10 signs that characterize battered women

Abuse and gender violence they have become two increasingly visible concepts both in politics and in health and, of course, also in the world of psychology.

This, however, contrasts with the fact that many women are so fearful of reprisals for seeking help that many Sometimes they do not get in touch with the authorities that can offer them protection, with which the person who mistreats them continues doing it.

This is one of the indications that gender violence is not an individual problem, but a social one, and that it must be be faced collectively by developing, among other things, a sensitivity that makes it possible to detect cases of abuse. However, detect the signs that define battered women it's not always easy.

• Related article: "Profile of the abuser of gender violence, in 12 traits"

Characteristic signs of battered women

Know how to recognize the characteristics of battered women it is very important to make it possible to prevent future attacks. These signs of abuse will help you spot when you may need to ask for help. Not each of them is met in all cases of abuse, but they are useful as guiding criteria.

1. They react defensively easily

People who have suffered ill-treatment on a continuous basis tend to startle or adopt a defensive posture quickly when they notice that someone unexpectedly wants to touch them.

Thus, moving your arm to touch their shoulder or remove a brush from their hair can cause them to show signs of fear such as reaching out with their arms close to the body, hide their neck by lowering their chin or interposing a shoulder between them and the other person, all in a quick and automatic.

2. Show explicit submission frequently

Abused women embrace the habit of being submissive to the person who attacks them, but often also adopt this style of behavior with "authority figures." This usually means that they rarely reply, and in some cases they even avoid eye contact by keeping their eyes downcast.

3. have low self esteem

Battered women have been receiving psychological attacks aimed at undermining their self-esteem. That is why many times they will manifest Beliefs related to your disability to carry out relatively simple tasks, and they will tend to distrust their own point of view. This last phenomenon, by the way, is used by abusers who use a method of abuse called Gaslighting.

• Related article: "Gaslighting: the most subtle emotional abuse"

4. You show signs of stress

Another of the typical signs of abused women is that in many cases their levels of stress they stay high for a long time. This is reflected in tiredness, sleep problems, rapid breathing and body postures that denote muscle rigidity.

5. distrustful attitude

Many battered women are forced to hide a lot of information about their lives out of sheer fear, and that makes them avoid situations in which they have to talk about themselves. This can even occur in your relationships with your friends and family.

6. They show little of their skin

Battered women who have suffered physical abuse tend to adopt an appearance that allows them to hide bruises. For example, abundant makeup, long sleeves and clothes without a neckline.

7. They take the blame easily

When something goes wrong, battered women tend to assume that the responsibility was theirs, even when information about what happened is lacking and there is some ambiguity. This is one of the signs of her lack of self-esteem, and it is also a protection mechanism to avoid aggravating the problem, since in situations of constant abuse the abuser systematically blames the abused woman and does not want to be questioned.

8. They take "the long road" to avoid reaching the place of abuse

One of the indicators that signal the presence of a battered woman is that, if they can, they try to "kill the time” with seemingly innocuous activities to delay his arrival at a place where he awaits the abuser. This implies artificially lengthening conversations with friends, taking walks without enjoying them, etc.

9. They anticipate the anger of the abuser and avoid certain questions

Another sign that indicates possible abuse is the avoidance of asking the abuser certain things in anticipation that she will fly into a rage. This makes the communication between the two less fluid, full of silences and moments in which the woman doubts.

In other words, one of the characteristic signs of battered women is the lack of assertiveness.

10. They are easily embarrassed

Low self-esteem also tends to make it easier to be relatively easily embarrassed. For example, something as simple as mishearing a question can cause flushing to appear on your face. This is so because victims of abuse learn that people show a very high level of demand, and that getting out of those perfection schemes "is not normal".