Despite the fact that emotional abuse within intimate relationships is a widespread form of violence found in countries around the world, it is rarely recognized as a form of violence. Indeed, there has been a paucity of research in the area of intimate partner emotional abuse, particularly in South Africa and particularly where the abused partner is a professional woman. The current study utilized qualitative methods, specifically in-depth interviews, to probe the impact of intimate partner emotional abuse on a sample of 11 victims in South Africa, all of whom were professional women. In addition to the participant interviews, a literature review was conducted to estimate the nature and extent of the problem. Results are discussed in terms of victims’ experiences of the cycle of emotional abuse, victims’ experiences of learned helplessness, victims’ experiences of patriarchal dominance, victims’ experiences of family violence from a communicative perspective, and victims’ reasons for remaining in the relationship. All of the participants expressed the opinion that victims of emotional abuse should leave the relationship if the abusive partner refuses to seek counseling. Bibliography, Internet references