Don grabbed her by the hair and jerked her out of bed. By this time his verbal accusations had moved from her behavior at the party to the incompetence as a wife and mother. Although Molly knew this was going to get bad, she had neither the energy nor the ability to resist physically or get away. When Don started beating her with his fists, she put up her arms to protect her face and crouched down on the floor, hoping it would end soon. Don grabbed her by the hair, turned her on her back, and choked her while banging her head on the floor. When Molly stopped crying out from him to stop, Don stopped, got up, and went to bed, where he immediately fell asleep. Molly lay there for a long time in a semiconscious state. (McCue 1-2).
Incidents as disturbing, and sometimes more explicit, than the one mentioned above occur more often than imagined. One out of every five United States women has been physically assaulted by an intimate partner, while one out of 14 United States men has been physically assaulted by an intimate partner ("Evidence of Domestic Violence"). Though many people associate domestic violence with physical abuse, there is so much more to it. Emotional, physical, or sexual abuses are all actions that harm the victim and place them under full control of the abuser. Victims are often judged for not leaving their abuser and not trying to escape the horrible relationship, but what critics don't understand is that victims develop a "traumatic bond" with their abuser and become dependent on them because they are isolated from everyone else. Victims of abuse need to be listened to and guided, rather than judged and looked down upon. .
There are three different types of abuse: emotional, sexual, and physical. Emotional abuse usually affects the victim's sense of self and reality as the abuser is trying to brainwash the victim into thinking they deserve what they are getting.