There are many types of abuse in addition to physical violence, with the core issue being power and control. Types of abuse include:
* Coercion: making and or carrying out threats to do something to hurt a partner, including threatening to leave, threatening suicide, coercing someone to drop charges or coercing that person into doing illegal things.
* Intimidation: through looks, actions, gestures, smashing things, destroying property, abusing pets or displaying weapons.
* Emotional abuse: put downs, name-calling, playing mind games, humiliating her, or convincing her she's crazy.
* Isolation: controlling what she does; who she sees and talks to; what she reads; where she goes; and limiting her outside involvement and using jealousy to justify actions.
* Minimizing, denying and blaming: making light of abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously. This includes saying the abuse didn't happen, shifting responsibility for abusive behavior, and saying the victim caused it.
* Using children: to make her feel guilty and to relay messages; using visitation to harass her; and threatening to take the children away.
* Using male privilege: treating her like a servant, making all of the big decisions, acting like the "master of the castle," and being the one to define men's and women's roles.
* Economic abuse: preventing her from getting or keeping a job, making her ask for money, giving her an allowance, taking her money, not letting her know about or have access to family income. (MM)