Intellectual Abuse occurs whenever a child's thinking is attacked or ridiculed and when parents present themselves as perfect, in complete control, and without doubts and uncertainties. When parents rigidly set forth their beliefs and ideas as absolute truth and are unwilling to share their doubts or to tolerate children's ideas and perceptions, those children are intellectually abused. When they are not taught that having problems is a normal part of life and are not given problem-solving skills, children suffer in their intellectual development. Intellectual abuse also occurs when children are not supported in developing ideas and beliefs that differ from those of their parents. Sexual Abuse takes place when an adult behaves sexually with a child and can be either physical, involving body contact between the abuser and the child, or non-physical, with no body contact.
Sexual abuse can also be emotional.
Another form of abuse that fits into this category is emotional sexual abuse which occurs when a parent's relationship with a child becomes more important than the parent's relationship with the spouse. Physical abuse also occurs when a child's physical dependency needs for nourishing food, adequate clothing, safe and clean shelter, and medical and dental treatment are not met. Lack of physical nurturing as well as too much physical nurturing can be physically abusive.