The cycle of violence can happen many times in an abusive relationship. Each stage lasts a different amount of time in the relationship, with the total cycle taking from a few hours to a year or more to complete. Emotional abuse is present in all three stages.
Below are some examples of abusive behaviors; however, a person does not need to have experienced these behaviors to be in an abusive relationship. There are many more behaviors not listed.
Adapted from L. Walker, The Battered Woman, Harper and Row, New York, 1980.