Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-211).

Emotional Abuse -- Emotional Abuse in Private Life -- Emotional Abuse in Couples -- Emotional Abuse in Families -- Emotional Abuse in the Workplace -- What Is Abuse? -- Who Is Targeted? -- Who Attacks Whom? -- How the Victim Becomes Disarmed -- How Abuse Begins -- The Organization That Permits Abuse -- The Organization That Encourages Abusive Methods -- The Abusive Relationship -- Emotionally Abusive Seduction -- Communication in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship -- Refusal of Direct Communication -- Distortion of Language -- Lies -- The Use of Sarcasm, Ridicule, Contempt -- The Use of Paradox -- Invalidation -- Divide and Conquer -- The Imposition of Power -- The Stages of Emotional Abuse -- Hatred Becomes Overt -- Abuse Comes into Play -- The Victim Is Cornered -- The Abuser -- Abusive Narcissism -- Narcissism -- The Transition to Abusiveness -- Megalomania -- Vampirism -- Denial of Responsibility -- Paranoia -- The Victim -- The Victim as Object -- The Victim as Masochist? -- The Victim's Scruples -- The Victim's Strength -- The Victim's Naivete -- Consequences of Abuse -- Consequences of the "Seizure of Power" Phase -- Withdrawal -- Confusion -- Doubt -- Stress -- Isolation -- Long-Term Consequences -- Shock -- Decompensation -- Separation -- Evolution -- Practical Advice for the Couple and the Family -- Reorientation -- Action -- Psychological Resistance -- Legal Intervention -- Practical Advice for the Workplace -- Reorientation -- Finding Help Within the Organization -- Psychological Resistance -- Action -- Legal Intervention -- Organizing Prevention -- Taking Charge Psychologically -- The Healing Process -- Psychotherapeutic Options.

In this account Dr. Marie-France Hirigoyen lays bare the destructive "hidden" phenomenon of emotional abuse. She argues that while emotional abuse is not as visible as physical abuse, it is equally violent -- and perhaps even more widespread. It is a crime whose aim is, she says, "a virtual murder of the soul."

Emotional abuse exists all around us -- in couples, in families, and in the workplace. But in an age where moral and behavioral standards are not absolute, society turns a blind eye to this insidious form of violence, tacitly condoing conduct that is both dangerous and perverse.

Illustrating her points with gripping case histories from her own therapeutic practice, plus popular examples ranging from the films of Hitchcock to the personal life of Einstein and the works of Ovid, Kafka, and Freud, Hirigoyen analyzes the psychology of abusers and their victims as well as the dynamic between them. She breaks down the stages of emotional abuse, a process that begins with seduction and brainwashing and culminates in an open violence that sweeps the victim into a vortex of destruction. Finally, she offers practical advice on how to break free of abuse's vicious hold.

Stalking the Soul is a call to recognize and understand emotional abuse and, most importantly, to overcome it. Sophisticated yet wholly accessible, this landmark account is vital reading for health professionals and victims of abuse, as well as for the concerned public. In 1995 Daniel Goleman showed the world that emotions shape our intelligence. Today Marie-France Hirigoyen shows that emotions shape our entire being -- indeed, our very soul.