Traumatic bonding

Traumatic bonding, also referred to as trauma bonding, is the process of an abuse victim developing a strong emotional bond with the perpetrator of the abuse (not with other survivors of the same abuse). The two main factors that contribute to the establishment of a trauma bond are a power imbalance in the relationship (e.g., whether the abuser has control over the victim in some way) and intermittent rewards and punishments. Intermittent rewards and punishments means that the abuser will be violent or cruel one day, and then be kind or loving another day; the victim endures the abuse in the expectation that the abuse will be temporary, albeit in a recurring cycle of abuse that predictably returns to abusive behavior. Trauma bonding is not an emotional bond between survivors of a shared traumatic experience. Trauma bonding can occur within abusive romantic relationships, platonic friendships, parent-child relationships, incestuous relationships, cults, hostage situations, sex trafficking (especially that of minors), hazing or tours of duty among military personnel. Trauma bonds are based on terror, dominance, and unpredictability. As the victim develops a stronger emotional bond with an abuser, it can lead to cyclical patterns of conflicting emotions in the victim. Frequently, victims in trauma bonds do not have agency, autonomy, or an individual sense of self. Their self-image is an internalization of the abuser's conceptualization of them. Trauma bonds have severe detrimental effects on the victim. Some long-term impacts of trauma bonding include remaining in an abusive relationship, adverse mental health outcomes like low self-esteem and negative self-image, an increased likelihood of depression and bipolar disorder, and perpetuating a generational cycle of abuse. Victims who develop trauma bonds are often unable or unwilling to leave these relationships. Many abuse victims who experience trauma bonding return to the abusive relationship. The concept was...