Identity theft is insidious and often occurs over long term domestic abuse. This burglary of a soul is the overall tactic of domestic abuse.The abuser superimposes his reality over yours, to negate its existence and ultimately your individual identity. The goal being constant doubt, confusion and loss of who one is. In this manner the abuser can control and wield power over another far more easily. This becomes a far-reaching goal to destroy the very fabric of one's sense of self, generating a robotic push button response, from the one being abused (although just under the surface, lays a highly charged emotional oppression that has been numbed by abuse). This is not simply brainwashing, although it is a component, but systematic erosion of one's understanding of self; creating a learned helplessness, of "What would I do without you?" type thinking. The basic objective is to make you invisible and the abuser and his perspective the only 'right one' at all cost. Within this trace-able pattern lies the intrinsic motivation for abuse, namely control and power over others. This should not mistakenly be considered a random set of circumstances, but a highly strategic course of action to produce specific results. If the abuser is unsuccessful initially, repeated tactics are implemented; including re-enforcing their reality and diminishing your value or legitimacy through harassment and degradation; via verbal, physical, or sexual abuse. As well as planting seeds of doubt by applying incessant manipulative language that becomes normative to the hearer.
MASKS 
Once your identity has been stolen or even has begun to be dissolved, you can easily become merged with what is underneath the mask of the abuser. You may convince yourself he is just needy, hurt from childhood wounds, requires your help, rescue or therapy. As your own identity erodes, you come to think like him, behave like him and even believe like him. Your own moral conscience may be swayed for example, to blame others as he does, express racism as he does, be easily angered as he is; seeing others and yourself through his eyes and the list continues. If this is a long term situation, you will not tend to notice the changes in your own personality, as it has been under construction over a period of years.
