62
2. Psychological Abuse
In Child maltreatment 2010 analyzed by Gaudiosi 2011, psychological abuse account for 8,1 among other type of abuses p.24. Psychological abuse
relates closely to physical abuse. When the physical abuse impacts on lasting trauma to the victim, it then becomes psychological abuse. Crosson and Tower
2008 mention some treatments which can be categorized as psychological abuse: “Threats to injure or kill; constant sneeringsarcasm or belittling; throwing away
or destroying toys; forbidden to speak or play; scapegoating; favoritism to siblings; locked in room or confined space”p.12.
In Clare’s case, psychological abuse is mostly performed by her mother and her stepfather. Carmen disgraces Clare in front of her siblings with intention
of traumatizing Clare about wetting her bed. I thought I was safe, but then my mother burst in, and said that I was not
allowed to sleep with clothes on because I would only make them wet. She grabbed hold of me and removed my clothes. Then she shouted, Pauline,
Patsy, Carl — come quick Come, see your sister. See how shes naked — have a look. Briscoe, p.49 – p.50; ch.3
Carmen not only embarrasses Clare in front of Clare’s siblings, but also in front of her school mates. One teatime, Clare’s friend, Mary comes to invite Clare
to play. Carmen, who opens the door, invites her instead to visit Clare’s room, “‘You want to know what your friend’s bedroom looks like, don’t you? Come up,
she said.’” Briscoe, p.81; ch.6. Clare has been avoiding letting Mary into her room but Carmen insisted, “‘This is her room,’ said my mother as she pushed
Mary in before her. ‘Now,’ she said, ‘is your room like this?’” Briscoe, p.82; ch.6. Carmen does this with the intention of shaming Clare. When Mary asks
63 about Clare’s alarm, Carmen answers, “‘Oh, that’s her alarm,’” Briscoe, p.82;
ch.6, and asks in return, “‘Did she not tell you that she still wets the bed?’” Briscoe, p.82; ch.6. She even happily describes how the alarm works to Mary.
Mary is so excited of the surprise and says, “‘Wait till I tell Ann.’” Briscoe, p.83; ch.6. When knowing that Mary had learned of her bed-wetting, Clare becomes
very nervous, “The idea that the whole class would know that I wet the bed was too shameful for words.” Briscoe, p.83; ch.6.
Carmen also uses cruel ways to punish and teach Clare not to wet the bed. One night, before bed time, Carmen comes to Clare, bringing some wet clothes
for her to wear. Briscoe writes on this, “‘Put your nightdress on, she said, and handed me the previous nights nightdress, which was soaked and smelled quite
badly. I looked at it and then at her. ‘Put it on,’ she repeated and shoved me in the back.” Briscoe, p.63; ch.4. Clare is not only forced to wear a wet nightdress but
also to sleep under a wet blanket, “When the nightdress was on my mother pulled back the blanket and said, ‘Get in.’ Obediently I climbed into the bed and my
mother pulled the blanket up to just under my chin.” Briscoe, p.63; ch.4. After “teaching” Clare about the stinky smell of her urine, she leaves Clare with a
threat, “‘There we are Good night, Clare. If you get out of bed and change your clothes you will live to regret it”’ Briscoe, p.63; ch.4. In this case, Carmen has
performed both a physical and psychological abuse since it could both make Clare sick and cause lasting psychological trauma.
Another psychological abuse by Carmen is her favoritism. Clare is Carmen’s least favorite child and she treats her completely differently from the
64 way she treats her other children. Briscoe writes, “her treatment of my sisters was
certainly very different from her treatment of me” Briscoe, p.12; ch.1. She adds, “they did not get the unkind words I got, or have their nipples pinched, and they
were not beaten or punched. They were bought new dresses, but I had only hand- me-downs, third-hand from Pauline and Patsy” Briscoe, p.12; ch.1.
She even exclaims clearly to Clare that she prefers Clare not to be alive as her child.
`Yes, its a good thing that abortions were illegal. I would have strung you up. Do you think I would have poisoned myself for you, Miss Piss-the-
bed? Do you think youre worth a plastic stem? Youve got no manners, always answering back, always causing me trouble and still pissing the
bed. You pissed my mattress. Why did you do that? Briscoe, p.185; ch.11
Carmen also speaks openly about her disappointment of having given birth to Clare even when she is not in anger. She says that as if she is giving Clare an
understanding of some situation. ‘You know, Clare, my biggest regret in life is that I gave birth to you, and
you and I both know that it is not possible to turn the clock back. I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. You can understand that, can’t you, Scareface?
How is the bed-wetting? Most normal people would have stopped wetting the bed years ago, but not you.’ Briscoe, p.366; ch.24
Another type of psychological abuse is being locked in the confined place
Crosson Tower, 2008, p.12. Clare has experienced being locked down in the cellar as a punishment. Her first experience being locked in cellar is when she was
11 years old. Briscoe writes, “It was the first of many occasions that I was trapped in the cellar by her.” p.113; ch.7. Clare is instructed to get some potatoes which
are kept in the cellar.
65 When I was in the middle of the cellar I saw my mother’s legs at the top of
the stairs. She suddenly flicked the light switch off then moved backward and the door to the cellar swung shut as I ran up the stairs. I heard the bolt
slide home. I asked her to let me out, but she just walked away. I hadn’t done anything wrong that I knew of. I started crying. Briscoe, p.113; ch.7
Clare does not remember the reason Carmen locked her in the cellar. As far as she knows; she has not made any mistakes. She could only conclude that Carmen
locks her in the cellar just because she wants to do so. In the summer of 1968, Clare is at the final year of her primary school and
has to prepare to continue her study to the higher level. She wants to continue to Notre Dame because she expects to get into a university afterwards. However, her
mother rejects the idea and proposes that she goes to Sacred Heart because Carmen believes that Clare is not smart enough for Notre Dame.
`But, Clare, said my mother, it is a grammar school for grammar-school girls. You are not a grammar-school girl. You see, youre not bright
enough. If your sisters did not get in, there is no way that you will get in. Youre stupid. Why do you think that Sacred Heart is good enough for
your sisters, but not good enough for you? Why? Briscoe, p.89; ch.6
Carmen’s answer is a psychological abuse, because she undermines her daughter and tells her that she is stupid.
Eastman also performs psychological abuse to Clare by threatening her and screaming at her with curse words. Briscoe writes, “On one occasion, when
Eastman had threatened to do me serious bodily harm, Pauline contacted my father.” p.86 – p.87; ch.6. Eastman usually speaks rudely to Clare, “‘Say what,
say what? Go on – say it, you ugly black bitch. You think I’m your father, you
66 fucking shithouse?’” Briscoe, p.131; ch.9. He calls her ‘black bitch’ most of the
time. Eastman also likes to sneak a peek into Clare’s room, watching Clare and
what she does. Briscoe writes, “I continued to change my sheet and Eastman observed through the crack in the door.” p.53; ch.3, and “The door was slightly
open and I heard the creaking of the stairs. He was peeping into my room again.” p.63; ch.4. This is considered a psychological abuse because it makes the victim
feels unsafe and uncomfortable. Some abuses are performed together by Carmen and Eastman. They abuse
Clare by insulting her physical appearance. Clare asks her mother if she wants to buy her class photograph, and Carmen simply takes the pictures and sarcastically
complains about how ugly Clare is. ‘Jesus Christ, me give birth to that?’ She stared from the photograph to
me. ‘Lord, sweet Lord, how come she so ugly? Ugly. Ugly. If I hadnt given birth to her, sweet Lord, I would have sworn she was a fraud.
Heavenly Jesus, sweet and kind, why have You given me a swine? Look at that nose, where did you get it from? Not from me,’ said my mother
answering her own question. ‘If I had a nose like that I would cut off half and save the rest.’ Briscoe, p.67; ch.5
The insult does not finish there. To add to Carmen’s statements, Eastman also says:
‘But, Carmen, you forget them rubber lips. Look, see, in the photograph? If I had rubber lips like that I wouldn’t have my photograph taken – and
she wants you to buy it Clare, where you get them spots? You got potato skin.’ Briscoe, p.68; ch.5
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