Narcissism Glossary
Conflict and abuse are different
🧭 A concept that separates 'conflict' (differences between equals), 'inappropriate behavior' (one-off offense), and 'abuse' (sustained control and retaliation) by the criteria of power imbalance and persistence.
When retaliation after refusal, or the stripping of your choices, keeps repeating, set it apart from ordinary conflict and examine the possibility of abuse.
When retaliation after refusal, or the stripping of your choices, keeps repeating, set it apart from ordinary conflict and examine the possibility of abuse.
Often seen in situations like these
Disagreeing about the restaurant can be conflict. Cursing at you for refusing, or cutting off money and contact to force surrender, is not a difference of opinion.
When this happens, try this
💡 Check not who won, but whether both of you could refuse and speak safely. Some behaviors demand attention after a single instance — violence, strangulation, confinement, sexual coercion. Where they exist, look to safety first, repetition or not.