How Personality Affects Abusers
Personality is one factor in why abusers rarely change for the better
Being a former police investigator and forensic child interviewer, I’ve seen countless cases of domestic violence over the years. I’ve worked with both teens and adults, regarding their abuse, and I’ve testified in court more times than I can recall.
When I look back on the many cases that I’ve encountered, two main factors exist in every matter that I was involved with. Those two factors are power/control, and gaslighting. If you are not familiar with the term “gaslighting”, in matters of domestic violence, it’s defined as attempts by the abuser, to make the victim question the reality of the situation, and their belief in what is truly happening. They basically try to convince the victim that she or he is crazy. Abusers use gaslighting to convince their victim that they are the problem. It’s a component that domestic abusers use to their benefit. They use it often.
Power and manipulation sits at the very core of a domestic abuser. It’s what makes them tick. And what is scary, is that even if the abuser engages in domestic violence treatment classes or therapy, the issue generally always remains. It used to bother me a lot, when a judge ordered a volatile abuser into domestic violence treatment. Let me explain what I mean.
