Abuse is behavior that undermines a person’s safety, autonomy, or well-being. It is often a pattern over time, although a single incident can also be harmful.
Abuse can include behaviors that cause harm, create fear, or violate a person’s boundaries. It may be physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological.
Common characteristics can include:
- a pattern of control, intimidation, or coercion
- violation of personal boundaries
- creating fear, confusion, or instability
- manipulation, blame-shifting, or denial of reality
- humiliation, criticism, or attempts to reduce self-worth
- unpredictable or inconsistent behavior that keeps others off balance
- a power imbalance, especially when one person depends on the other
Abuse is not always obvious and may develop gradually over time.
This page is part of the What Counts as Abuse? section of the CommuniDID site, which helps readers evaluate past experiences and understand why confusion about abuse is common.
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