Abusive Relationships

Abusive relationships are characterized by extreme jealousy, emotional withholding, and lack of intimacy, raging, sexual coercion, infidelity, verbal abuse, threats, lies, broken promises, physical violence, power plays and control games. Abuse in a relationship has no age group. According to Answers.com studies show that 1 in 11 teenage high school students report being in an abusive relationships. Approximately 7 out of those 11 are girls, as men are more likely to hurt their love ones. Abusers are often survivors of abuse themselves. Many of the attributes of abusers are documented trauma based adaptations to childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
Abusers act out of deep seated shame and feelings of inadequacy. They seek to pull their partner
Abuse does not have to be physical. Emotional abuse is as damaging as physical abuse, though it is often harder to recognize, and therefore to recover from. Emotional abuse causes long term self esteem issues and profound emotional repercussions for the partners of abusers. Abuse typically alternates with declarations of love and statements that they will change, providing a "hook" to keep the partner in the relationship. Abusive relationships do not change without therapy targeted towards the abusive relationship patterns. Abusive relationships do not change with just one person, it takes mutual honesty, openness and willingness from both people involved in the relationship to work through their issues out. There for group therapy is highly recommended for abusers and the victim, it helps them to break through the denial that is generally a part of the abusive patterns.
If the abuser is unwilling to own their behavior and seek help, you as the victim should remove yourself from the situation. It may be hard to do, but is generally safer and ultimately better for both the victim and the abuser rather than allow the cycle of abuse to continue.