There was unanimous agreement that in severe abuse of these types, the child should be removed from the home. There was less agreement among professionals regarding parental behaviors such as unrealistic expectations of the child, or not permitting the child age appropriate autonomy, or interfering with the child's relationship with a non-custodial parent. One area of controversy is whether EA can be defined solely on the basis of parental behavior. In four states, the definition of mental abuse or neglect is defined in terms of the child's behavior, which is characterized as severe anxiety, depression or withdrawal likely to have been the result of consistent maltreatment or neglect. In some states, a pattern of abuse must be demonstrated.
Most laws are vague and leave the issue to professionals and the court.
Rejecting involves actively avoiding, belittling or refusing to acknowledge a child's needs. Terrorizing involves threatening the child with extreme or vague but harsh punishment, invoking intense fear, or setting impossible expectations then punishing the child for not meeting them. Ignoring means that the parent is psychologically unavailable, being self-absorbed and not responsive. Isolating involves parenting behaviors that prevent the child from taking advantage of normal social relations. Corrupting involves parental behaviors which mis-socialize children and reinforce teach or foster antisocial or deviant behavior, notably in the areas of sexuality, aggression or substance abuse.