ABSTRACT
This chapter considers possible responses to emotional abuse. Emotional abuse during childhood may lead the abused child to feel emotionally damaged in adulthood or to repeat the style of parenting and adult ‘love’ relationships that they themselves experienced. As adults they survive, but may unconsciously either repeat primary abusive relationships or compensate for past deprivations and distortions via present relationships, both strategies being unsatisfactory. Emotional abuse within families is reacted to in different ways by different individuals, some developing remarkable strengths and coping mechanisms, and others feeling that large parts of their personality have been destroyed, leaving them vulnerable to further stress. The chapter describes the internal experiences of two young people, both emotionally abused, one in the context of her family and the other in the context of clear societal abuse and disregard of the needs of children and young people.
