According to authors L. Foo and G. Margolin, in one study, “many undergrad college students thought dating violence was acceptable or normal in some circumstances” (as cited in Wasserman 2003, p.19) In another study, author Kay Hunnicutt found that seventy percent of college women listed forms of physical violence that they felt were acceptable, and eighty percent described situations that a couple may experience where force through physical means were acceptable. No physical violence is acceptable, and the fact that college students still find it to be is a huge problem. College students even believe the myths associated with dating violence. Another study on dating violence was conducted, a cross-sectional study continued by Nabors, Dietz & Jasinski, (2006) examines what percentage of students believe the myths associated with domestic violence. Approximately 1,938 students were a part of the study. Nine percent of the participants agreed that domestic violence is a normal everyday reaction to negative emotions. A whopping eighty percent agreed that some instances of violence is a result from women starting physical fights. Twenty-six percent actually agreed that women want to be abused. Seventy-seven percent agreed that women could get out of an abusive relationship if they wanted. And seventy-one percent …show more content…
Nossek (1996), depicting the typical occurrence of dating violence of a high school girl named Stacy who has a relationship with a boy named Bobby. At first, their relationship is fine, but after a while, Bobby begins to show jealousy and control, which escalates to physical violence toward Stacy. Stacy’s’ friends know about this, and eventually convince her to end things with Bobby, but it does not go too smoothly. In a fit of rage, Bobby kills Stacy. At Bobby’s trial the judge looks all of her friends in the face and says that they all knew what was happening to Stacy but they did not intervene or tell anyone that could help. Authors Black et, al provide support that Stacy’s friends not intervening or telling someone is an example of a lack of bystander intervention, because violence does occur in public. (as cited in Weisz and Black 2009). Stacy’s friends had an opportunity to intervene when they saw Bobby slap Stacy at the school dance (Nossek 1996). Her friends could have saved her from death at the hands of her boyfriend if they stepped in or told someone when they saw instances of