
Originally Posted by
Take2
You think so? Abused women I have known have worked very hard to keep anyone from knowing they were being hurt. Because they feel like it is their fault.
It is a two-way thing. Abusers are good at choosing women who will stay in this kind of relationship-they look for women who are suckers for smooth talk and prone to being guilted. Then they woo these women HARD. They are amazingly charming and make it seem like they are worlds better than any other guy, completely willing to bend over backwards. And then when they lose their temper, they are good at deflecting the blame to the woman AND promising it will never happen again And for a while things are wonderful again, and the woman convinces herself the guy is awesome and it WAS her fault that he got so mad and she can just not make that mistake again. It's not like he punches her on their first date, the relationship and dependency grows for a while first.
And the women are drawn to this type of guy, due to their upbringing and expectations. These jerks seem more exciting and loving than healthy guys. They come in with NO expectations and dedicated to making the woman happy. And the abusers really do feel they need this woman-often when the woman leaves they become homicidal because of the strong NEED they feel to keep her or at least keep anyone else from having her.
It's a classic pattern, and neither participant is emotionally healthy.