Garbarino's Definition

Many attempts have been made to provide adequate definitions for emotional child abuse, of the most accepted is that of James Garbarino. His basic view states, “Rather than casting psychological maltreatment as an ancillary issue, subordinate to other forms of abuse and neglect, we should place it as a centerpiece of efforts to understand family functioning and to protect children (Garbarino 2).” Within the definition of psychological maltreatment Garbarino, Guttmann and Seeley include five “manifestations.” They are:

“Rejecting” – the adult refuses to acknowledge the child’s with and the legitimacy of the child’s needs.
“Isolating” – the adult cuts off normal social experiences, prevents the child from forming friendships, and makes the child believe that he or she is alone in the world.
“Ignoring” – the adult is psychologically unavailable, perhaps being physically present but not being responsive to the child’s need for interaction.
Terrorizing” – the adult assaults the child with words, creates a climate of fear, bullies and frightens the child and makes the child believe that the world is capricious and hostile.
“Corrupting” – the adult “missocializes” the child, stimulates the child to engage in destructive behavior, reinforces that deviance, and makes the child unfit for normal social experience

(Garbarino 2-3).

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