Abusive Relationships Case Study

Dynamics of Abusive Relationships

An important aspect to recognize about abusive relationships is that it may not be one isolated event, but instead a repetitive pattern (Finley, 2013). The assaults are repeated events between the same perpetrator and same victim (Finley, 2013). The assault between the victim and perpetrator can be seen as five different types including sexual, physical, emotional, psychological and economic. In order to continue with the abusive pattern, the perpetrator may isolate the victim. This is done by having the perpetrator continuously tell the victim that he/she loves him/her and sharing they always want to be with them (Finley, 2013). This gives the victim the thought that they don’t need anyone else. The intent of isolating the victim is to control her activity with the support system that cares for them whom may notice the after effects of the abuse (Finley, 2013). With constant harassment, the victim may eventually realize it is best to cut off from family and friends

which allows the perpetrator to have more control. A dynamic of an abusive relationship may also involve the children. Children may be used as a scape goat in order to punish or hurt the victim (Finley, 2013). There may be threatening behaviors and using the children against the victim. The perpetrator may use threatening behaviors or stalking-like in order to prove a point that the victim is never alone and always being watched.
The first type of abuse is considered to be sexual abuse. This can be seen in two different contexts. The first one involves coercing the victim to sexual activity without the true consent. This is seen as the forcible sexual act, forced prostitution, attacking on parts of the sexual body, etc. Sexual abuse can also be seen as undermine the victim’s sexuality. This relates to criticizing the sexual acts, constantly accusing sexual infidelity, etc. Often, sexual abuse is linked to physical abuse where they may occur together or it is also seen increased after physical abuse.
Physical abuse is seen as the use of force which is physical against another person where there is an injury or serious risk for a person being injured. If the physical abuse is lead too far, murder can be a horrible outcome. When I have heard of abuse, normally physical abuse is what I think of. It is seen in studies as one of the most common abuse types and can be seen as a predecessor of other abuse types. Where the violence occurs between family members or outside family, the police are required to protect the victim.
Emotional abuse can include a wide variety of actions including verbal and nonverbal. The actions including in emotional abuse can be less subtle because a victim may not show any physical signs from the effects. I believe emotional abuse can change a person’s mentality. Emotional abuse includes demeaning an individual’s self-worth and confidence. This can include name-calling, insults, threatening and yelling. Psychological abuse is similar to emotional abuse in a sense where the perpetrator is instilling fear and intimidation to the victim. This could include religion where the perpetrator can manipulate power and create a “god-like” image.
When researching different aspects of abuse, the one I did not consider was economic abuse. Economic abuse is seen where the perpetrator will control all finances and restrict their resources from the community. This also may include fraud and forbidding employment. This is a huge way where the perpetrator shows control over the victim and the isolation may begin.
Cycle of Violence
Domestic violence generally follows a pattern which has been named the Cycle of Violence. The first stage is considered the “Calm before the Storm” (Finley, 2013). This is when everything seems calm within the relationships, but stress and tensions slowly begin to build. The victim may begin to notice small incidents including threats or anger outbursts (Finley, 2013). The victim may notice themselves trying to avoid the perpetrator in order to decrease anything serious.
The second stage is when the violence is increased. There may be explosive outbursts and seen physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. Although the victim may be given help and receive services, it is most likely the victim will feel the need to go back. Victim might just to cover up the bruises so family and friends would not uncover the abuse. At this stage, there is a significant risk that children may be hurt by getting in between the physical abuse or as a way to threaten the victim.
The last stage is called the Honeymoon stage. The victim may notice the perpetrator feeling apologetic for the abuse and trying to show more affection. The perpetrator will say he/she is sorry for the abuse and will show guilt by buying gifts or giving constant attention. The victim may forgive their partner and will not notice the need to leave the relationship. Once the perpetrator notices the victim’s awareness decreasing, the first stage may begin again.
Perpetrator Profile
I will use the name Rick as the perpetrator in this case study. Rick is a 28 year old Hispanic married male. He grew up with his mother, father and 2 siblings. Rick began to act out when he was 7 years old because his father was constantly gone for work and his mother worked as well. He reports that he began to see his father beating his mother at the age of 9 and he initially wanted to protect his mother. His father began beating him with a belt when Rick would attempt to help his mother. Rick began to isolate himself and his grades in school starting slipping. At the age of 11 years old, his mother left their father due to the increase of abuse. His mother had to raise all three children on her own as well as financially provide for them. At the age of 15 years old, Rick began to date, but could only be in relationships for approximately 6 months. He would constantly become jealous of whom his girlfriends were talking to. Rick states he had 11 girlfriends before he met his current wife Jamie, the victim.
Battered Victim Profile
Jamie is a 27 year old Hispanic married female. Jamie is the current wife of Rick which they have been married for 3 years. Jamie grew up in a wealthy family and was always taken care of. Her parents are still currently married and have always provided for her financially and emotionally until high school. After high school, Jamie decided it was time to move away to start her own life. After beginning college, Jamie began to feel lonely and was isolating herself. This allowed for her to not have friends. Jamie met Rick at a bar when she was heavily intoxicated. She enjoyed the intention he gave her and decided to go on several dates after. Jamie started to notice herself become dependent on Rick and felt guilty for leaving her family after high school. She had a strong desire to please Rick and make him happy. She began to notice a negative change after they got married. She would do everything Rick asked, but he was never happy with it. She was scared to go to her family because of disappointment they would have on her choices.
Transgenerational Transmission Process
The transgenerational transmission process is seen within the perpetrators profile.

If a person were to read the profile and look for warning signs, there are many that came while the client was young. The biggest warning sign was that Rick’s father had a history of physical abuse. Rick witnessed the physical abuse from his father and also was unfortunately a victim of it as well. This may have increased his chances of becoming a perpetrator when he grew older. Some other warning signs include Rick not being able to hold a stable relationships. Jealously is a trigger for domestic violence because the perpetrator may feel the only way to handle the emotion is to be stronger. The victim was raised properly and did not witness any generational abuse growing up. Jamie’s case is different in the fact that she became a victim due to her isolation of herself during college. She felt alone and easily influenced to Rick’s constant attention and pretend

love.
Cultural Aspects of Domestic Violence
After doing research based on minority groups, including Hispanic culture, seeking domestic violence help, I have noticed that there are many reasons why females from the minority cultures may not accept the help. During domestic violence, the perpetrator may convince the victim that their heritage is not accepting them or may threaten immigrant status. Within the Hispanic culture, families are kept close and hard to break apart. Within Jamie’s case, she decided to leave her family which may have allowed Rick to convince her that he is her family. Jamie felt that she had to do everything she could to make Rick happy, although what she did never seemed enough. This could have related to her culture in regards to keeping a close family.
Domestic Violence and the Law
The law has specific definitions which relates to domestic violence and abuse. The law states that domestic violence is “Physically hurting or trying to hurt someone, intentionally or recklessly; sexual assault; making someone reasonably afraid that they or someone else are about to be seriously hurt; emotional including harassing and stalking”. There are laws protecting a victim including restraining orders and free counseling. There are websites and hotlines which provide resources for domestic violence shelters and people to talk to for immediate help.
Prevention and Intervention
I believe a great prevention for domestic violence would be providing outreach in the community. Having programs such as anti-bulling or anti-violence programs in school would be beneficial for any age range of children so they learn what is considered abuse in the beginning. Also another community outreach would be trainings for professionals such as law enforcement and health care professionals to help them better understand the indicators and signs of domestic violence.
The best intervention for a victim with the case of domestic violence is creating a safety plan. There are many hotlines for victims of domestic violence to call and one of the first questions they are is if the person is safe. Sometimes a victim may be unable to leave the situation, but can at least plan ahead if there’s ever an opportunity. Safety plans can include having a safe place to stay, having a way to contact family members, memorizing important phone numbers, change your routine, and save all important documents.
Role as the Therapist
As a therapist, my role for domestic violence victim would be to ensure safety. During the initial stages of therapy, I would devote my time to encouraging and reassuring Jamie that she is safe and being listened to when coming to therapy. Initially, it would be building trust and rapport and using reflective listening techniques to allow her to feel comfortable. I would also assess the situation if there are children involved due to being a mandated reporter. During the middle stages, I would create a safety plan with Jamie. She would need to understand how to implement the safety routines in case of any danger. I would like to assist her in finding outside connections with family or friends whom she can depend on. Once a safety plan is created, I would work with Jamie on her values and discuss her strengths. The perpetrator may have convinced her that she is worthless so bringing back positive thoughts can help. During the final stages, I would go over the safety plan to reassure that Jamie has a plan after leaving the perpetrator. I would provide her with resources including shelters and hotlines for emergencies. I would educate her on the cycle of violence and how it can continue to occur with new husbands as well.
I feel it would be more difficult to convince the perpetrator to seek therapy. I would want Jamie and Rick to meet separately to be able to better understand each individual’s sides. In the initial stages for Rick, I would ask him to share with me about his childhood and have him open up about his father’s relationships with his mother. I would discuss any cultural concerns he has and how it affects his current marriage. During the middle stages, I would role play with Rick on positive communication skills and educate him on how his emotions affect his relationships. I believe having Rick using a journal to write down the times he has anger outbursts or different emotions would be beneficial to discuss in therapy. During the final stages of therapy, I would like to end on a positive note so Rick could feel he is making improvements. I would discuss with him goals for his future. I would ask him to complete a timeline activity which shows his positives and negatives in his life and where he wants his future to be.