Emotional abuse includes excessive, aggressive or unreasonable demands that place expectations on a child beyond his or her capacity (Sinal). This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child. Less severe acts, but no less damaging are belittling or rejecting treatment, and using derogatory terms to describe the child. Emotional abuse also includes failure to provide the psychological nurturing necessary for a child's psychological growth and development -- providing no love, support or guidance (National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1987). Emotional abuse is probably the least understood of all child abuse, yet it is the most prevalent, and can be the cruelest and most destructive of all types of abuse (Sinal). According, to Susan Geltman there are in fact some indicators to this type of abuse which are, observable indicators, behavioral indicators, and family or parental indicators. Observable indicators are when a child demonstrate actions such as child rocking back and forth, sucking on items, biting themselves inappropriately aggressiveness, destructive to others, suffers from sleeping and …show more content…
The four forms neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse continue to hunt children all over the world. Child abuse is both shocking and commonplace. Child abusers inflict physical, sexual, and emotional trauma on defenseless children every day. The scars can be deep and long-lasting. Unfortunately, the more subtle forms of child abuse such as neglect and emotional abuse can be just as traumatizing as violent physical abuse. Focused support can help both the victims of child abuse and the child abusers