Some emotional abuse or neglect comes from parents who are unable to bond or nurture children due to their own abuse. Rejection occurs when children are told or treated as if she or he is unwanted. These children may not be talked to or held. Some may be told to leave, called names, or be told that a parent wishes she or he was never born. Others become the family scapegoat, being blamed for all the family's problems.
Passive rejection can occur when parents lack the ability to bond with a child.
Ignoring occurs when a parent is physically there but emotionally unavailable. They may not attach to the child or provide nurturance. Adults who have had few of their emotional needs met as children are often incapible of responding to the needs of their children. Terrorizing - is when parents single out one child to criticize, punish or ridicule. In extreme cases the child may be threatened with death, mutilation or abandonment.