expand on/improve this: Although physical abuse seems to be the most abundant form of domestic violence, there are other forms as well, such as: emotional, sexual, and mental abuse. Most people would assume that physical abuse is the only form that is actually harmful; therefore, the majority of the time, the victims of the other forms of abuse only choose to tell someone AFTER they have been repeatedly physically abused.
Even though these other behaviors do not leave physical marks on their victims, they do leave psychological damage that can be prolonged. These actions are never just a one time thing, or a “mistake” as is often implied by batterers, but they occur when the victim least expects it. In addition, simply a single threat of violence will automatically cause the offender to begin to hold power over their partner. This is what directly connects to the one question the general public cannot seem to find the answer to: Why does she/he stay with him/her? There are two things that people who have not experienced domestic abuse first-hand do not understand; these are that one is so afraid that their abusive partner will pursue them and the latter being that victims are conditioned to believe that the abuse is not intentional. To many minds it may be unfathomable that a person that is under the control of a partner with an alpha complex would not think to run for their lives. This is all due to the fact that the partner who holds the power in the relationship makes sure to reinforce this power with non-physical intimidation.