Why do people abuse each other?

Why are people in a family mean to each other? Why do they hurt each other?

In a perfect world, families are full of love and laughter. In real life, people may experience a lot of tension living together and trying to get along. Some people have psychological problems and have trouble controlling their anger and their actions.

Some adults grew up in homes where people weren’t nice to each other, and this is how they learned to behave. But that doesn’t mean that everybody that experiences abuse, treats others that way. (In fact most do not.)

There are many other factors that can contribute to family violence such as:

• family breakdown,
• lack of social support,
• money problems,
• a mental health problem, or
• alcohol or drug abuse.

In many cases, family violence is about jealousy or power and control. A violent person may feel angry, powerless, or put down, and feel like other people are laughing at them. Instead of facing these emotional challenges and working things out or getting help, the person may react with anger or by trying to take control of others at home. A violent family member may relieve stress by shouting insults, picking a fight, putting family members down, or forcing sexual activity on someone in the family.

No one has a right to hurt anyone else, ever, anywhere.