Psychological abuse through the prism of the activity approach

The article discusses a possibility of considering a phenomenon of psychological abuse applying the activity theory nomenclature as well as considering an abuse subject’s activity as that based on the principles and having the structure described by the activity theory. The author analyzes existing definitions of abuse in general and psychological abuse in particular, compares their characteristics with the key attributes of activity as such. Abuse is defined as a purposeful activity aimed at lowering the subjective functions of the object of abuse that occurs against the object’s will, generally causes him/her harm, leads to disadaptation, and is characterized as non-typical and socially unapproved. Psychological abuse is concretized as a systematic influence on the subjective functions of the object of abuse with the purpose of lowering these by using mainly information/psychological methods. A comparison of the characteristics of the abuse subject’s activity, such as the presence of a conscious purpose and object of the activity, consistency of this activity and non-reactivity of the aggression, with the attributes of activity in the general sense, such as agency, consciousness, and proactivity, leads to a conclusion that the abuse subject’s activity can be considered from the point of view of the activity theory. The article also presents an analysis of the abuse subject’s activity through the structural units of activity (ction, operation), thus providing a prospective frame for understanding the genesis as well as the dynamics of the abuse subject’s motivational sphere, and for differentiation of a subject’s abusive activity as such (with desubjectivation being the main or one of the main motives) from abuse as an activity guided by other motives (e.g., by socialization) that require partial desubjectivation of the object of abuse so as to be realized.