Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, can be defined as a systematic pattern of behavior entailing a person’s use of intimidating, violent, or other abusive tactics to gain control of another in a domestic relationship. These tactics include mental, sexual, physical, emotional, and even economic abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically from one relationship to another; but, the goal of gaining and maintaining power and control over the other stays the same (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence [NCADV], n.d.). Abuse can range from verbal threats to physical injury, and even death in some cases. This abuse happens in heterosexual relationships as well as same sex relationships. While women
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Research has provided us with multiple possible risk factors of domestic violence. Among abusers, having witnessed abuse as a child is very common. Taking this into consideration, researchers have linked lifetime experiences to higher chances of a person becoming either a victim of domestic abuse or the abuser. This link is often described through the application of Social Learning Theory. According to Bandura (1977), people learn through observation and imitation of other people’s behavior. While this is not saying that every child that has had an experience with abuse will grow up to exhibit the same behaviors or fall victim to them, this theory does acknowledge that it is more likely for the abusive behavior to be reciprocated as the child grows up; resulting in intergenerational violence. Another theory that equates childhood experiences to adulthood domestic abuse is Object Relations Theory. This theory asserts that the relationships we form with others during childhood are the psychological blueprints for our future relationships. These theorists argue that relationships with primary caregivers, in the earliest stages of life, set the tone for the way individuals view themselves and others and attach certain emotions to their relationships (Kernberg, 1985). With this being said, individuals who didn’t receive a sufficient amount of nurturing during their childhood may have self-esteem issues, be unable to control their emotions and may have an inability to deal with anxiety as they age. This lack of nurture then turns into a dependency in adulthood. This dependency need may result in an individual either becoming a perpetrator of domestic abuse or a victim of it (Cogan, Porcerelli, & Dromgoole 2001; Cogan & Porcerelli, 1996). From these viewpoints, childhood experiences have a direct influence on an individual’s future or current involvement in
Research has provided us with multiple possible risk factors of domestic violence. Among abusers, having witnessed abuse as a child is very common. Taking this into consideration, researchers have linked lifetime experiences to higher chances of a person becoming either a victim of domestic abuse or the abuser. This link is often described through the application of Social Learning Theory. According to Bandura (1977), people learn through observation and imitation of other people’s behavior. While this is not saying that every child that has had an experience with abuse will grow up to exhibit the same behaviors or fall victim to them, this theory does acknowledge that it is more likely for the abusive behavior to be reciprocated as the child grows up; resulting in intergenerational violence. Another theory that equates childhood experiences to adulthood domestic abuse is Object Relations Theory. This theory asserts that the relationships we form with others during childhood are the psychological blueprints for our future relationships. These theorists argue that relationships with primary caregivers, in the earliest stages of life, set the tone for the way individuals view themselves and others and attach certain emotions to their relationships (Kernberg, 1985). With this being said, individuals who didn’t receive a sufficient amount of nurturing during their childhood may have self-esteem issues, be unable to control their emotions and may have an inability to deal with anxiety as they age. This lack of nurture then turns into a dependency in adulthood. This dependency need may result in an individual either becoming a perpetrator of domestic abuse or a victim of it (Cogan, Porcerelli, & Dromgoole 2001; Cogan & Porcerelli, 1996). From these viewpoints, childhood experiences have a direct influence on an individual’s future or current involvement in