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How control and power affects domestic violence
How control and power affects domestic violence
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Domestic violence has been plaguing our society for years. There are many abusive relationships, and the only question to ask is: why? The main answer is control. The controlling characteristic that males attribute to their masculinity is the cause to these abusive relationships. When males don’t have control they feel their masculinity is threatened and they need to do something about it. This doesn’t occur in just their relationships, but rather every facet of life. Men are constantly in a struggle for power and control whether it is at work, home, during sports, or in a relationship, this remains true. So the only way for them to get this power is for them to be “men”; tough, strong, masculine, ones that demand and take power. Where is this thirst for control coming from? Is it the natural structure of a man or is it a social construct? The answer is that it’s the social construction of a patriarchy that results in this thirst for control due to fear. The fear is being emasculated, whether it is by gayness, or femininity. Men use the fear created from domestic violence to gain control, but yet women do have some control in a relationship it is this vague boundary of how much control that leads to domestic violence. Control is dominating over something or someone. The reason people want control is because control is power. Masculinity is always associated with power and control, while femininity is associated with passivity and weakness. As Allan Johnson states this is related to the fact that “male dominance creates power differences between men and women” (248). So because of the fact that men hold positions of power they seem more superior to women creating these stereotypes about each gender. The reason this is importa... ... middle of paper ... ...n though domestic violence is frowned upon men use it to instill fear in a woman. It is a strange concept but largely in part while domestic violence is performed as I stated earlier. Violence is the way men gain control and they use this in many different areas. They are wrapped up in a vicious cycle as Johnson stated. Men fear being controlled and they assert that control by using violence to create a fear. When men feel emasculated, which they often do in relationships, things take a turn for the worse. The most interesting part of the whole thing is relationships are supposed to be a place where one another connect. They are supposed to be vulnerable to each other but yet many men are still unable to do this. This shows that the idea of being the most masculine is embedded deep inside and is almost like a disease whose symptom can become domestic violence.
...t the feminist theory best fits this behavior because it is strictly applied to one gender, and is very stereotyped to be that way. In a close second, the labeling theory also fits well because an overwhelming majority of people believe that their actions are wrong and deviant and even though these men may not accept their deviant status, they still realize that what they are doing to their girlfriends is viewed as deviant to most people. Differential association relates to this topic, because the behavior was learned from someone close to these men. In most cases it could be generalized to be learned from their fathers engaging in this aggressive behavior towards their mothers. Although it may be a little off topic, I think that even though domestic violence is a form of deviant behavior, coming to national television to brag about it to the world just as bad.
Stark (2006) would suggest that thirty years of research has failed to produce a consensus as to what constitutes a case of domestic violence considering that 90% of women who report the abuse have no physical injuries. Methods of coercive control do not meet the criminological viewpoint rather, control extends to financial, emotional, and psychological aspects of subjugating the partner thus no physical violence occurs. If only violent means are reported, then the reported number of victims would perhaps change thus creating a more gender symmetrical pattern. Until operational definitions are defined throughout the disciplines with consistency then there will continue to be discrepancies and opposing views. However, integrative theories of feminist views are being explored which investigate the intersection of not only male dominance as a form of oppression but the use of race, class, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and disability and their impact on intimate partner violence as stated by McPhail and colleagues
control by taking away their sense of power and ultimately their own manhood. A direct
There is a preconceived notion that all families are a “great big happy family”, unfortunately this is entirely false for a hand full of families; not all families are filled with love and joy, a few possess a very dark side (Sev’er, 2014, pp. 273). This dark side is the violence that occurs within the family, whether it be child abuse or domestic violence. Domestic violence is defined as violent or aggressive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner (Oxford Dictionary). Although there are instances where women are violent, Kimmel and Holler (2011) state “most family violence is perpetrated by males - husbands beating wives, fathers hitting children, sons hitting their parent, boys hitting their brothers or their sisters. The actual or implicit threat of physical coercion is one of many factors underlying male dominance in the family” (355). To refrain from the phrase ‘domestic’ violence, bell hooks used the phrase ‘patriarchal’ violence to describe abuse that occurred within the family. Patriarchal violence “is based on the belief that is acceptable for a more powerful individual to control others through various forms of coercive violence. This belief is associated with male domination” (as cited in Kimmel and Holler, 2011, pp. 355). Many would correlate the term ‘domestic violence’ with ‘wife-battering’ (Kimmel and Holler, 2011, pp. 355), meaning that people automatically think of a man physically or mentally abusing a women when they hear ‘domestic violence’. These examples make it evident that family violence is extremely gendered, and it continually reproduces and reinforces gender inequalities within the family.
Most people in society are one sided when it comes to domestic violence. Most people automatically think domestic violence as men abusing women. Most people believe domestic violence is associated with gender. For instance, some people associate men with violent, destructive, and belligerent behavior. While women are often seen as innocent, fragile, and vulnerable. For many years men were the ones showing violent behavior, so most people believe men are usually the aggressor. Many people believe men should never abuse a woman, and if he does he will charged and most likely serve jail time. Although, women are not viewed the same way. Over the years women have become just as aggressive and violent as men have been portrayed. Many women who are violent are given a pass if they abuse a man. More simply, their behavior is overlooked, because they are not seen as a threat to society, so they will most likely not be jailed or punished for their behavior. In addition, there are many resources to help women get out of domestic violence situations. For instance, there are hotlines they can call, shelters they can visit, and support
“The concept of toxic masculinity as used in the social sciences indicates that traditional American and European society tends to promote a certain set of masculine behaviors that can be harmful to men, women, and society overall”. It is associated with detrimental social and psychological effects. This norms includes dominance, devaluation of women, extreme self-reliance, and suppression of emotions. We all know that the gender based violence is a systemic problem that has historically conformed to masculinity norms in the society. But according to the theory of toxic masculinity no one can claim that all men are rapist or abusers; rather it states that men have the capacity to become violent if they are pushed into a role of masculinity
Psychological, emotional, mental, physical, economic, and sexual abuse are only but a few of the effects of intimate partner violence. When a perpetrator decides to inflict violence onto their partner, they are acting out of power and control. They will take every piece of confidence their partner has taken years to build up in order to intimidate them. Intimate partner violence is an epidemic. It is a social problems that affects individuals in all parts of the world regardless of their creed, color, background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, or religion. According to “1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.” CITE Statistically, men have been the
These are socially constructed ideas passed down through generations. Men have been told from the get go that they are the dominant ones. Women are always told to act like a lady. A woman is also told to make her husband happy, but a man is never told the same thing. Even in pornography, we can see that females are just trying to please men.
We are being taught by our own society to be violent. The pressures to speak and act tough and violently are everywhere. Media and the roles they portray are crucial to constraining men to seeing violent masculinity as the culture norm.
Although there are cases of domestic abuse against men, studies have shown that as of 2005, women account for 85% of domestic violence victims. It has been proven that women experience more intimate partner violence than do men during their lifetime. In 2008, The National Crime Victimization Survey reported 504, 98...
Contrary to the incidents that are reported and the stories that are relayed, “Domestic violence does not discriminate.” (Kulmala 1) In the media, the public hears about the abused women and children, but rarely do you hear about the men who are abused. This type of abuse to men certainly exists: it is just that most men are taught not to fight back or hit a woman. They also are often humiliated, or even laughed at if they share their story because as a society, we have the premonition that a real man cannot be abused by a woman. “One out of six boys are abused before they reach the age of eighteen.” (Bailey 2) What is even worse is that these men are not only taught that they should not fight back, but sometimes their situation will be such that they genuinely cannot fight back. The majority of these abusers will bite and hit the men while they are asle...
In today's complementary society why are men always violent and develop many problems such as domestic violence, aggression and dominance against woman. Ever since the dawn of time, men have always shown to be more violent and reckless due to the testosterone hormones men have in their biological DNA. Though men are capable of being malevolent and reckless, the identity of what defines a man is simply based on this ideal, gender identity.. Society ideal views determine what makes a man and how they should act in society, Society views emotions, and Sex as the ideal norm of what a man is.
For women in modern day society, femininity is viewed as the beautiful matriarch. A woman’s role is to be the homemaker and caretaker of the family under the superiority of her husband. Throughout history women have faced adversity in their pursuit of gender equality. One of the more profound adversities that women face in society is domestic violence. Up until the 1970s, society viewed domestic violence against women as a minor offense. Cases rarely came to court and authority would diminish the issue as being a critical problem. In some cases, society portrays domestic violence against women as a joke under the male gender superiority. “In the past, domestic violence was often seen as a way husbands could legitimately 'correct' their wives” (Anna Clark). Male dominance is variously supported based social class, rank and geographical region. “Since the 1970s, feminists have fought for protection against domestic violence.
Oppression is not a new phenomenon and it is defined in the social work dictionary as a social act of placing severe restrictions on individual, group, or institution. Typically a government or political organization in power places restrictions formally or covertly oppressed groups so they may be exploited and less able to compete with other social groups. The oppressed individual or group is devalued, exploited, and deprived of privileges by the individual or group who has more power (Barker, 2003).
In the Research Article Domestic Violence by Author Roxanne Dryden-Edwards Pg no.1 he states “Domestic violence is a well-known and often-used term. Although it may describe various violent relationships, such as child abuse, elder abuse, it is most commonly applied to an intimate relationship between two adults in which one partner uses a pattern of assault and intimidating acts to assert power and control over the other partner”.