Psychological Cycle of Battered Women - Research Paper Example

Psychological Cycle of Battered Women The fact that all persons are guaranteed to live a free life by the fundamental human rights and freedoms does not guarantee that people will live a life free from physical and emotional abuse, even when it is indeed their rights. Hundreds of women are physically and emotionally abused every day throughout the world, but chances are still high that such women will still remain in the abusive relationships. According to the Health Research Funding (HRF), one in every four women will experience the battered women syndrome in the course of their lives, while women are the most likely to be killed by their abusive partners, compared to their male counterparts (Healthresearchfunding.org, n.p.). Additionally, the statistics from National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey of 2010 indicated that in the USA alone, 22 million women have been raped in the course of their lives, and among them, 63.84% were either raped by the current or former husbands, boyfriends or cohabiting partners (NIP SVS, n.p.). Further statistics have indicated that 34% of all the female homicide victims are killed by their close or intimate partners, while only 37% of all rape incidences are reported to the police, meaning that the USA women rape victims could be double or triple the 22 million figure reported to the police (fbi.gov, n.p.). Thus, this discussion seeks to analyze the psychological cycle of battered women, with a view to establishing the nature of reasoning and justification at each stage, understand the psychological, emotional and physical state of the battered women, and finally shed light on why the battered women stay in the abusive relationships until it is too late. Nevertheless, it can easily be concluded that the physical, emotional and psychological health of battered women is already devastated by the time they choose to leave an abusive relationship, due to the persistence behavior of the battered women, who insists on staying in the abusive relationship hoping that things will change. Discussion The Battered Women cycle follows a four-step process that starts with the denial stage. During the guilt stage, the woman denies that that there is a problem (Hamby, 213). This is the stage at which a woman is physically abused or beaten by an abusive husband, boyfriend or partner, but the woman considers it either an accident, a circumstantial occurrence or a fault she has contributed to (Barnes, 235). At this stage of the cycle, the woman refuses to agree that her husband or partner is abusive. The woman is able to offer different excuses for the husband or partner who has subjected her to beating or physical abuse, citing excuses such as drunkenness, emotional instability or causative factors such as the woman’s own mistakes (Barnes, 235). Thus, at this stage, the woman is almost convinced that the beating or the physical abuse is simply going to go away, while hoping to correct the mistakes she might think had contribute to her being assaulted. The denial stage of the battered women is followed by the guilt stage, which occurs much later into the persisted staying in an abusive relationship. During the guilt stage, the woman acknowledges that there is a problem (Renzetti and Bergen, 277). The woman has received several beatings or has been physically abused for several times, and is thus able to understand that the battering did not occur as a result of circumstantial factors or by mistake (Hamby, 214). Nevertheless, the woman still considers herself as being responsible for the beating, citing the mistakes she may have committed as the grounds for receiving the battering. Thus, the woman still feels that she deserves the beatings and the physical assaults she is receiving from her partner, thus she does not blame her partner for anything (Barnes, 237). The reasoning for the battered woman at this stage of the cycle is that she has not been able to live up to her husband’s expectations, and thus for that reason, she is deserving of the beatings and the physical assaults. The enlightenment occurs much late into the physical abuses and battering of the woman, when she stops considering herself as the contributory factor to the abuses she is receiving from her partner (Renzetti and Bergen, 279). The major problem at this point is that the woman has been able to withstand several incidences of physical abuses, such that her emotional and psychological health is equally abused. Therefore, she is no longer capable of reverting to her normal state of physical, emotional or psychological health without social support and professional help (Barnes, 236). Although the battered woman in the enlightenment stage is capable of understanding that she is not responsible for the abusive behavior of her husband or partner, she is not yet ready to quit her engagement or marriage. Thus, even after the enlightenment, the woman still continue to stay, hoping that she and her husband/partner can work things out and continue to live together, in order to salvage their marriage or relationship (Hamby, 215). Responsibility is the last stage of the psychological cycle of a battered woman, which is the point at which the battered woman realizes that things are never going to change (Barnes, 241). A this point, the battered woman will have withstood numerous abuses and her physical, emotional and psychological health will be devastated such that it can only recover when she is not in contact with the abuse partner/ husband (Renzetti and Bergen, 281). Nevertheless, even at this stage, the woman still has the fear of the unknown, most especially uncertain of the possibility of living on her own and without being subjected to the authority of the abuser. The abuser has detrimentally affected the self-esteem, confidence and willpower of the battered woman, such that she has completely become dependent and subjected to his personal will and she simply cannot overcome the power (Hamby, 217). Therefore, the only thing that gives the battered woman the will power to move out of the abusive relationship is the desire to restore her health, since at this point she is already injured, bruised or maimed in a way, while her emotional and psychological state are no longer in a stable or healthy status. Conclusion The rights and freedom to a life free from physical and emotional abuse is guaranteed for every individual at the time of birth. However, there is no guarantee that people will live a life that is commensurate with these guaranteed rights. Battered women fall in the category of the people that do not enjoy this right, suffering the abuses from their husbands, boyfriends or close cohabiting and intimate partners. 63.84% of all the women who have reported being raped in the USA were raped by this category of people who are very close to them. While in the USA alone 22 million women have experienced rape in the course of their lives, it is only 37% who reports to the police. Further, 34% of all female homicide victims are killed by their husbands, boyfriends or intimate partners. These statistics serves to show that women battering is a persistent vice. The psychological cycle of women battering follows a four-stage process starting with denial where the battered women refuse to accept that there is a problem. This is followed by the guilt stage where the battered women consider themselves as responsible for the physical abuse they receive. The enlightenment stage is the next stage in the cycle, where women are now able to recognize that there is a problem and also acknowledge that it is not their fault. The last stage is the responsibility stage, where the battered women seek to leave the abusive relationship, after realizing that things may never change. However, due to their persistence, the battered women are already devastated emotionally, physically and emotionally at the time they chose to leave the abusive relationship. Works Cited Barnes, Andrea. The Handbook of Women, Psychology, and the Law. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. 235-242. Print. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). “Crime in the United States – 2001”. Web. November 21, 2014. Hamby, Sherry L. Battered Women's Protective Strategies: Stronger Than You Know. , 2014. 213-217. Print. Health Research Funding (HRF). “24 Uncommon Battered Woman Syndrome Statistics”. Web. November 21, 2014. < http://healthresearchfunding.org/battered-woman-syndrome-statistics/> NSVCR. “The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report”, 2010. Web. November 21, 2014. Renzetti, Claire M, and Raquel K. Bergen. Violence against Women. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. 276-281. Print. Read More