Co-dependence relationship of childhood abuse victims with abusers in adulthood

This article describes the psycho-emotional bond between abuser and victim that underpins their relationships and the principles maintaining these bonds from childhood into adulthood. The child is dependent on the abusive parent during childhood due to their helplessness; they cannot be independent because the adult is the person who, by function, should teach them independence. Adults who were victims in childhood seek to enter into relationships with other abusers or, conversely, do not form relationships with other people (colleagues, friends, life partners) out of fear of losing the sense of security and psycho-emotional and financial independence that they did not develop in childhood. Regrettably, childhood abuse victims develop many and varied protection or overprotection mechanisms. Some of these are consciously developed, while others are simply active as survival strategies that they are not even aware of. Women who were abused in childhood tend to overprotect their children from life situations where the children might feel discomfort and stress. This way, the children grow up unadapted to societal demands to build relationships and be independent. Others, conversely, not knowing other educational methods than the abusive ones they experienced, apply abusive disciplinary strategies to their own children, thus feeding the sense of self-blame or blaming others.