Effects Of Intimate Partner Violence

Significance of the Problem Researchers have studied and many of them have noticed that there is an existing relationship between family of origin violence and abuse in future adult relationships. A researcher named Gelles looked at and identified a social factor called the cycle of violence in year of 1980. The cycle of violence as defined by Marshall and Rose is when observers or victims of violence in childhood are more likely to exhibit violence in adult future relationships (Marshall & Rose, ). Half a million woman are estimated to be victims of intimate partner violence in the United States annually. Researchers stated that intimate partner violence is a public health issue of great importance. The actual cause of this violence …show more content…
The objective is to see what differences or similarities exist in the existing literature as related to the topic of whether witnessing intimate partner violence and becoming a future perpetrator have a causal relationship. For the purpose of this article we will use Marshall and Rose’s definition of the cycle of violence. Marshall and Rose define the cycle of violence as when observers or victims of violence in childhood are more likely to exhibit violence in adult future relationships (Marshall & Rose, ). For the purpose of this article violence will be defined as an intentional action that is done in order to cause physical pain or injury to another individual (Alexander, Moore, & Alexander III, …show more content…
Social learning theory is usually used to explain why children learn behaviors that they see being portrayed (Jennings, Park, Richards, Tomsich, Gover & Powers). The social learning theory states that children can learn from observing and modeling behaviors that they see their parents presenting to them (Maker, Kemmelmeier, & Peterson, ). Supporting this theory, researchers stated that boys through observation begin to mimic and emulate observed behaviors from a male in the family, such as rule breaking and aggression (Blair, Mcfarlane, Nava, Gilroy, & Maddoux, 2015). Furthermore the researchers stated that the children also may form associations between physical punishment and violence and correct morals and love (Jennings, Park, Richards, Tomsich, Gover & Powers). According to the author Carlson witnessing intimate partner violence as a child may have long term effects that result in future violence being exhibited in the context of a dating relationship (Carlson, 2000). This is another body of literature that may support the hypothesis of this paper. The authors state that their results showed that males who observe their father modeling violent behavior are more likely adopt the same violent behaviors in their future relationships. (Alexander, Moore, & Alexander III). This result supports the hypothesis