Abuse and gender violence They have become two increasingly visible concepts both in politics and in health and, of course, also in the world of psychology.
This, however, contrasts with the fact that many women are so afraid of the reprisals they could suffer for asking for help that they often do not contact the authorities who can provide them with protection, so the person who mistreats them continues to do so..
This is one of the indications that gender violence is not an individual problem, but a social one, and that it must be faced collectively by developing, among other things, a sensitivity that allows detecting cases of abuse. However, detect the signs that define abused women It’s not always easy.
Know how to recognize the characteristics of abused women It is very important to make it possible to prevent future attacks. These signs of abuse will help you detect cases in which it may be necessary to ask for help. Not each of them is met in all cases of abuse, but they are useful as guiding criteria.
People who have suffered continuous abuse tend to startle or adopt a defensive posture quickly when they notice that someone wants to touch them unexpectedly.
Thus, moving your arm to touch their shoulder or removing a brush from their hair can make them show signs of fear such as bringing their arms closer to their body, hiding their neck by lowering their chin or putting a shoulder between them and the other person, all of which this in a quick and automatic movement.
2. They show explicit submission frequently
Battered women embrace the habit of being submissive to the person who attacks them, but they also frequently adopt this style of behavior with “authority figures.” This usually means that they rarely reply and in some cases they even avoid eye contact by keeping their gaze down.
3. They have low self-esteem
Battered women have been receiving psychological attacks aimed at undermining their self-esteem. That is why many times they will manifest beliefs related to your disability to perform relatively simple tasks, and will tend to mistrust their own point of view. This last phenomenon, by the way, is used by abusers who use a method of abuse called Gaslighting.
4. You show signs of stress
Another sign of abused women is that in many cases their stress levels remain high for a long time. This It results in fatigue, sleep problems, rapid breathing and body postures that denote muscle rigidity.
5. Distrustful attitude
Many abused women are forced to hide a lot of information about their lives out of pure fear , and that makes them avoid situations in which they have to talk about themselves. This can even happen in your relationships with your friends and family.
Battered women who have suffered physical abuse tend to adopt an appearance that allows them to hide bruises For example, heavy makeup, long sleeves, and low-cut clothing.
7. They take the blame easily
When something goes wrong, abused women tend to assume that the responsibility was theirs, even when there is a lack of information about what happened and a certain ambiguity is generated. This is one of the signs of their lack of self-esteem, and is also a protection mechanism to avoid aggravating the problem, since in situations of constant abuse the abuser systematically blames the abused woman and he doesn’t want to be questioned.
8. They take “the long way” to avoid reaching the place of abuse
One of the indicators that indicate the presence of an abused woman is that, if they can, they try to “kill time” with seemingly innocuous activities to delay their arrival at a place where the abuser is waiting. This implies artificially lengthening conversations with friends, taking walks without enjoying them etc.
9. They anticipate the abuser’s anger and avoid certain questions
Another sign that indicates possible abuse is the avoidance of asking the abuser certain things in anticipation of him becoming angry. This makes the communication between the two not very fluid, full of silences and moments in which the woman hesitates.
In other words, one of the characteristic signs of abused women is lack of assertiveness
10. They feel embarrassed easily
Low self-esteem also tends to make it easier to become embarrassed relatively easily. For example, something as simple as mishearing a question can cause signs of blushing to appear on your face. This is because victims of abuse learn that people show a very high level of demand, and that leaving these schemes of perfection “is not normal”
