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Traits of battered woman syndrome
Traits of battered woman syndrome
Cases where battered women syndrome has been used as a defence
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During this time, Marica could have been under the protection of the police through a witness program or a shelter for women who are abused. She could have also left to stay with her family. While it is true that the husband was being unreasonably cruel while cursing at her and urging her to die when she took the pills, he did not force her to take the pills. It was by her own choice. There is no evidence that he tried to kill her in the past; he did physically harm her but not to the point where her life was about to be taken away. There also was no file from her about the abuses she faced in the past. This also goes for the night she killed her husband. One may argue that he might have killed her once he woke up; he might have lost his temper one day to the point he put her life in danger. But the key words used here are may and might. It is talking about the future and not the …show more content…
Therefore, Marcia is guilty of murdering her husband. C.Pros and Cons of Battered-Women Syndrome In the situation involving Marcia and Mitchell, it is obvious that Marcia has shown symptoms of the battered-women syndrome. After years of abuse, one can only take so much. In many of her experiences with Mitchell’s use of physical violence and intense emotional abuse, she started to become helpless. Since she felt like there was no chance of an escape, she tried to take pills and was abused further for it. It’s easy to say that women like Marcia could have simply ran away or called …show more content…
The battered woman syndrome is more of a psychological issue so sometimes the judges may have a hard time understanding the underlying causes that lead to the victim making the choice that he or she did. At times it would not be allowed to be used in
First I would like to address the definition of Battered Woman Syndrome. Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) is a condition often used by the defense in cases like this one to relieve the defendant of some or
This is the tenth time that Lisa has been admitted to the hospital within the past two years. At least this time there aren’t any broken bones or concussions to worry about. Lisa only has two black eyes, a patch of her beautiful long hair forcibly yanked from her head, a nasty black and blue bruise on her neck and a few nails ripped directly from the newly manicured nail beds. Lisa swore to God and her best friend Brandy that this was the final straw. Actually, she made that exact same pledge under oath just three months ago, yet she is coincidently in the same position she vowed never to return to. This time was different though. She was making plans to move her things out of the small apartment that she shared with her boyfriend the minute she was discharged from Sinai Grace Hospital, and what seem to be her home away from home. Lisa has made plans for her mom to babysit her 2 year old daughter while she searches for work, and Brandy has already told Lisa she can stay with her as long as she needed to. Yet, the very next day, Lisa calls to inform Brandy that she decided to stay with Jason despite of the awful things that he has done to her. Lisa believes that Jason has changed overnight and that he deserves a second chance, besides a child needs to be raised with both parents in the home. Unfortunately Brandy was not at all surprised by the phone call, in fact, she was expecting it. As the wave of guilt and the “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” attempts to overcome Brandy again, she quickly snapped back into reality, wiped the tears off her face and placed the white roses on Lisa’s tombstone. A story like Lisa’s usually raises the million dollar question; why do women stay in abusive relationships? Across the nation...
Battered women constitute one of the most marginalized groupings in the social order. Their relationship incidents occasionally put these individuals into disagreement with the law, particularly when they murder their violent partners. The Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was created by clinical psychologist (1970’s) with an intention of depicting the series of occurrences that physically abused women frequently experience in their relationships.
The question raised in the Hawthorne v. State amicus was related to the expert testimony of Dr. Lenore E. Walker, a Clinical Psychologist with extensive involvement in the study and research of “battered woman syndrome.” Amicus indicated Dr. Walker’s testimony would provide the Trier of facts with expert opinion on a battered woman’s belief that resorting to the use of deadly force against her husband was required, if the woman had perceived imminent death or bodily hard to herself and/or her children. Dr. Walker would clarify battered woman’s syndrome to the jury including clarifying all the relevant stages, cycles of violence, symptoms and reasons why women choose to stay with the abuser.
“Such a woman faces two major obstacles: fear and finance -- fear for her safety and that of her children and a lack of money to support herself or them. The most dangerous time in the life of a battered woman is when she attempts to leave her abuser. Threatened by the loss of control, the batterer is likely to become even more violent and may even try to kill her. There are simply not enough shelters to protect all the women who need them” (1).
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...
The Battered Woman Syndrome (BWM) is a syndrome whereas women react in a certain manner because of repetitively physical or psychological abused imposed on them by their mates. The Battered Woman Syndrome (BMW) is not limited in one area or location it is a problem that is occurring all over in the world (2009, pg. 148). Like every other issue in the world criticism come into play by psychologists and others when someone claims that they are victims of the Battered Woman Syndrome or the Battered Woman Defense when they are taken to trial for killing their batterers (BMW) (2009, pgs. 162-163).
There are many cases where self- defense has been used as a plea where the victim felt they were in harms’ way or unable to escape a specific situation that ended badly. The definition for self- defense is: 1. Defense of oneself when physically attacked 2. Defense of what belongs to oneself, as ones work or reputation 3. (Law) the right to protect oneself against violence or threatened violence with whatever force or means reasonable or necessary. According to an expert on battered women, a woman must experience at least two complete battering cycles before being labeled a battered woman. (Walker) According to Dowd, “he believes the proper use of BWS assists the fact finder to understand the state of mind of the battered woman at the time she fought back against her abuser.”(1) Women should be able to use BWS as a plea when habitual abuse occurs within a relationship with a significant other and results in violence or worse death.
In her 1979 book "The Battered Woman", Dr. Lenore Walker first came up with what is now known as battered woman syndrome. Put simply, battered woman syndrome, or BWS as it is sometimes called, is a group of psychological symptoms that are easily recognized in women who have been physically, sexually, or psychologically assaulted by their domestic partner. According to Dr. Walker, "Battered woman syndrome presents evidence that the syndrome is part of a recognizable pattern of psychological symptoms called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported to be produced by repeated exposure to trauma such as the physical, sexual, and/or serious psychological assault experienced by battered women" (Gelles 133). Because battered woman syndrome is considered to be in the same category as PTSD, it does not have its own classification in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders third edition, also known as the DSM-III.
In several cases the cause of the abuse can be linked to family relationship issues. In the novel Sickened, by Julie Gregory, Gregory recounts her childhood with a mother who was diagnosed with Munchausen By Proxy. She tells the readers that her “mother married at the tender age of nineteen.” Marrying him when she was young caused them to argue with each other and they did not have a genuine relationship. Soon after her first husband’s death it seemed as though she was very desperate to find another husband because she felt isolated and alone, she craved the attention of being in an intimate relationship. Her crave for attention was the fuel for her desire to make Julie sick. A parent is also more likely to mistreat their children if their spouse has very little, or no, input in the family’s activities which leaves it to the abusive parent to control everything. In another situation where family relationships could be an issue, a woman named “Shannon Hudson had been trying to break up with the boys’ [her sons’ abusive] father when he shot her three times. Then shot himself” (Burling A1+). The abuses that lead up to the husband getting angry and frustrated with his wife caused the violent act that was a result of their relationship failure.
...common and rarely reported. Memories of these experiences often become suppressed because of the personal humiliation and shame women feel about the situation. Notice that, in the movie, Laura never seeks legal retribution for Martin's abuse, all she wants to do is escape. Sexual abuse and spousal abuse are psychologically devastating for women because these are acts that inflict feelings of guilt upon the victim. It is too often that a female rape victim will do nothing because she feels responsible. In the beginning of the movie, when Laura was subjected to daily abuse from her husband, she probably started to feel like she deserved the treatment because her husband constantly beat her down emotionally and made her feel like nothing. When someone is beaten down for long enough they start to believe that they are worthless. Finally, Laura escapes her oppressor forever when she kills him. Not all women are so fortunate to be able to start their lives over, though. Many women die from domestic violence, and most men do not suffer consequences for their actions. This movie shows the triumph of a woman over her oppressor because she goes to any length to gain her freedom and respect.
The phrase “domestic violence” typically refers to violence between adult intimate partners. It has been estimated that every year there are about 3.3 to 10 million children exposed to domestic violence in the confines of their own home (Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa et al. 2009). According to research conducted by John W. Fantuzzo and Wanda K. Mohr(1999): “[e]xposure to domestic violence can include watching or hearing the violent events, direct involvement (for example, trying to intervene or calling the police), or experiencing the aftermath (for example, seeing bruises or observing maternal depression)” (Fantuzzo & Mohr, 22). The effects of exposure can vary from direct effects such as behavioral and developmental issues to interpersonal relationships, all of which lead to detrimental prospects on the child’s development. This paper will explore those effects and how it affects children.
Children today are likely to experience or witness violence at home. Researchers are concerned about the effect domestic violence has on children, and has prompted researchers to conduct an increasing number of investigations into this issue. Social learning theory and Erikson's theory of basic trust are two tools used to predict aggressive behavior in children.
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 word violence has many different meanings and has many ways of impacting people. It can beat someone down not just physically, but emotionally. Unfortunately, violence and abuse is not uncommon within families and intimate relationships. Webster 's Online Dictionary says that violence is "the use of physical force to harm someone, to damage e property, etc., great destructive force or energy" (Websters,2014) It includes abusive words, actions and criminal acts that seek to degrade, humiliate or harm a woman or child.. Often, the term violence is used to refer to specific, usually physical, acts, while the word abuse is used to refer to a pattern of behavior that a person uses to gain or maintain power and control over another. This essay