Is there a connection between verbal abuse and physical abuse?”
Yes. Verbal violence is where physical violence begins. Sane people don’t just walk up to others and start hitting; first there are hostile words. While the abuse is still verbal, anyone can learn how to keep it from escalating; once it’s physical, it becomes a matter for law enforcement and emergency medicine. We have to teach our children about this more carefully than we do. When children who hurt others with words are always told not to worry about it — “Oh, Tracy just can’t take a joke! He’ll/She’ll get over it!” — the children get the message that causing people pain is okay. They learn that when their words hurt other people, something is wrong with those people. We shouldn’t be surprised if that message gets transferred to physical abuse.
