title: Connection and disconnection in abusive relationships.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The way in which women's need for connection can lead to destructive relationships in which emotional and physical paralysis is characteristic.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate how a woman's sense of disconnection that occurs in abusive relationships may be misinterpreted or worse, labeled and stigmatized, by healthcare providers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Theories of growth and development that emphasize how a woman's sense of self and value derive from being able to maintain highly empathic affiliations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The behavioral manifestation of disconnection must be understood so that healthcare providers can provide the most effective care possible.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weingourt
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*