The Worsening Cycle of Abuse

This page was last updated on Wednesday, 30 September 2009.

A person who abuses others is often self absorbed with themselves and with the power they crave.  They are narcissistic in the sense that they believe that they are superior and often have extreme contempt towards the rights and needs of others.  The following four drawings illustrate the worsening cycle of abuse. The first and last elements are always related such that the last precedes the first.

The following row shows the five stages in the cycle of abuse.  The first and last elements, regression to old behavior followed by mood swings, are related.   

The second stage is characterized by the lack of genuine remorse.  The abuser is now enjoying the emotional damage that he or she is inflicting on their partner or relative.

The third stage is often called the pins and needles component of the worsening cycle of abuse because the victim never knows when the abuser will offend again.

By the last stage, the abuser is completely seduced by their own sense of omnipotence and supremacy. They have become addicted to their own exhilarating abusive power over their victims. When their victim tries to end the relationship and escape the abuse, abusers often pose as a victim to punish their prey.

Not all abusive persons follow the worsening cycle of abuse but many do. This presentation is one of many patterns of behavior found in abusive relationships. End the relationship upon the first episode of abuse.