Theory Of Learned Helplessness

The current understanding of domestic violence is that it is a combination of learned behavior theory and learned helplessness .This theory assumes that current batterers learn this behavior through observation. For example, young boys who witness their fathers beating their mothers are seven times more likely to batter their own spouses. Violence is learned through exposure to social values and beliefs regarding the appropriate roles of men and women. Violent behavior is then reinforced when peers and authorities fail to sanction batterers for using violence in their relationships.
The theory of learned helplessness can be attributed to the behavior of authority figures who fail to sanction the abuser. By not addressing the issue the abused