse.

A priority will be assigned to locating additional scholarly resources of this type for the formal study; however, in order to obtain as much recent and reliable information concerning the incidence and consequences of emotional abuse, appropriate government online resources such as the United States National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (1996) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will also be consulted for the most current estimates of incidence of emotional abuse in the United States.

Additional online resources will also be consulted as hyperlinks on these governmental Web sites are reviewed and useful data that is serendipitously identified will also be incorporated where appropriate. Although there remains a need for additional research in this area, the general consensus that emerged from the preliminary review of the available sources indicated that a general consensus exists that women are at higher risk of emotional abuse than men, but emotional abusive behaviors are not restricted to men alone.

Another general consensus that emerged from the preliminary research was that emotional abuse can assume a wide variety of forms that may not be readily recognizable as emotionally abusive behavior, but which can have the same adverse effects as more readily discernible types of emotionally abuse behaviors. Finally, a common theme that emerged from the preliminary research was the cyclical nature of the problem, with emotionally abusive behaviors being passed from one generation to the next in a vicious cycle of repetition that defies easy solutions (Engle 2002).

The main differences that were discerned during the preliminary research between the resources that were reviewed primarily concerned what type of interventions were best suited for a given situation, as well as what steps can be taken to break this vicious cycle over time (Kaukinen 2004). The novel that was read for this study was Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible that provides first-hand accounts of women trying to adapt to untenable circumstances.

In this novel, Kingsolver presents a poignant analysis of how emotionally abusive behaviors can adversely affect a family unit, particularly with respect to the Orleanna, the wife of a Baptist missionary dispatched to the Congo to save souls at the expense of her own well-being. The key points from this novel will be incorporated into the final study by examining the author's main points and tying these to emotionally abusive behaviors in general.

Topic Areas The thesis statement for this project is as follows: "Children who are raised in emotionally abusive homes tend to perpetuate emotionally abusive behaviors in their future relationships unless and until the cycle is broken." In order to thoroughly address this thesis statement, this paper will focus on studies of intergenerational emotional abuse.

Expectations for Final Product The final product is expected to be an approximately 10-page long doubled-spaced study that draws on the various resources that were described above as well as those additional resources that are identified during the subsequent research process. The study will use MLA format, Times New Roman font 12 point, with standard 1-inch margins on all sides.

It is my expectation that the findings that emerge from this study will help educate readers concerning the extent of the problem of emotional abusive behaviors, and to take a hard look at themselves to determine if they are practicing such behaviors themselves or have been the victims of such behaviors in the past.

Conclusion On its face, emotional abuse appears to be a straightforward construct that can include just about any type of behavior that does not include outright physical violence that is intended to evoke a hurtful response from the victim. Even the preliminary review of the literature, though, quickly made it clear that emotional abuse transcends this popular understanding and can include a wide range of behaviors that can wreak long-term damage to a relationship and adversely affect all members of the family in the process.

In fact, even consistently displaying some types of negative attitudes can be categorized as being emotionally abusive behaviors. Therefore, by identifying the continuum along which emotional abuse exists, I believe this study can help educate others concerning what constitutes emotional abuse, the extent of the problem as well as what can be done to break this vicious cycle of abuse. Works Cited Engle, Beverly. The Emotionally Abusive Relationship: How to Stop Being Abused and How to Stop Abusing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Kaukinen, Catherine. (2004).

"Status Compatibility, Physical Violence and Emotional Abuse in Intimate Relationships." Journal of Marriage and Family 66(2): 452-455. Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: Harper Flamingo, 1998.

Formal Sentence Outline The thesis statement for this project is as follows: "Children who are raised in emotionally abusive homes tend to perpetuate emotionally abusive behaviors in their future relationships unless and until the cycle is broken." Introduction This paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning the general aspects of emotional abuse followed by a discussion concerning the implications of emotional abuse on both victims and perpetrators.An examination of interventions that have been used for emotionally abusive relationships is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion A. Background and Overview. 1. Emotional abuse exists along a continuum of that includes elements of both violence and control over another person (Kaukenin 452).

It is important to distinguish physical violence from emotional abuse; physical violence includes a minimum of one type of physical assault (slaps, pushes, kicks, hits, bites, beatings, choking, weapon use, forced sex); by contrast, emotional abuse can include financial abuse, limiting contact with family members, put-downs, sexual jealousy, threatening harm to others, controlling the respondent's movements, destruction of property, and threats of physical violence, among others, some of which may not be readily identifiable as emotionally abusive behaviors (Kaukenin 452).

Indeed, as Smullens points out, emotional abuse transcends popular understandings: "When most people think of emotional abuse, they usually think of one or both partners belittling or criticizing the other; however, emotional abuse is much more than verbal abuse" (17). 2. Because emotional abuse is complex, it is therefore important to define the term.

According to Smullens, emotional abuse can be defined as including any type of nonphysical behavior that is intended to subjugate, demean, punish, control, intimidate, or isolate another individual through the use of humiliation, degradation, fear or a combination thereof (17). This authority adds that, "Emotionally abusive behavior ranges from verbal abuse (belittling, berating, constant criticism) to more subtle tactics like intimidation, manipulation, and refusal to be pleased" (Smullens 17). B. Incidence and Costs of Emotional Abuse 1. Emotional abuse is underreported and precise figures are not available.

Recent estimates by the United States National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect place the overall rate of child maltreatment at 1.5 million children in the U.S.; of these abused children, 204,500 are recorded for emotional abuse and 212,800 are categorized as emotional neglect (Sedlak, 1996). Currently, child abuse is the most common type of emotional abuse, with current estimates indicating that almost one-third (29%) of children in the U.S. have experienced some type of emotional abuse while 14% had experienced physical abuse and 9% who had been sexually abused (Sedlak, 1996).

Exposure to domestic abuse was shown to be another type of emotional abuse of children (Sedlak, 1996). 2. As noted above, precise estimates are impossible to come by but current estimates place the costs that are associated with emotional abuse very high indeed, with the long-term consequences including almost $70 billion a year for related juvenile and adult criminal activities, as well as mental health, domestic violence and substance abuse intervention services; the direct costs that have been associated with childhood emotional abuse have been estimated at nearly $25 billion a year (Sedlak, 1998).

C, Implications of Emotional Abuse. 1. Emotional abuse is clearly distinguished from physical abuse. This means that its effects are not physically apparent but are rather internalized by its victims. In this regard, Smullens emphasies that, "When it comes to emotional abuse, the infection and subsequent scarring are on the inside. From external appearances it is impossible to assess with accuracy who may be a charismatic and gregarious father in public but a bullying, belittling force behind closed doors" (18). 2.

There are high social costs associated with emotional abuse that ultimately translate into inordinately higher economic costs in the future. According to Bifulco, Moran, Baines, Bunn and Stafford (2002), children who experience emotional abuse are at higher risk of mental and physical illness as well as becoming caught up in the criminal justice system as adolescents and young adults, as well as perpetuating such behaviors in their own families as adults that have adverse effects on all family members, with the "silent treatment" typically following heated verbal exchanges.

As Smullens notes, "Often an abuser will vacillate between approaches: such as the [rage cycle] and then withdraws into a [rejection/abandonment cycle]" (p. 18). D. Interventions for Emotional Abuse Early interventions needed, but may defy easy diagnosis and intervention formulation. Nevertheless, recognizing the problem is the first step to reversing the intergenerational transmission of emotionally abusive behaviors.

As Smullens points out, "Until clients are able to recognize and understand their destructive and repetitive behavior, those who endured emotional abuse as children, seek it out instinctively again and again in all facets of their lives" (18). Conclusion There are both high economic as well as social costs associated with emotional behavior, and current estimates may be based on underreporting.

Recognition that there is a problem was shown to be the key in reversing the intergenerational transmission of emotionally abusive behaviors, but professional interventions may be necessary to facilitate change and sustain it over time. Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Emotionally Abuse One of the more perplexing aspects of emotional abuse is the cyclical pattern that occurs from one generation to the next.

In sharp contrast to physical abuse, emotional abuse may assume a number of different forms that may not be readily identifiable as abusive behaviors, but which can adversely affect couple relationships and the mental health of both the victim as well as the abuser. Because children who are raised in emotionally abusive homes tend to perpetuate emotionally abusive behaviors in their future relationships, identifying opportunity to break this vicious cycle represents a timely and valuable enterprise.

To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning the general aspects of emotional abuse followed by a discussion concerning the implications of emotional abuse on both victims and perpetrators. Finally, an examination of interventions that have been used for emotionally abusive relationships is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion. Review and Discussion Background and Overview Emotional abuse exists along a continuum of that includes elements of both violence and control over another person (Kaukenin 452).

It is important, though, to distinguish outright physical violence from the type of violence that occurs in emotionally abusive situations. In this regard, Kaukenin reports that physical violence includes a minimum of at least one type of physical assault (slaps, pushes, kicks, hits, bites, beatings, choking, weapon use, forced sex); by contrast, emotional abuse can include financial abuse, limiting contact with family members, put-downs, sexual jealousy, threatening harm to others, controlling the respondent's movements, destruction of property, and threats of physical violence, among others (452).

In fact, emotional abuse can assume other forms as well that transcend popular perceptions. In this regard, Smullens reports that, "When most people think of emotional abuse, they usually think of one or both partners belittling or criticizing the other; however, emotional abuse is much more than verbal abuse" (17). In order to grasp the full measure of the construct, an operationalization of the term is therefore appropriate.

According to Smullens, emotional abuse can be defined as including any type of nonphysical behavior that is intended to subjugate, demean, punish, control, intimidate, or isolate another individual through the use of humiliation, degradation, fear or a combination thereof (17). This authority adds that, "Emotionally abusive behavior ranges from verbal abuse (belittling, berating, constant criticism) to more subtle tactics like intimidation, manipulation, and refusal to be pleased" (Smullens 17). Although certainly not exhaustive, the following list includes a number of types of emotionally abusive behaviors that are typically found in intimate relationships: 1.

Humiliation and degradation; 2. Discounting and negating; 3. Domination and control; 4. Judging and criticizing; 5. Accusing and blaming; 6. Trivial and unreasonable demands or expectations; 7. Emotional distancing and the "silent treatment"; and, 8. Isolation; In addition, the operationalization of the term must also include less readily identifiable behaviors including the following: 1. Withholding of attention or affection; 2. Disapproving, dismissive, contemptuous, or condescending looks, comments, and behavior; 3. Sulking and pouting; 4. Projection and/or accusations; and, 5. Subtle threats of abandonment (either physical or emotional) (Smullens 17).

Beyond the foregoing, emotional abuse can also include negative attitudes besides such negative behaviors. As a result, the operationalization of the term, "emotional abuse," must take into account the attitudinal aspects of the construct. According to Smullens, "A person who is emotionally abusive need not take any overt action whatsoever. All he or she needs to do is to exhibit an abusive attitude" (18). In support of this assertion, Smullens offers the following salient examples of an abusive attitude: 1. Believing that others should do as you say 2.

Not noticing how others feel 3. Not caring how others feel 4. Believing that everyone else is inferior to you 5. Believing that you are always right (18). In sum, then, emotional abuse can assume the form of any type of nonphysical behavior or attitude that is intended to control, intimidate, subjugate, demean, punish, or isolate another individual; however, although there are no physical violence factors per se involved in emotionally abusive behaviors, there are some types of physical behaviors that can be regarded as being emotional abuse.

According to Engels, "These behaviors have a name: symbolic violence. This includes intimidating behavior such as slamming doors, kicking a wall, throwing dishes, furniture, or other objects, driving recklessly while the victim is in the car, and destroying or threatening to destroy objects the victim values" (12). In fact, many of the same types of activities that people routinely engage in may be considered emotionally abusive behaviors depending on the circumstances.

For instance, Engels adds that, "Even milder forms of violence such as shaking a fist or finger at the victim, making threatening gestures or faces, or acting like he or she wants to kill the victim carry symbolic threats of violence" (12).

Incidence and Costs of Emotional Abuse Because many episodes of emotional abuse go unreported, precise figures are impossible to come by but the most recent estimates generated by the United States National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect indicated that there is an overall rate of child maltreatment of 1.5 million children in the U.S.; of these abused children, 204,500 are recorded for emotional abuse and 212,800 are categorized as emotional neglect (Sedlak, 1996).

Moreover, the most common type of child abuse is emotional abuse, with current estimates indicating that almost one-third (29%) of children in the U.S. have experienced some type of emotional abuse while 14% had experienced physical abuse and 9% who had been sexually abused (Sedlak, 1996).

Other salient findings to emerge from the United States National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect included the fact that children who are raised in homes that are characterized by domestic violence between their parents but who are not physically abused themselves go on to still experience the same type of emotional abusive symptoms that are associated emotional abuse, making exposure to domestic abuse yet another type of emotional abuse of children (Sedlak, 1996).

As noted above, precise estimates are impossible to come by but current estimates place the costs that are associated with emotional abuse very high indeed, with the long-term consequences including almost $70 billion a year for related juvenile and adult criminal activities, as well as mental health, domestic violence and substance abuse intervention services; the direct costs that have been associated with childhood emotional abuse have been estimated at almost $25 billion a year (Sedlak, 1998).

Implications of Emotional Abuse As noted above, emotional abuse is clearly distinguished from physical abuse, which means that there will probably not be any type of physical evidence involved as a result of such abusive behaviors (unless they are an ancillary and unintended consequence to the types of physical behaviors described above that are characteristic of symbolic violence). Rather, the implications of emotional abuse are internalized by its victims. In this regard, Smullens emphasies that, "When it comes to emotional abuse, the infection and subsequent scarring are on the inside.

From external appearances it is impossible to assess with accuracy who may be a charismatic and gregarious father in public but a bullying, belittling force behind closed doors" (18). While the scars may be hidden, the costs that are associated with emotional abuse are far too visible -- and enormous.

According to Bifulco, Moran, Baines, Bunn and Stafford (2002), children who experience emotional abuse are at higher risk of mental and physical illness as well as becoming caught up in the criminal justice system as adolescents and young adults, as well as perpetuating such behaviors in their own families as adults. Although there is a wide range of behaviors that can be categorized as emotionally abusive, such behaviors generally exist along a continuum of cycles that are characterized by similar types of behaviors.

The five cycles of emotional abuse and the impact of their legacy on the abused are as follows: Table 1 Five Cycles of Emotional Abuse Cycle Description 1) Rage. The anger that permeates the home frightens individuals so badly that it keeps them from thinking for themselves, from learning to trust their own judgments or creating their own paths -- as well as leaving them ill-equipped to deal with the legitimate emotional reactions of others.

The rages that are experienced by those abused in this cycle create feelings of terror and helplessness, which in turn immobilize emotionally abused individuals and render them helpless to express or assert themselves -- as well as unable to contain anger within themselves. Success and intimacy remain elusive for those raised under these circumstances. 2) Enmeshment. This cycle takes place in a family with a spoken or unspoken expectation that everyone needs to be together all of the time.

There is no place for a closed door for privacy, for individual thoughts. The family is expected to be one enormous entity with no boundaries separating one from the other. Joint interests are mandated for the emotional security and safety of those in charge, parents or other caregivers. Those outside of the immediate family unit are treated as outsiders.

Enmeshment leaves an individual unable to feel and function like a whole and separate person or to choose other whole people with whom to develop meaningful friendships and to work with effectively and to love intimately. The longed-for separation and autonomy feels like an impending death. Even if professional and financial success occur, true intimacy exists only with blood family members. 3) Rejection/Abandonment.

When a victim of this cycle of emotional abuse expresses an opinion that his or her parents or caregivers do not agree with they withdraw their love, leaving the individual feeling isolated and terrified to think independently. Only if the abused agrees with his or her parents or caretakers completely and sees everything through their eyes, never his or her own, will love be consistently shown.

Understandably, those enduring this cycle learn to view love and control as one and the same, as a weapon, and trust neither -- which leaves them clinging, forever fearful of loss -- or rejecting people who can offer fulfillment, growth, contentment. 4) Complete Neglect. In this emotional abuse cycle, no one is there for the abused, ever. His or her basic needs like food and clothing may have been met but there was never a feeling of emotional closeness or any substantive conversations.

This cycle is in many ways an extension and extreme case of the rejection/abandonment cycle (#3); however, it does not have any semblance of calm or acceptance, however false and fleeting that may be. Like rejection and abandonment, the cycle of complete neglect leaves an abused individual feeling fearful and often isolated and alone but without any confidence whatsoever to reach out. 5) Extreme overprotection.

This cycle of emotional abuse involves the parental compulsion to protect children from all the difficulties of life, rather than to allow them to face life's realities and in doing so, be strengthened. The result is adults, often well educated and accomplished, who feel crippled without constant parental support. Like those who have been the victims of enmeshment, those who have been overprotected in an extreme fashion fear that any normal separation process will mean death, the death of their parents as well as their own.

This leaves them feeling (regardless of their academic or professional accomplishments) that they cannot handle the world sufficiently and that no one can ever be allowed to become as important to them or help them as much as their parents. As in enmeshment, as their parents grow older or following their deaths, their loyalties (and their demands) are shifted to their partners, siblings, children, friends and coworkers.

Source: Smullens 18 Taken together, this analysis concerning how emotional abuse originates, evolves, and perpetuates itself represents a useful framework in which virtually any type of familiar disorder can be evaluated, but it is almost important to point out that people may have experienced one or more emotional abuse cycles during their childhood time at home, as well as from people other than their parents including older siblings, caretakers or religious leaders (Smullens).

According to Smullens, "Often an abuser will vacillate between approaches: such as the husband who lashes out with vicious verbal attacks (rage cycle) and then withdraws into a sulking, passive-aggressive mode (rejection/abandonment cycle). Alternately, the emotionally abused child may experience one cycle predominantly from one parent and one cycle predominantly from another parent" (18).

Irrespective the specific cycle or cycle of emotional abuse to which young people or spouses are subjected, over time these abusive behaviors take their toll in insidious ways that remain better described than understood, in large part due to a paucity of voices from those who have experienced the devastating effects of long-term emotional abuse. In this regard, in her book, The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver delivers a vivid account of the implications of emotional abuse for marginalized women everywhere.

In The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver draws on her first-hand experiences and empirical observations to provide examples concerning how various female narrators internalized their individual situations and responded to them within the context of different cultures and societies. According to Austenfeld, Kingsolver's "narrators' detailed renderings of village life make a valuable contribution to our understanding of the plight of the individual underneath, or within, the political system.

The fact that The Poisonwood Bible consists entirely of what women say, moreover, puts into perspective the social and political conditions under which the characters in the novel live, and does so in ways unprecedented in novels written by male authors" (294). The alternative female perspectives presented by Kingsolver therefore represent a useful approach to examining those factors that contribute to higher incidences of emotionally abusive behaviors in various cultural, social and geographic settings.

Interventions for Emotional Abuse For those individuals who have been fortunate enough to have avoided the numerous adverse outcomes that are associated with emotionally abusive homes, the problem of emotional abuse would appear to be one that would stop dead in its tracks once such abused individuals escaped from such an environment and went on to have children of their own.

Unfortunately, the reverse appears to be true and emotionally abusive behaviors are generally transmitted from one generation to the next in an inexorable fashion that defies understanding and therefore the formulation of appropriate interventions. The healing process, though, clearly must begin with the abused individual. In this regard, Smullens emphasizes that, "Until clients are able to recognize and understand their destructive and repetitive behavior, those who endured emotional abuse as children, seek it out instinctively again and again in all facets of their lives" (18).

The ugly alternative to this recognition is a perpetuation of the vicious abusive cycle. If people fail to achieve this breakthrough, they run the risk of repeating the same behaviors with their own spouses.