Much has been debated about gender violence in recent days on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women celebrated on November 25.
Through this article we want to convey in a simple way some of the psychological consequences suffered by victims of gender violence, without daring to affirm that there is a psychological profile of a woman who suffers abuse, but taking into account that there are a series of consequences. or psychological consequences that are repeated in many of the women who have suffered this violence.
Women victims of gender violence suffer specific damages from the situation of abuse, which tend to appear regularly in all victims, but we must highlight the heterogeneity of people and emphasize that each situation entails different nuances and, therefore, The consequences that we are going to explain below will not occur in all victims with the same intensity or in the same way.
The 4 types of consequences in victims of gender violence
We are going to classify the consequences suffered by victims of gender violence into four blocks:
However, in this article we are going to dedicate ourselves to explaining the emotional and affective consequences suffered by women victims of sexist violence, since they are often the most difficult to detect and those that represent one of the many fundamental targets of intervention in the face of to psychological treatment.
Emotional and affective consequences in victims of gender violence
Although multiple symptoms may occur at a psychological-affective level, we are going to focus on the 7 most frequent emotional consequences.
1. Low self-esteem, identity problems and distorted self-image
The vision they have of themselves is totally distorted towards the negative. It is common for them to doubt their own abilities and possibilities; they say that they are a totally different person than they were when the toxic relationship began. In general, they perceive themselves as without resources, helpless and without the necessary skills to take responsibility for their lives. They minimize their capabilities and abilities, and maximize the chances of making mistakes and “failing.”
They find it difficult to trust their intuition (let’s think that for a time they have been made to doubt themselves permanently thinking that they are not right or that what they think or say is absurd and that they are wrong), so they can become very dependent on external opinions.
2. Feelings of guilt and a lot of fear
These feelings arise as a result of the constant blaming messages they have received from the aggressor They feel guilty about everything, even though it apparently has nothing to do with them. They think that they are not good as a person (if they have children, they may think that they are a bad mother). The guilt they feel usually paralyzes them and does not allow them to look ahead and move forward. As a result of the aggressor’s threats, they develop constant tension, hypervigilance and fear.
As a result of the social isolation caused by the aggressor, the victim feels that she is totally alone and that no one can understand what is happening to her They believe that they cannot trust anyone and that, therefore, no one can help them. At the same time, they become increasingly dependent on the aggressor. They can also come to believe that what they are experiencing only happens to them and that no one would understand them.
4. Difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions
Due to the situation of absolute control on the part of the aggressor, a denial of the victim’s own feelings and emotions occurs They think that their feelings are not important, that they are exaggerating or that they are wrong (they distrust their own feelings). In this way, they usually choose to hide their emotions.
They can often show poorly channeled anger: let’s think that the victim has to be able to control all their emotions so as not to “irritate” the aggressor. This creates a perfect breeding ground for the woman to later express her feelings in a more uncontrolled way. Sometimes the contained anger is directed against themselves.
5. Post-traumatic stress disorder or related symptoms
These women are living or have lived through very difficult and stressful situations, recurrent traumas in many cases, which is why typical symptoms of PTSD may arise (anxiety, nightmares, depression, hypervigilance, emotional dullness, irritability, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, exaggerated emotional responses…).
6. Feelings of having betrayed the aggressor
For having reported, for separating or for having explained it to another person They feel like they are betraying their partner. This would be one of the elements that would lead many women victims of gender violence to withdraw their complaints. They feel guilty for speaking badly about him, even though they are ultimately explaining what happened. Furthermore, women who have been victims of gender violence for a long time can integrate ideas and messages that they have been receiving from the aggressor. They end up becoming what the aggressor wants them to be.
Difficulty trusting others is common; they feel that they are not worthy of being loved or respected they maintain distance from the environment for fear of suffering again, they perceive the environment as a threat…
Above all, emotional ambivalence arises: they cannot afford “the luxury” of giving themselves in a totally genuine and open way to the people who show them affection, since in the past they did it and the consequences were dire. In some way they try to protect themselves from future situations of violence. This situation of ambivalence also occurs with the aggressor, since in one of the parts of the cycle of violence the aggressor asks for forgiveness (honeymoon: they feel affection towards him and perceive him as someone who is worthy of being loved) and In the following phases, the phases of tension accumulation and explosion return (they feel hatred towards him).
