Problems of Domestic Violence - Essay Example

 Problems of Domestic Violence Introduction The issue of domestic violence has occupied public debate for a period with different stakeholders debating the issue without reaching a conclusion. Umberson et al. noted, “National surveys indicate that at least 28% of couples experience violence at some point in their relationship and 16% of the couples experienced violence in a given year" (442). In effect, this underlines the dangers posed by the issue of domestic violence in the contemporary society. On the other hand, it is important to point out that there are different forms of domestic violence ranging from physical violence to control and oppression. Nevertheless, the effects and problems associated with domestic violence, just like any other form of violence, are enormous and range from emotional problems to physical problems suffered by individuals. In addition, the problems associated with domestic violence adversely affect the two parties directly while also affecting people who are not party to the violence indirectly. Without a doubt, religions of the world such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, prohibit violence of any form more so domestic violence. In addition, national laws and legislations outlaw domestic violence although the vice still exists in many households. This expose elucidates on the problems of domestic violence. In order to understand the problems of domestic violence, it is important to explain the forms of domestic violence in the contemporary society. Therefore, the first part of the expose explains the different forms of violence witnessed in the contemporary society. In addition, it is crucial to discuss the effects of domestic violence on the victims of violence. Furthermore, domestic violence affects the society directly or indirectly. In effect, the second part of the expose discusses the effects of domestic violence. Finally, the last part of the expose elucidates on the emerging trends in domestic violence, more so domestic violence in same-sex relationships, and the causes of domestic violence. Nonetheless, it is important to point out that domestic violence can be against men although women suffer more from domestic violence than their male counterparts do. Thus, this expose will discuss the effects of domestic violence on women as well as its effects on women. Forms of Domestic Violence Different organizations and authorities define domestic violence using differing approaches. However, the bottom-line amongst the various definitions is that, domestic violence, just like any other act of violence, is an unlawful act that has adverse effects towards another person. According to the United States' Department of Justice, a partner’s use of power and force to gain control and dominate over their intimate power forms a pattern of abusive behavior, which is domestic violence. In this case, one partner will result to using power in a forceful way so that they can dominate over their partner and control their actions and behavior. In addition, the Department of Justice further noted, “Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.” On the other hand, the United Kingdom’s, Children, and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) define domestic violence as a pattern of a series of abusive and violent behavior of using power and control in an intimate relationship. It is important to point out that CAFCASS notes that an intimate relationship may be of a mixed gender or the same gender. Following these two definitions, it is evident that the underlying issue is the use of power to gain control over a partner in a relationship while doing it in an abusive and barbaric way, which is domestic violence. Following the definition of domestic violence, there are different forms of domestic violence. In this regard, the forms of domestic violence might be physical, sexual, economic, emotional, and verbal although they may vary in other circumstances. Nevertheless, any form of domestic violence that a partner uses towards another aims at gaining and maintaining control over the other party in a relationship. In addition, it is important to note that each form of domestic violence has a different trigger factor contributing to its development in a relationship. The first form of domestic violence, and perhaps the most known and rampant form of domestic violence, is physical abuse in a relationship. The United States Department of Justice pointed out that this form of domestic violence include activities such as hitting and slapping, which are the most usual activities, and shoving. In addition, other activities classified under physical abuse include choking, burning, hair pulling, biting, and many other types of physical activities that may cause physical injuries to an individual. In this regard, these actions inflict physical harm to an individual, and they experience abuse from their partners, which is domestic violence. On the other hand, Gelles pointed out that some partners in a relationship never viewed some of these acts of physical violence as domestic violence since some women were of the opinion that they “deserved or needed to be hit.” In addition, others were of the opinion that it is the right of husbands to hit their wives (340). However, any act that inflicts harm on an individual is an act of physical abuse, which is domestic violence. While the society view rape as something committed to strangers, marital rape exists in the society, and it is a form of domestic violence under the sexual context. According to Gelles, rape is sexual intimacy that one individual forces themselves onto another (340). In this regard, an individual coerces another individual to a sexual activity against his or her will. In the context of domestic violence, coercing a partner to engage in a sexual activity unwillingly is rape, which is a form of domestic violence although the partners had engaged in consensual sexual activities previously. However, most women who undergo sexual abuse, or marital rape, in a relationship noted that rape occurred after they experienced another form of domestic violence such as physical violence or the psychological form of domestic violence (McGee 40). Referred by some people as psychological abuse, another form of domestic violence that people experience in an intimate relationship is emotional abuse. According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center, emotional abuse “accompanies and frequently precedes physical abuse and consequently affects a victim’s sense of self and reality.” In fact, experts point out that emotional abuse has worse effects than physical abuse since an individual forms internal scars that can take a longer time to heal if they do not seek professional services (Engel 10). In this regard, emotional abuse results to deflation of a partner’s self-worth, which affects the self-esteem of the partner. This form of abuse is domestic violence since it harms an individual in a subconscious way. Another form of domestic violence is economic abuse, which is a form of emotional abuse although it involves the use of language. In this case, a partner intimidates and threatens another in an intimate relationship using language that is distasteful in order to gain or maintain control over their partners. According to McGee, using insults and abuse leads to manipulation and gaining control on another individual since it affects their self-confidence and self-esteem (35). In this regard, actions such as belittling a partner, name calling, and criticizing everything that a partner did were harmful to the victim, which is abuse and hence a form of domestic violence towards a partner in an intimate relationship (McGee 35). Finally, economic abuse is another form of domestic violence since an individual maintains control over the other in an intimate relationship. According to Kaukinen, men were traditionally breadwinners although the situation has been changing due to the involvement of women in the labor market (452). In effect, men were able to use their financial ability to manipulate women and gain control over their wives although the increasing number of working mothers is changing the situation. Women’s Web cited controlling finances, stealing money from a spouse, forbidding and interfering with schooling and employment, and creating debts as the main activities that formed economic abuse. In this regard, these activities diminish an individual’s capability to be independent, which effectively implies that they will depend on their partners. In effect, the partner providing for the other gains and maintains control in a coercive way, which is domestic violence. Effects of Domestic Violence Every member of the family suffers from the effects of domestic violence, including children who experts point out that they suffer more than any other family member does suffer. According to Carlson, a minimum of 3.3 million American children witnessed domestic violence each year (qtd. in Carlson). In this case, this implies that children undergoing these experiences are at a risk of exposure to violence or desertion by their parents, which might be a result of divorce or separation. In addition, these children are unable to establish a natural bond with their parents, which may have an adverse effect on parentage. One way in which domestic violence affects women is through suffering physical injuries because of the violence. According to McCue, a child may suffer from downright violence when the caregivers engage in physical abuse (24). In this case, they may suffer injuries from thrown items or even weapons. On the other hand, some women may abuse their children after they experience and suffer domestic violence from their spouses. Walker supported this argument and indicated, “A woman is more likely to hurt her children when she is being battered than when she is safe from violence” (qtd. in McCue 25). In this case, it is possible for a woman to vent her anger and frustrations on their child. In addition, the mother may over discipline the child as a way of relieving stress, which physically harms the child. Children witnessing domestic violence are at a risk of suffering from emotional, psychological, and behavioral disorders (McCue 24; Carlson). These disorders may include exhibiting oh highly aggressive behavior, anger, being overly hostile, and disobedient. In addition, these children may experience fear, which might affect their self-confidence and self-esteem. Moreover, anxiety, withdrawal from their peers and people, depression, and poor social relationships are some other disorders these children may experience (McCue 24; Carlson). Children may also suffer and experience social and attitudinal setbacks once exposed to domestic violence. In this case, these setbacks have an affect their cognitive skills and functioning processes, which is a result of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in case of repeated exposure to violence (Foy 4). As a result, the low cognitive skills affect their concentration, which implies that they start performing poorly in schools. In addition, the children lack essential skills needed to resolve conflicts amicably since the only way that they have experienced is by violence. Moreover, these children may show attitudes that are violent and believe in gender stereotypes based on their experiences with their violent caregivers. In the long term, the children may experience high levels of depression in adulthood. In effect, they may exhibit symptoms of trauma and might result to violent ways in their adulthood (Meichenbaum 90). Another effect of domestic violence is its influence on parenting, especially on mothering. In a 1991 study, conducted by Holden and Ritchie in the U.S., mothers exposed to domestic violence appeared inconsistent with parenting because of the abuse they experienced from their partners (qtd. in Hester 29). As a result, the inconsistent parentage adversely affects the parenting that a mother exposed to domestic violence provides to her children. In addition, the physical and emotional scars these mothers suffer affect the relationship between the mother and child. Victims of domestic violence undergo psychological and emotional suffering. According to McCue, these problems might be temporary since they enable victims to survive abuse and incidents of violence (19). Nonetheless, these problems bring an emotional scar to the victims and disappear once the victim receives help or the violence ceases. On the other hand, another effect of domestic violence is a concept called learned helplessness, which implies that repeated violence makes a victim become accustomed to the violence and develop an imprecise sense of reality (McCue 19). In effect, this false sense of reality explains the reason why victims of violence stick to abusive relationships since they develop defense mechanisms such as living in denial. Another effect of domestic violence amongst victims of domestic violence is the Stockholm Syndromes, especially in women who experience domestic violence. According to McCue, the imbalance of power between the abuser and the woman victim in the relationship makes the woman develop a “traumatic bond” with the abuser making her to depend on the abuser entirely (20). In effect, some situations of abuse may appear normal to the victim although the victim suffers from low self-esteem. Causes of Domestic Violence The issue of domestic violence is complex, and it involves various factors, which explains why research remains unclear regarding the causes of domestic violence. Nevertheless, various risk factors can explain the causes of domestic violence using different theories that researchers propose. The first risk factor that may cause domestic violence focuses on psychological theories. Psychological theories center on the mental characteristics of offenders and their personality traits. According to researchers, these personality traits include poor anger management, lack of control on an individual’s impulse, and low self-esteem (Kalra 4; C. Newman and E Newman 11). On the other hand, Hamberger and Hastings noted that people who experienced abuse during childhood, psychopathology, and other personality disorders made people violent in adulthood. Dutton argued that, men who abused their wives had borderline personalities developed earlier in life. On the other hand, other risk factors and theories advanced include behavioral theories whereby individuals lack self-control and fail to manage their anger and stress, which makes people overwhelmed by problems (W. Newman and E. Newman 11). As a result, such people cannot be able to communicate effectively with their intimate partners and may result to battering their spouses instead of solving their issues in an amicable manner. In addition, other factors may explain causes of domestic violence include, a spouse’s dependency on the other, available opportunities culture, power and control, among many other factors (W. Newman and E. Newman 12; National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence). A discussion on domestic violence is not to be exhaustive without a brief discussion of same-sex relationships and domestic violence. Bloomberg called it “a misconception to think that domestic violence only affects women and only occurs between a husband and wife” (qtd. in Rauh). In this regard, it is evident that the society has only been considering the issue of domestic violence as only affecting the conventional heterosexual relationships. In effect, most researchers have spent most of their resources investigating domestic relationships between men and women. In addition, most legislation protects victims of domestic violence in conventional man and woman relationships. However, there is growing interest in the issue of domestic violence, in same-sex partners, with reforms taking place to protect victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships. In line with this, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed an amendment that included same-sex relationships among the provisions of its domestic violence laws in 2009 (International Gay and Lesbians Human Rights Commission). In addition, the New York City Council proposed a law allowing same-sex couples to seek services of Family Court systems that dealt with domestic violence in 2008 (Rauh). In effect, this emphasizes that same-sex relationships’ partners suffered from the effects of domestic violence in a similar way to heterosexual couples. Conclusion Based on the foregoing, it is evident that the issue of domestic violence is complex since research cannot pinpoint a single cause of domestic violence. In effect, researchers use theories to define risk factors that may influence or cause domestic violence in intimate relationships. As a result, there are many forms of domestic violence due to the complex nature of causes of domestic violence. Nevertheless, the bottom-line is that domestic violence causes pain and harm to the victim since the offender uses abusive and violent ways to gain and maintain control over the victim with undesirable effects on the victim and children in a relationship. These effects are usually of a psychological nature and may influence an individual to identify with unfavorable behavior during old age. Finally, it is important to note that men, just like women, are victims of domestic violence although most men fear coming out to state it in the open. In addition, partners in same-sex marriages also suffer from domestic violence with various authorities instituting laws meant to protect victims in such relationships. Works Cited Carlson, Bonnie E. Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System. Child welfare information gateway. 2012. Web. 14 May 2012. . Children, and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Domestic Violence Assessment Policy. Cafcass.gov.uk. n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. Domestic Violence Resource Center, Forms of domestic violence. 2011. Web. 14 May 2012. . Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press, 2006. Print. Engel, Beverly, M.F.C.C. The Emotionally Abused Woman: Overcoming Destructive Patterns and Reclaiming Yourself. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1992. Print. Foy, David W. “Introduction and description of the disorder.” Treating PTSD: Cognitive- Behavioral strategies. Ed. David Foy. New York: Guilford, 1992. Print. Gelles, Richard J. “Power, Sex, and Violence: The Case of Marital Rape.” The Family Coordinator 26.4 (Oct., 1977): 339-347. JSTOR. Web. 14 May 2012. . Hamberger, Kevin, and James E. Hastings. “Personality Correlates of Men Who Abuse Their Partners: A Cross-Validation Study.” Journal of Family Violence 1.4 (2008). Print. Hester, Marianne. Making an Impact: Children and Domestic Violence : a Reader. 2nd ed. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2000. Print. International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Hong kong: Same-sex couples included in the amended domestic violence law. 2009. Web. 14 May 2012. . Kaukinen, Catherine. “Status Compatibility, Physical Violence, and Emotional Abuse in Intimate Relationships.” Journal of Marriage and Family 66.2 (May, 2004): 452-471. JSTOR. Web. 14 May 2012. . Marianne. Making an Impact: Children and Domestic Violence : a Reader. 2nd ed. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2000. Print. McCue, Laird Margi. Domestic Violence: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbabra: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print. McGee, Caroline. Childhood Experiences of Domestic Violence. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2000. Print. Meichenbaum, Donald. A clinical handbook/practical therapist manual for assessing and treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder. Ontario: Institute Press, 1994. Print. Kalra, Michelle. “Juvenile delinquency and adult aggression against women.” M.A. thesis. 1996. Wilfrid Laurier University. Print. Newman, Willis C., and Emseralda Newman. Domestic Violence: Causes and Cures and Anger Management. Newman International LLC, 2010. Print. Rauh, Grace. Same-Sex Couples Could Gain Domestic Violence Protections. The Sun. 6 Mar. 2008. Web. 14 May 2012. . Umberson, Debra Kristin Anderson, Jennifer Glick, and Adam Shapiro. “Domestic Violence, Personal Control, and Gender.” Journal of Marriage and Family 60.2 (May, 1998): 442- 452. JSTOR. Web. 14 May 2012. . U.S. Department of Justice. Domestic Violence. United States department of justice. 2011. Web. 14 May 2012. . Women’s Web. Domestic Violence: Types of Abuse. Women’s Web. 2010. Web. 14 May 2010. . Read More