Spousal Abuse Spousal abuse is not isolated acts of “conflict tactics” in a vacuum. A battered spouse is one who may be controlled and terrorized by a combination of abusive tactics, both directly physical and not. Abuse is not simply a black or white male or female “thing” or a poor or rich “thing.” Anybody can do it. Anybody can take action of being and abuser, and anybody can be abused. Many abusers were victims as children or lived in an abusive home. Also the sad part of being abused is that the person who is the abuser is someone they love or care for a lot. Nobody wants to believe that thei