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Social theory on domestic violence
Social theory on domestic violence
Social theory on domestic violence
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Have you ever met someone who was in an abusive relationship? Have you ever been in one yourself? Well, many people in the United States and around the world are in relationships that involve violence and abuse. Domestic abuse is a serious issue that seems to be taboo in a sense to some. There needs to be change, because it is critical. Many women suffer, and in some cases, men suffer too! To begin with, the definition of domestic violence is “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (“What Is Domestic Violence”). Ranging from grown women to young children, many are victims to abuse. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States” (“Statistics”). Just by calculating, that is 28,800 people who are abused in just ONE DAY! The scary part is that this number does not even account for the numerous cases that are not even told. Many victims are threatened or even hurt so bad that they must keep their mouth shut in fear of even worse abuse to come. Of This is because the percent of those who are unaffected see this violence as a consequence of the decisions of the abused to stay with the abuser. The women are blamed (Halket). There are so many movies that make this abuse seem like a sick joke. The women (or whoever is being abused) is almost always portrayed as a person who is in-denial and overly connected to the person who hurts them, which is in fact true in some cases but obviously not all. Most cases deal with a person who is involved with a partner who threatens them or their own life if they try to leave, which makes the situation of abuse so much more complex because the victim is at a point of not knowing what to
“Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is defined as a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners” (Peeks-Asa). When it comes to domestic violence, many people don’t want to get involved, but if just one person took a stand, maybe others would follow and potentially save a life, like the neighbors did in The Day It Happened by Rosario Morales. Domestic violence can happen to anyone at any time, there is no typical victim or perpetrator. The fact that there is no one specific group that domestic violence occurs in more than one, only makes it more difficult to get an accurate representation of just who is being affected by this crime. “Domestic violence and abuse does not discriminate” (Smith and Segal).
Domestic Violence is a widely recognized issue here in the United States. Though many people are familiar with domestic violence, there are still many facts that people do not understand. Abuse is not just physical, it is mental, emotional, verbal, sexual and financial. Many victims of physical abuse are also fall victim to these abuse tactics as well. An abusive partner often uses verbal, mental, emotional, and financial abuse to break their partner so to speak. It is through this type of abuse the victim often feels as though they are not adequately meeting their partner’s needs.
Women will continue to suffer from domestic violence unless there is some sort of intervention to help them. When dealing with this population, it is essential to create a safe environment where the woman can talk freely about the abuse without any retaliation from the abuser. When someone comes into a therapeutic session, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and care. This in turn will create a sense of hope that a different type of life can be possible. Also, knowing that there is a support system can help the woman begin the process of change. Despite this, the process of leaving the abusive partner is slow (Warshaw, n.d.)
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
Every year about 4000 women die in the U.S. because of the domestic violence. Every year this number gets higher and higher. Even though we live in the 21st century people can’t find the way to improve the situation. But before searching for the solution, people should understand what domestic violence is. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, domestic violence is: “any abuse—including physical, emotional, sexual, or financial—between intimate partners, often living in the same household” (Encyclopedia Britannica). Most of the people believe that domestic
I’ve tried to encourage my friend who went through domestic violence; it was a one time offense that she sadly had to face. I still have the scenario engraved in my memory. Mid-afternoon my best friend comes to my house tears rolling down her face; I immediately grab her and begin to comfort her asking her what’s going on I could feel her body trembling against mine and the fear in her voice when she spoke. The last thing I ever expected her to say was that her boyfriend hit her. As soon as she told me that rage immediately took over and I could only see red my first thought was that we had to call the police but she thought differently. It was a horrific event that she sadly had to face at a young age with someone she believed that loved her
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is historically referred to as domestic violence. It describes a pattern of coercive and assaultive behavior that may include psychological abuse, progressive isolation, sexual assault, physical injury, stalking, intimidation, deprivation, and reproductive coercion among partners (The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), 1999). IPV leads to lifelong consequences such as lasting physical impairment, emotional trauma, chronic health problems, and even death. It is an issue effecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003). More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2012). Thirty to sixty percent of perpetrators tend to also abuse children in the household (Edelson, 1999). Witnessing violence between parents or caretakers is considered the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next (Break the Cycle, 2006).
Domestic violence is a common crime in America, especially amongst the female gender. Studies indicate that nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or intimately abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives (Commonwealth Fund Survey, 1998).
When people think of domestic abuse they usually think about men abusing women but this is not always this case. While more women are abused than men, men can also be abused by women and they are. Domestic abuse is also not only about couples in relationships but can also include children. When a child is abused by their family it is also considered domestic abuse. Even if they are not directly abused, many abusers still attack their victims while the child is present and watching. There are much less options for children because they may not have easy access to computers and phones where they can find help and the adults that they should be able to trust are the ones that are abusing them. This can cause major psychological damage to the child and they can end up being the abusers when they get into
Domestic violence occurs in many different ways. Domestic violence can be sexual, physical, emotional, mental, and psychological. All domestic violence cases are different, but have the same pattern. According to The United States Department of Justice, domestic violence is “any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone”. In other words, people show domestic violence in different ways, they can physically or mentally try to hurt or harm their partners. Most people who was experiencing domestic violence kept it a secret, because they were ashamed. However, nowadays people are becoming more vocal about the issue and they are defending themselves by speaking
Times have changed and society has went from believing only women can be victims of domestic violence to all humans can be a victim to abuse.
Domestic abuse is something that needs to prevent. One of the best ways to prevent it from happening to a woman again is to give the women everything to be successful. Not just trying to arrest the abuser but give the woman ways to cope, give them a way to support themselves, teach them how to manage money, teach them how to independent. Giving them resources and helping them feel as though they can protect themselves from their abuser. Let them feel safe and that they have someone to help them and protect
That’s an average of three women every day. Of all the women murdered in the U.S., about one-third were killed by an intimate partner. Shocking analytics, as it should be; another alarming fact is that most domestic abuse altercations are kept secret due to fear and the threat of the abusive partner. As you can tell this does not make the situation any
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.
Most people associate domestic violence with physical abuse, meaning the abuse leaves some type of a mark on the victim’s body. However, domestic violence can be in a form of psychological abuse. In this case, a victim is traumatized by name calling, shaming, blaming, or stalking. The goal of the abuser is to make the victim feel as though she has no worth. For the abuser to be in control, he needs the victim to think, that the reason the victim is being abused, is because they deserve it. The abuser needs the victim to believe the only person that could ever love them is the abuser. Psychological abuse can be a stepping-stone to a physical one. Sometimes psychological abuse is enough to render the victim helpless and the abuser does not need to resort to physical violence to be in control. However, sometimes a person’s mental state is strong enough to withstand psychological abuse, forcing the abuser to resort to physical violence in order to gain dominance over the victim. According to NCADV “one in five women are physically abused by their partner” (http://www.ncadv.org). Furthermore, if the abuse is occurring in the home with children, the children also suffer. In as many as 30% to 60% of the violent homes, the children are abused (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2004). These children have a much higher risk of suffering from depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and behavior problems (Roberts TA, 2003). Domestic abuse not only affects the victims, but it also affects the economy. According to NCADV, physical abuse costs the U.S. economy over eight billion dollars each year due to victims taking time off from work to heal (http://www.ncadv.org). The cost of healthcare for domestic violence exceeds four billion dollars per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Unfortunately, as costly as domestic violence is, be it financial or physical, it is still very rampant in our