Cycles of Abuse

Cycles of abuse can occur with both people who have grown up in abusive households and also for people who have not grown up in abusive households. There are different types of abuse, different levels and degrees to abuse, and each abusive situation is different. There is also not one "type" of abuser or a cookie cutter abusive personality type. People can be abusive in different areas and at different levels or degrees of abuse.

Bystanders can also perpetuate abusive cycles by blaming the victim or making the victim look like they have a character flaw. This mentality is destructive to the victim and may perpetuate more abuse against the victim. These bystanders become abusers themselves by perpetuating an abusive perspective that somehow the victim "deserves" the abuse. This mindset tends to ostracize, confuse, and emotionally violate victims of abuse. Mental illness, potential suicide attempts, financial loss, and attempting to appease the abusers are far too common among victims of abuse cycles.

Accountability measures should be taken against those who abuse. These accountability measures include addressing people who blame the victims of abuse. People who blame victims of abuse (regardless of how many times the victim has been abused) are in fact abusers themselves and should be held accountable. By perpetuating the ideology that somehow victims are at fault for being abused dismisses the context of each unique situation.

People should also recognize that sometimes victims of abuse have difficulty identifying what constitutes abuse and at times, victims may also not know how to set healthy boundaries. The financial ability for victims to break away from certain types of abuse may also and often times do trap victims as well.