The Abusive Relationship is the worst type of love relationship and leaves scars of all types, be they emotional, psychological, or spiritual and the resultant scars may stay with you for a life time.  Barring intervention, these relationships will simply repeat their cycles time and time, again.

In order to determine whether or not a relationship is abusive we need to be able to recognize what the signs and/or symptoms of the abusive relationship are: extreme jealousy, emotional withholding, lack of intimacy, raging, sexual coercion, infidelity, verbal abuse, threats, lies, broken promises, physical violence, power plays and control games.  Based upon this criteria, you also need to ask yourself the following, very realistic, questions?

Does Your Partner?

Behave in an overly protective manner?
Become jealous without reason?
Prevent you from seeing family or friends?
Prevent you from going any where, you want, when you want?
Prevent you from working or attending school?
Destroy personal property or sentimental items?
Deny you access to family assets, bank accounts, credit cards, or the car?
Control all finances but forces you to account for what you spend?
Force you to have sex against your will?
Force you to engage in sexual acts which you do not enjoy and have expressed that you don’t enjoy?
Insult, or call you derogatory names?
Use manipulation or intimidation to control you, or your children?
Humiliate you in front of your children?
Abuse, or otherwise threaten to abuse pets?
Turn minor incidents into huge arguments?
Although there are additional warning signs, the aforementioned list should provide you a solid criterium by which to determine whether or not you are involved in an abusive love relationship.  There is one more essential question, however, you need to ask yourself after you have taken this self-inventory.