Domestic violence often occurs between a man and a woman, with women usually being the victims. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women. Most people think of abusive relationships as physically violent ones, but abuse comes in many forms, including verbal abuse. Recognizing the characteristics of a verbally abusive husband can be the first step to getting help and preventing verbal abuse in the future.

Anger

Verbally abusive husbands often express intense anger. The abuser may have outbursts of anger that are intimidating and threatening to his spouse. Abusive husbands have anger management problems, and often take out their anger on their wives. A verbally abusive husband may not hit or physically hurt his wife, but he makes threats of violence, withholds affection and goes on verbal tirades against his wife. During angry spells, an abusive husband may accuse his spouse of doing things wrong, and can be very judgmental and critical of her. Verbally abusive men tend to release their anger by name-calling, put-downs and irrational fits of jealousy and rage.

Degrading Jokes

Abusive husbands often make jokes at their wives' expense. The verbally abusive man will belittle his wife and make her the butt of his jokes, oftentimes embarrassing her loudly and in public. When the abused woman gets upset, common comebacks are "you can't take a joke" or "you're too sensitive," which makes the victim start to question herself. Abusive husbands employ words to assert their domination over their wives, so they may resort to any means necessary to humiliate and degrade their victims. The verbally abusive husband often mocks the way his wife looks, criticizing her clothes, weight, hair, makeup or figure.

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