Is "Silent Treatment" an Emotional Abuse?

it depends if the situation calls for it or not

I do know that the "Talk 'till I wanna commit suicide treatment" sure is.=P

There has to be communication in every relationship.
When 2 people, be they parent/child or partners, get mad, it is best that they have a cool down period in order to think about their actions and words.
Many hurtful things have been blurted out in the heat of an argument.

Long periods of non-communication is unhealthy in any relationship.

Might as well create another syndrome people can take. A pill for

i wish my mom would give me the silent treatment!

i think that, it the main intention is to hurt the person you're giving the slient treatment to, then it is emotionally abusive. you're deliberately ignoring them to upset them and it messes with their head.

Depends on why and for how long.

It can be - if it is taken to the extreme.

Sometimes its a gift from God.

it's hurtful

The silent treatment is not a punishment it's a reward, lolol. All a guy wants is a little peace and quiet sometimes! Sheesh ^-^

If we are talking about a parent/child relationship or maybe even a couples relationship. The person giving the silent treatment is doing it as a power and control thing so that the problem can only be resolved on their terms.

i have no idea but it suxxx

Sort of. Calling the silent treatment emotional (or psychological) abuse is kind of like calling jaywalking or littering a crime...

I imagine in some instances it is.

Depends how far it goes.

yeah , sure

Certainly. It's passive aggressive.

I never thought of it in those terms. I always thought of it as a short-term tactic to demonstrate that you are upset.
Have you seen the funny tv ad where the girl calls her BF on the phone, so she can give him the silent treatment? Ha ha, I love that ad! The girl is sooooo cute and funny!

Depends on who you are. It drives me crazy because I'm all about open communication. The Silent treatment solves nothing.

yes it is.

Definitely , and not very mature.

dunno, it's terrible, but I don't really think it's an "emotional abuse"

When it continues for days , it is.

it can be, but doesn't have to be

I wouldn't consider it that.

I think It Is.

No, but I think it often leads to someone leaving for good. It's better to talk things trough.Silence is not always gold.

In the UK we call it being sent to Coventry and it is intended to be extreme emotional abuse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

A well-known example of someone being sent to Coventry is Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll who wrote the sensationally successful Alice in Wonderland and other books), after his falling out with the Liddell family. Dodgson was professor of mathematics at Oxford University, Liddell was the Principal of the University.

Dodgson had developed a close relationship with the Liddell's daughter Alice. In 1863, when Alice was 11, something happened to cause the family to ostracize him even to the extent of refusing to recognise his presence in a room. Whatever it was we can't now be sure as, although Dodgson recorded it in his diary at the time, the entry was later cut out by a Dodgson family member. This has led to widespread but unproven speculation that the relationship between Dodgson and Alice was inappropriate in some way - possibly what would now be called paedophilic.

I don't know. It hurts though.

Ever had somebody you love completely ignore you for an hour? Not so bad. A day? Maybe bearable. What about a week? Two weeks? A month? It's horrid, it diminishes your self worth, you question everything and when you really want to share something with them, and you cant it tears you down.

..my husband has been treating like that for a week now...I try to ignore it and assumes everything is ok..its very uncomfortable,..I ask him if he wants to tell something...he doesnt response..as if he never heard me...

I'm sorry, it is very difficult. I wish I could tell you a way to break through, but I have no idea, I haven't found anything that has worked yet.

You could try writing him a letter, letting him know how you feel.

i guess that migth work...thanks:)

Good luck.

I wouldn't say it's abuse, but it certainly doesn't help any relationship. It's much better to talk things through. However, if you need a minute or ten, take some time to be by yourself until you're ready to talk. Just don't bottle it in forever.

i think its a bit childish tbh x

It can be....If someone just can't talk about it immediately because he/she is angry and wants to cool off, it's a little different than refusing to even discuss because the other person is supposed to 'know' what is wrong. The latter was my ex. I was supposed to read his mind and know exactly what he wanted me to do.