Understanding Domestic Violence
What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to establish power and control, often leading to the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse. Partners may be: married or not married; heterosexual or homosexual; living together or separated. Domestic violence occurs in all socioeconomic classes, racial and ethnic groups, age groups, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, and educational backgrounds: Domestic violence can happen to anyone.
Are You Being Abused?
Abusers use many tactics ranging from subtle intimidation to serious injury and even death to control their partners. Below are descriptions of common tactics of abusers.
Common Abuse Tactics
Physical Abuse
- Shoving, hitting, pushing, kicking or punching
- Strangling, biting, hair pulling, twisting arms
- Assaulting with weapons
- Throwing objects, burning
- Locking the partner out of the home
- Attacking or killing pets
Emotional/Psychological Abuse
- Manipulating, intimidating, humiliating
- Name calling, put downs, threatening, blaming
- Controlling behavior, jealousy or possessiveness
- Isolating the partner from friends or family
- Preventing the partner from using the telephone
- Ridiculing or insulting the partner’s beliefs
- Threatening harm to self or suicide
Financial/Economic Abuse
- Misusing, stealing or extorting the partner’s financial resources
- Destroying the partner’s property or possessions
- Preventing the partner from working
- Taking the partner’s important papers or documents
- Controlling partner’s access to financial assets
- Ruining the partner’s credit
Sexual Abuse
- Pressuring, coercing or forcing sexual activity
- Pressuring pregnancy or abortion
- Calling the partner sexually degrading names
Other Examples of Abusive Behaviors
- Harming/kidnapping or threatening to harm/kidnap children
- Using children to monitor partner’s activities
- Forcing children to witness or take part in violence
- Going to the survivor’s home or place of employment
- Repeated unwanted contacts
- Vandalism
- Using the internet to track communications, activities, or financial information
- Threatening members of the survivor’s support system
16 Warning Signs of Domestic Violence
- A push for a quick relationship
- Jealous and possessive
- Tries to control your life
- Unrealistic expectations
- Isolates you from friends & family
- Blames others for their problems
- Makes everyone else responsible for their feelings
- Says their feelings are easily hurt
- Cruel to animals and/or children
- “Playful” use of force during sex
- Yells and call you names
- Rigid sex rules
- Sudden mood swings
- History of battering
- Threats of violence
- Threatens to reveal personal or damaging information about you to your family or employer
If you are sure- or you suspect- you are being abused, SPARCC is here for you. Call our helpline at 941-365-1976 (TTY) for support.
The Power and Control Wheel
The Power and Control Wheel is a tool used to help better understand the patterns and types of domestic and sexual violence.
