well i'm a senior at LSU studying psychology and we've covered abuse in a few of my classes. It's really a very interesting subject. The woman youre inquiring about was most likely abused as a child, mental, emotional, physical any of the three. People who are abused early on dont know any better and often revert back to the ones who hurt them because in an odd way they somewhat need the abuse; it's become a part of them. Most abused women are scared to death of leaving the man they are with because 9 out of 10 times the man will find her and hurt her or maybe even kill her if he can. Therapists advise loved ones and friends not to encourage the abused woman to leave because it could end up being fatal. If the woman is abused and wishes to get out of the relationship she should seek therapy and report the man to the police but you have to take these situations very seriously and you have to be careful because most men who abuse women are crazy; you dont want to set them off because they could kill.

Some people love chaos, some people don't feel like they deserve to be treated with respect. I think your friend is very lucky to get out of the situation. He might not feel that way now...but I am sure when he looks back on this, he will.
He wasn't married that long so he should be able to do everything himself. That way, the divorce will be so much cheaper if he does it. Its a very easy process to do it also...I helped a friend do hers, just 2 papers and it was done. You might want to have him check that out

Your friend was foolish to assume she was telling him about the alleged mental abuse. If anything, I'm guessing she was active participant. She appears to be a person who enjoys creating havoc in others lifes. I feel sorry for anyone who invites her into his life.

She may have initiated the turmoil and liked the reaction she got from the other guy. Sick puppy. He needs her to be gone for good!

Or as Snuggles said, she had been abused by the original guy for so long, he stripped her of her self esteem and self worth, and when the new guy came along, he made her feel good and she wanted to be with him, but deep down inside she didn't think she was worth it, didn't deserve to be with a man that would treat her well. Then the old guy comes along promising her that he has changed, will not be the old way, hurt her anymore, she still has some old feelings for him (and is afraid to stand up to him, afraid of what he could do to her or maybe even hurt the new husband), feels guilty about leaving him and deep down inside knows she doesn't deserve the new guy, that she is not worthy of being treated that well. So she goes back to the old guy with the hopes that he really has changed. He is good for a few days, then the honeymoon is over, and as they said he takes away the TV, the phone, the car, so now she is isolated again, trapped back into the cycle of violence she was in before.

She won't be able to get out until she decides she is worthy of getting out and makes the move for her herself and seeks outside help from whatever agencies or people she can. She needs counseling to overcome her "addiction" to this man and the cycle of abuse she has become accustomed to and to learn to believe that she is worth more than that. The old husband could very well have used the threat of murdering the new husband to get her back, happens all the time.