Reflection On Intimate Partner Violence

In my first critical self-reflection paper, I shared my personal experience of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and how I was able to end the cycle of psychological abuse in my marriage. Before taking this class I could not comprehend IPV or the extent of damage it causes to victims. I naively believed that IPV alluded only to physical abuse. Completing this course motivated me to research and gain insight on what Intimate partner violence consists of. It was because of this course that I realized that I was once a victim of IPV. As I look back on my experience I can readily identify that IPV is fueled by a need for power and control. It is a continuous cycle and in most cases a learned behavior that is passed down from one generation …show more content…
I have a close friend who is emotionally and verbally abused by her husband. The abuse has escalated and now her health is deteriorating. She refuses to leave the marriage because she does not want her two girls to grow up without a father in their lives. Secondly, she is a devout Christian and her religion does not support divorce. Lastly, she is Nigerian and in her culture leaving her husband is equal to social suicide. My friend is struggling to keep her marriage intact as a result of cultural dispositions. Even though she is highly educated as well as the breadwinner of the family she has chosen to stay in the abusive marriage. Culture absolutely plays a huge role in the continuation of IPV. According to Sokoloff (2005), there is a “culture of honor” occurring in groups that place a great deal of importance on social image in connection to family reputation. Many acts of abuse are not reported because victims do not want to bring shame to their …show more content…
Completing the safety plan assignment for a teenage boy abused by his girlfriend exposed how much I have left to learn about applying ethical principles in cases. Within the safety plan, I listed my personal opinions of the best interventions but was corrected by the professor to encourage clients to make their own decisions. I read up on survivor interventions and learned never to blame victims for the actions of their abusers. After reading assigned articles I also saw the importance of legal punishment for IPV perpetrators. According to Bodea and Cruss (2011), “Batterers ' treatment is just one component of the coordinated community Police response, prosecution, probation, as well as treatment all, affect recidivism of domestically violent partners. Even the best court-mandated treatment programs are likely to be ineffective in the absence of a strong legal response in initial sentencing and in sanctioning offenders who fail to comply with treatment” (p.