A Study on How Low EQ and Defensive Narcissism Fuel Emotional Abuse Toward Mentally Ill Partners

This interdisciplinary study examines the psychological and neuroscientific mechanisms through which individuals with low emotional intelligence (EQ) and defensive narcissism perpetuate emotional abuse against mentally ill partners, centering on four weaponized statements: “I’d rather find someone sane,” “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” “I wouldn’t go as far as cutting you off,” and “You’re childish for reacting like that.” Employing qualitative descriptive analysis, the research synthesizes neuroimaging metadata, psychological assessments, and victim narratives to reveal how these phrases function as tools of coercive control, pathologizing vulnerability while exploiting preexisting neurochemical imbalances (Teicher et al., 2016). Findings demonstrate that abusers’ low EQ manifests as a cognitive empathy deficit, enabling them to rationalize cruelty as “logic” (Decety & Cowell, 2014), while defensive narcissism correlates with neural patterns that prioritize self-preservation over relational integrity (Kernberg, 2016). The study exposes the societal complicity in valorizing IQ over EQ, which legitimizes emotional abuse as “rational” discourse, and underscores the neurobiological toll on victims—including dysregulated stress responses and eroded prefrontal cortex function. By framing emotional abuse as a bioethical crime rather than a relational dysfunction, this research calls for systemic interventions to prioritize emotional literacy and criminalize psychological violence.