| Emotional Blackmail (EB) has been conceptualized as a powerful form of repetitive emotional manipulation in which a perpetrator conditionally threatens, either directly or indirectly, to punish or abandon a person close to them if the victim does not comply with the perpetrator's demands. The term has been used extensively in the popular press, however there is an absence of psychological literature empirically examining this construct. The purpose of this study was to better understand the construct of EB by conducting an empirical examination that designed an EB Scale and explored its underlying factors and correlates in couples' relationships. Through convenience sampling, 199 participants, 170 females and 29 males over 18 years of age, residing in Hong Kong, and in a couple relationship for over six months, were recruited. Participants completed measures including demographic data, the Tactics of Manipulation Scale (TMS), the Four Horsemen Scale (FHS), the EB Scale, the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) and an open-ended question about the participant's experiences with EB. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal axis factoring (PAF) conducted on a 20-item EB scale revealed two factors, named Fear and Obligation/Guilt, which explained 47.8% of the total variance in EB. Cronbach's alpha of the EB Scale was .92, showing acceptable internal consistency. The EB Scale was strongly positively correlated with the TMS (r = .61) and the FHS (r = .79) and strongly negatively correlated with CSI (r = -.63). Significant relationships between EB scores and education, language spoken at home, and cultural heritage were found. Hierarchical multiple regression showed that the EB Scale explained 41.2% of the variance in CSI ( F (2, 196) = 68.72, p < .001), and that it explained variance over and above TMS but not FHS scores. Thematic analyses from 43 participants who commented on EB in their relationships yielded 8 themes including Partner Blame, Partner Abandonment Threat, Partner Demands, Partner Devaluation, Partner Stonewalling, Partner Abuse Threat, Partner Anger and Partner Manipulation Tactics. In conclusion, the 20-item EB scale is a reliable and valid scale that warrants further research. Implications for psychotherapy and couples therapy are discussed. |
