The use of obscenities, racial slurs, or other insulting language directed at a child. This type of abuse is used to tear down the confidence and dignity of the child. Emotional Abuse - The creation of a negative emotional atmosphere for the child. This is sometimes created by the use of bizarre punishment with the intent of causing terror or extreme humiliation in the child. Examples of this include threatening to kill the child's pet, locking a child in a closet, or cutting a child's hair as a punishment technique.
Emotional abuse can also coincide with a child's developmental stages and challenges.
For instance, emotional abuse can be centered around a parent's punishment or ridicule of a toddler facing toilet training or a teenager facing changes in their body. Emotional abuse can also consist of a negative environment which is not necessarily directed at the child, but which the child is exposed to. This includes a child's exposure to spousal abuse or substance abuse. Emotional Neglect - A consistent lack of attention to the emotional and cognitive developmental needs of the child. An example of this is a parent who does not talk to, hold, or play with a baby who needs lots of stimulation to develop emotionally and cognitively.