Erie County Sheriff's Office
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Erie County Sheriff's Office Domestic Violence Unit
Warning Signs of an Abusive Relationship
Listed below are some common warning signs that a person is or may turn out to be abusive to his or her intimate partner. Answering Yes to a question does not mean a person is abusive. However, if any of the questions below are true about you or your partner, you should be cautious about continuing the relationship.
| Warning Signs | True of Me | True of My Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Abused by parent | ||
| Grew up in home where parent was abused by the other parent | ||
| Feel you can "fix" your partner | ||
| Comes on very strong, is extremely charming, quick involvement | ||
| Is extremely jealous and possessive | ||
| Isolates partner -won't let partner see friends, family or have outside activities or makes them feel guilty about it | ||
| Blames victim for their abusive behavior | ||
| Abuses drugs or alcohol | ||
| Has unrealistic expectations, like expecting partner to meet all of one's needs | ||
| Is overly sensitive-acts hurt when not getting one's way, takes offense when others disagree with an opinion | ||
| Has ever been cruel to children or animals | ||
| Holds partner against their will to keep them from walking away or leaving | ||
| Has ever hit a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past | ||
| Has ever threatened violence, even if it wasn't a "serious" threat | ||
| Calls partner names, puts him/her down or curses at him/her | ||
| Is extremely moody, and switches quickly from being very nice to exploding in anger. "Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde" | ||
| If a male, believes women are inferior to men and should obey them | ||
| Is intimidating, for example: threatening body language, punching walls or breaking objects |