⑨ The Abusive Man and Breaking Up

fursonar:

medusanevertalks:

What an Abuser Does If You Are Leaving Him

Abusers’ Responses to a Possible Breakup:

  • promising to change
  • entering therapy or an abuser program
  • not drinking, attending AA
  • making apologies
  • telling you that you’ll be lost without him
  • telling you that no one else will want to be with you
  • threatening suicide
  • saying that you are abandoning him, making you feel guilty
  • threatening to kidnap or take custody of the children
  • threatening to leave you homeless or with no financial ressources
  • turning very nice
  • getting other people to pressure you into giving him another chance
  • taking care of things that you have been complaining about for a long time (e.g., finally fixing a hazardous situation in the house, getting a job, agreeing that you can go out with your friends)
  • behaving in self-destructive ways so that you will worry or feel sorry for him (e.g., not eating, drinking heavily, skipping work, never talking to his friends)
  • spreading rumors about you, trying to ruin your friendships or reputation
  • starting a new relationship/affair to make you jealous or angry
  • insisting that he already has changed
  • spreading confidential information about you to humiliate you
  • threatening or assaulting anyone you try to start a new relationship with, or anyone who is helping you
  • getting you pregnant
  • stalking you
  • physically or sexually assaulting you
  • trashing your house or car
  • threatening to harm you or kill you

― Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men; 2002

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