ental abuse. It’s one of those things people think will easily happen to someone else, but never them. Yet it’s one of the most easily exploited weaknesses a girl can have. Guys often use mental abuse to coerce their girlfriends into things the girl would not normally do, or even to hold on to the girl for a long period of time.

We wear clothes just like others, we listen to music others give us, we talk as others talk. We follow trends. A backhanded comment like “You’re not good enough” or “What will my friends think” can be enough to dent a girl’s self image into altering herself to fit her boyfriend’s need.

And it’s a two way street. People typically think of the guy as the abuser, rather than the abused, but guys can be just as susceptible. Typically thought of as the stronger of the sexes, we guys have our own problems and often struggle with peer pressure. When a girl threatens to leave if the guy doesn’t change something, the guy will usually do his best to change it. That is a form of mental abuse, just as a guy telling his girlfriend she doesn’t meet the standards of his crowd is also mental abuse.

But the real question revolves around the correctness of the abuse: Is any abuse at all right, let alone mental abuse? Christ didn’t abuse. As Christians, we should strive to emulate him. Abuse is a harsh word that people do not usually relate to Christians.

True, mental abuse may not seem to be as scarring as physical abuse, but it can be just as painful. Willfully bending to someone else is often harder than it sounds, and mental abuse causes more unconscious bending rather than a focused understanding.

Abuse is a powerful word. It brings a forceful picture to mind, an angry sort of thing. Pay attention to what you say to your significant other, especially you guys. Don’t trash-talk girls into letting you do something to them. It’s not loving and is very harmful. Abused people come out hurt, untrusting, and very bitter. I would hate to have that on my conscience.