Line #36 Main/AbuseTropes


1	In a work of fiction, there will be two people, most likely in a close relationship with each other, as parent and child, siblings, friends, or romantic partners. But, unfortunately, one is abusing the other partner, either emotionally, financially, physically, sexually, or a combination of some or all of these. The person may also be required to be in a certain place or institution, such as a school, that they have no choice but to be in, making them perfect captives for the abusive staff member(s) who work(s) there. Sadly, abuse is all too common in RealLife and [[AndThatsTerrible is a very serious and terrible thing]]. There are a significant number of works that recognize this and treat it as such, but there are also those who downplay abusive behavior and even portray it as funny or even {{romantic\|izedAbuse}}.
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3	For information on how abuse and abusers present themselves in RealLife, consult our handy UsefulNotes/{{Abuse}} page in the UsefulNotes section. However, because of how sensitive of a topic abuse is, a lot of the tropes in this index are Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease. To look up characters who have been or are on the receiving end of abuse, consult ThisIndexHasHadAHardLife.
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5	Not to be confused with LoopholeAbuse.
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7	See also ATorturedIndex, ChildAbuseTropes, DirtySocialTricks, ParentalIssues, SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes, and ThreateningTropes.
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9	!!Tropes:
10	[floatboxright:
11	'''Also see:'''
12	* TheBully
13	* ChildAbuseTropes
14	* SadismIndex
15	* SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes
16	* ATorturedIndex
17	]
18	* AbuseDiscretionShot: Abuse is not fully shown onscreen.
19	* AbuseMistake: Something innocent is mistaken for abuse or something abusive is mistaken for innocent.
20	* AbusiveOffspring: When children abuse their parents.
21	* AbusiveParents: People who are abusive towards their children.
22	** AbusiveAlienParents: Extraterrestrials are shown to be abusive to their offspring.
23	** ArchnemesisDad: Villainous fathers are more often abusive.
24	** EvilMatriarch: Villainous mothers are more often abusive.
25	*** WickedStepmother: Abusive stepmothers (or stepfathers).
26	** HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: A character is shown to have an over-the-top abusive childhood for BlackComedy.
27	** LovingParentCruelParent: One parent is loving, the other is abusive or violent.
28	** OffingTheOffspring: Someone kills their own child or children.
29	* AffairBlameTheBastard: Taking out your anger from your spouse's infidelity on the bastard child born of said infidelity.
30	* AllAbusersAreMale: The work only shows male characters as being guilty of abuse.
31	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Someone gets abused by everyone else just for being different.
32	* AllTakeAndNoGive: An unequal and parasitic relationship, where one person receives all the benefits while giving back nothing.
33	* BabysitterFromHell: A babysitter who is abusive or incompetent.
34	* BadBedroomBadLife: A character, often a kid with an abusive family, has a horrible bedroom as a result of their horrible life.
35	* BadBoss: A character is shown to be evil by the way they mistreat their own minions and followers.
36	* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: A character is shown to be evil by having them be cruel to animals.
37	* BedlamHouse: A psychiatric hospital that is effectively a HellholePrison for the patients, doing nothing to make them any less crazy.
38	* BegTheDog: A character seeks help from someone he would normally abuse or disrespect.
39	* BelligerentSexualTension (in extreme cases)
40	* BigBrotherBully: A character who picks on their younger sibling.
41	* BigotWithABadge: A racist cop or other law enforcement officer who doesn't change.
42	* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: A boarding school that is abusive to its students.
43	* BunkerWoman: A woman is kidnapped and held somewhere contained, usually a bunker, usually by a man.
44	* CainAndAbel: Sibling rivalry turns into bitter hatred with murderous intent.
45	* TheChainOfHarm: An abused character starts abusing someone weaker than them which continues the cycle.
46	* ChildAbuseIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Child abuse is seen by everyone as a terrible, monstrous crime.
47	* CigaretteBurns: Putting out a cigar/cigarette on someone else, often as a form of abuse or torture.
48	* ClosetPunishment: A parent punishes their child by locking them in a closet.
49	* ContraceptionDeception: Lying about birth control to manipulate or control one's partner is reproductive abuse.
50	* {{Cuckold}}: A husband who spinelessly lets his wife cheat on him.
51	* DarkAndTroubledPast: If the person was physically or sexually abused in their past.
52	* DaycareNightmare: A daycare center with poor management and/or abusive caretakers.
53	* DestroyTheAbusiveHome: A character destroys the home they grew up in and were abused.
54	* DestructiveRomance: A very unhappy and horribly abusive love relationship.
55	* DomesticAbuse: Someone abuses their spouse.
56	* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Parents use CorporalPunishment on their children as a method of punishment.
57	* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Female abusers and male victims are not treated as seriously as male abusers and female victims.
58	* DrillSergeantNasty: A military commander who frequently yells at the soldiers he's in charge of.
59	* DrunkWithPower: When given power, a person will abuse their underlings.
60	* ElderAbuse: Abusing an old person.
61	* FetishizedAbuser: A person who abuses their lover, but it's portrayed as romantic and/or sexy.
62	* FinancialAbuse: Abusing a family member by using money to control them.
63	* ForcedMiscarriage: Forcing a pregnant woman to miscarry.
64	* FosteringForProfit: Someone fosters a child purely for business.
65	* {{Gaslighting}}: Trying to drive someone crazy by making them believe that they are already insane.
66	* HandyShortcoming: The thing a person was abused for ends up being the thing that's needed for the situation.
67	* HenpeckedHusband: A husband who submissively does everything his wife says can get into this territory if it goes too far.
68	* HonorRelatedAbuse: Abuse that is committed in order to enforce a twisted code of personal honor/pride, and to punish those who are perceived to be violating it.
69	* HonorThyAbuser: A character learns to forgive and respect their abusive relatives, usually their AbusiveParents.
70	* IfICantHaveYou: Wanting to kill someone you're in love with just because they haven't returned your affections or have gone with someone else.
71	* IntentionalHeartbreaker: Toying with someone emotionally by dating them with full intent to dump them later.
72	* JustJokingJustification: Disguising verbal and/or emotional abuse as lighthearted jokes.
73	* {{Kichiku}}: MediaNotes/AnimeFanspeak for a male FetishizedAbuser.
74	* KichikuMegane: MediaNotes/AnimeFanspeak for a male FetishizedAbuser who wears glasses to indicate that he is smart, sophisticated, and successful.
75	* KissKissSlap: Couples kissing before fighting each other.
76	** SlapSlapKiss: Couples fight before kissing each other.
77	* LimaSyndrome: An abuser shows empathy for their victim.
78	* LoveMartyr: Staying with a person you love in spite of how horrible that person really is.
79	* LovingBully: This person is only a bully to the person they have a crush on.
80	* MadLove: Having an unhealthy obsession with someone who is uninterested and/or abusive.
81	* ManipulativeBastard: An abuser will often be this.
82	* MasochismTango: A couple who frequently alternate between being affectionate and fighting.
83	* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Two people become lovers after one abuses the other.
84	* TheNeidermeyer: An insane military leader who treats his own troops as disposable.
85	* NobodyLikesATattletale: Children won't tell adults about their problems (especially bully problems) because they're scared of being labeled tattletales.
86	* ObsceneOBGYN: A gynecologist or a urologist takes advantage of their patients.
87	* OrphanageOfFear: An orphanage where the orphans are abused and tormented by the people who run the place.
88	* ParentalFavoritism: Parents like one child more than the rest of their children.
89	** TheUnfavourite: The parents' least favorite child who is ignored and neglected in favor of the other children.
90	* ParentalIncest: Excepting cases of SurpriseIncest, a parent having sex with their child is abuse.
91	* ParentalNeglect: A parent who doesn't take care of a child.
92	* PedophilePriest: A priest who sexually abuses children.
93	* RomanticizedAbuse: Abuse is made to look more attractive than it truly is.
94	* {{Sadist}}: A person who enjoys hurting people.
95	* SadistTeacher: A teacher who loves tormenting their students.
96	* SexSlave: A person is enslaved for the purpose of forcing sex upon them, or for selling them into forced prostitution.
97	* SinkOrSwimMentor: Training someone by throwing them into danger.
98	* SourOutsideSadInside: A character is harsh and mean, but actually depressed and fearful, usually the result of abuse.
99	* StalkingIsFunnyIfItIsFemaleAfterMale: When a woman stalks a man, it's cute and amusing. However, if a man stalks a woman, it's considered creepy.
100	* TeasingTheSubstituteTeacher: Students mistreat their substitute teacher.
101	* ToughLove: Treating your loved ones harshly in order to make them better.
102	* TrainingFromHell: Extremely tough training that may involve physical abuse.
103	* TreatedWorseThanThePet: Someone's status in their family is so low that even animals are treated better or valued more than they are.
104	* TroubledAbuser: An abuser who has emotional problems that they need to address.
105	* TroubledToybreaker: An abused, neglected or otherwise troubled child vents their anger by destroying toys.
106	* {{Tsundere}} (when she uses physical violence against her love interest)
107	* WhipOfDominance: Using a whip as a symbol of dominance, control, authority, or sadism.
108	* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: An abuser makes their victim feel like the abuse was their own fault.
109	* WouldHarmASenior: You're an old person? Too bad. I'm gonna beat you up anyway!
110	* WouldHitAGirl: A person is perfectly willing to hurt females.
111	* WouldHurtAChild: A person has no problem with hurting children.
112	* {{Yandere}} (when they don't respect their target of infatuation as a person)

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