Which statement best defines psychological abuse?

• A. Threats, intimidation, humiliation
• B. Withholding emotional support or basic needs
• C. Fractures and bruises in patterns
• D. Hitting, kicking

Answer: (A)

Psychological abuse centers on harming a person’s mental and emotional state through fear, coercion, and humiliation. The statement listing threats, intimidation, and humiliation captures this dynamic because it describes the intentional use of fear and denigration to control the other person. Withholding emotional support or basic needs is more about neglect or emotional deprivation rather than the active, coercive manipulation that defines psychological abuse. Fractures and bruises in patterns and hitting or kicking are clear signs of physical abuse, though they can occur alongside psychological abuse, they target the body rather than the mind.