Storyline Idea: Being Hurt By Words (Emotional Abuse)

   In my background story of Claudia and Quentin, even though Quentin is imaginary Claudia is still able to effect him emotionally and physically but also physically hurt Quentin with her words either towards him or any derogatory words she says during her emotional outbursts. When I figured out this idea I thought of way I could show this concept, and what sprung to mind was the idea of emotional abuse. But instead of the words not leaving a visible mark on Quentin, you see every scratch, bruise or cut on his face and body.  

   Psychological abuse, also referred to as psychological violence, emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterised by a person exposing another person to behaviour that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. This abuse is often associated with situations of power imbalance, such as abusive relationships and bullying.

   In a review of data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (a longitudinal birth cohort study) Moffitt et al. report that while men exhibit more aggression overall, sex is not a reliable predictor of interpersonal aggression, including psychological aggression. The study found that no matter what gender this person is, aggressive people share a cluster of traits, including high rates of suspicion and jealousy; sudden and drastic mood swings; poor self-control; and higher than average rates of approval of violence and aggression. Moffitt et al. also argue that antisocial men exhibit two distinct types of interpersonal aggression: one against strangers, the other against intimate female partners, while antisocial women are rarely aggressive against anyone other than intimate male partners. Male and female perpetrators of emotional and physical abuse exhibit high rates of personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. Rates of personality disorder in the general population are roughly 15%-20%, while roughly 80% of abusive men in court-ordered treatment programmes have personality disorders.