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Battered women syndrome Comparing and contrasting
Battered women syndrome Comparing and contrasting
Battered women syndrome Comparing and contrasting
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Battered Women Syndrome
The Battered Women Syndrome is a series of characteristics in women who are physically and psychologically abused by an important dominant male in their lives. These women learn helplessness and dependency; sometimes these characteristics originate from childhood. According to Dr. Lenore E. Walker, a woman must experience two cycles, before she can be labeled a “battered woman”. The two cycles are called the “cycle of violence”. This cycle leads to the feeling that the abuse will never stop. It almost becomes natural. Sometimes the relationships will be calm, and the abuser will apologize for what happened. This part is called the “honeymoon cycle”, but at other points in the cycle the tension and arguments just soar all the time (divorcenet.12-3-00). After years, the cycle starts to go quicker. At this point, the woman starts to feel trapped, because she would go through these cycles more than once a day. At some, certain point, she will have to act out in what is legally considered “self-defense”.
Stereotypes of battered women will always be around. Many people wonder why don’t the wives or girlfriends just get help?, why don’t they tell someone?, or just get up and leave. People fail to realize that leaving an abusive relationship can make matters worst. Some can’t leave because she is financially dependent or they have children, and/or their mates threaten to kill her and her children or take her children away. A real mother would never leave her children, in any situation. The prosecutors usually always bring up these stereotypes of battered women. In some situations the woman will leave, but staying out is hard for her or he makes it hard for her. Once the woman leaves he w...
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...drome testimony is offered in a self-defense trial to shed light on the reasonableness of the defendant’s behavior (Gillespie 159).”
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Kandel, Minouche. Moving away from victim blaming: Challenging the notion of “Battered Women’s Syndrome.”, Lifeline; Support Network for Battered women’s Newsletter, 1997, http://www.snbw.org/articles/BWS.html
Family Law advisor Home page. Family Law advisor articles: What is battered woman’s syndrome?, LawTek media group, LLC, 1999, http://www.divorcenet.com/or/or-art02.html
Gillespie, Cynthia, K, Justifiable Homicide, Ohio State University Press Columbus, 1989.
Sloan, Irving, J, The law of Self-Defense: Legal and ethical principles, Oceana Publications Inc, London, Rome, New York, 1987.
Winters, Paul, A, America’s Victims: Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego, Greenhaven, 1996.
First I would like to address the definition of Battered Woman Syndrome. Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) is a condition often used by the defense in cases like this one to relieve the defendant of some or
The battered woman syndrome is more of a psychological issue so sometimes the judges may have a hard time understanding the underlying causes that lead to the victim making the choice that he or she did. At times it would not be allowed to be used in
Battered women constitute one of the most marginalized groupings in the social order. Their relationship incidents occasionally put these individuals into disagreement with the law, particularly when they murder their violent partners. The Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was created by clinical psychologist (1970’s) with an intention of depicting the series of occurrences that physically abused women frequently experience in their relationships.
While there is no official agreement that battered women’s action of killing their abusers should be justified, people need to understand that battered women are in different positions with relation to justice than defendants in general cases of homicide. Perhaps, victim advocates, the judge, attorneys, psychologists/psychiatrists, and social workers from women’s shelters should consider alternative approaches, such as creating a more comprehensive system to review and assess past cases where battered women have been convicted of killing their abusers from a legal, medical, and psychological perspective. Although it may not be practical to alter the law, it is possible to amend the legal system to support those battered women who deserve more freedom from their abuse with fair judgments.
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
Richey, W. (2003). Can a Defendant Be Denied the Right To Confront Witnesses? Christian Science Monitor , 2.
The Battered Woman Syndrome (BWM) is a syndrome whereas women react in a certain manner because of repetitively physical or psychological abused imposed on them by their mates. The Battered Woman Syndrome (BMW) is not limited in one area or location it is a problem that is occurring all over in the world (2009, pg. 148). Like every other issue in the world criticism come into play by psychologists and others when someone claims that they are victims of the Battered Woman Syndrome or the Battered Woman Defense when they are taken to trial for killing their batterers (BMW) (2009, pgs. 162-163).
Domestic Violence is a widely recognized issue here in the United States. Though many people are familiar with domestic violence, there are still many facts that people do not understand. Abuse is not just physical, it is mental, emotional, verbal, sexual and financial. Many victims of physical abuse are also fall victim to these abuse tactics as well. An abusive partner often uses verbal, mental, emotional, and financial abuse to break their partner so to speak. It is through this type of abuse the victim often feels as though they are not adequately meeting their partner’s needs.
In her 1979 book "The Battered Woman", Dr. Lenore Walker first came up with what is now known as battered woman syndrome. Put simply, battered woman syndrome, or BWS as it is sometimes called, is a group of psychological symptoms that are easily recognized in women who have been physically, sexually, or psychologically assaulted by their domestic partner. According to Dr. Walker, "Battered woman syndrome presents evidence that the syndrome is part of a recognizable pattern of psychological symptoms called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported to be produced by repeated exposure to trauma such as the physical, sexual, and/or serious psychological assault experienced by battered women" (Gelles 133). Because battered woman syndrome is considered to be in the same category as PTSD, it does not have its own classification in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders third edition, also known as the DSM-III.
Domestic violence affects numerous women across different aspects of their lives. The main cause of injury to women is domestic violence (“Domestic Violence Statistics,” n.d.). Factors that contribute to the occurrence and continuation of this form of violence towards women include isolation, economic aspects and access to resources. Abusive men socially isolate their partners from friends and family. The women have restrictions in contact with other people. This manages to keep the battering hidden and makes it harder for the victim to find help and leave. Perpetrators of domestic violence may also isolate their partner from employment. It is a control tactic and enables the abuser to have complete control over the finances of the household and her ability to access the money. This also socially isolates the women because she no longer has co-workers to be around and is forced to stay inside the home all day by herself. She is now totally economically dependent on her abuser, which decreases her opportunity to leave the relationship and to have stability once she leaves. ...
Domestic violence has a long historical presence in our society. Initially, it was viewed strictly as a family matter. It was an acceptable means for men to discipline their wives and children, who were regarded as little more than man’s property. There was a lack of, if any, legal ramifications for the abuser and, in fact, domestic violence had been previously sanctioned by English Common law (The National Center for Victims of Crime). As the issue infiltrated public consciousness, advocacy groups rose to the forefront and championed for the rights of abused victims. They demanded change, not only to the laws, but to the way victims and abusers are treated by law enforcement and legal institutions. As a result of these efforts, many changes have been successfully implemented.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2011, May 21). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from Domestic violence against women: Recognize patterns, seek help: http://www.mayoclinic.org/domestic-violence/art-20048397?p=1
“One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States” (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). Domestic violence can interfere with the husband-wife relationship because one spouse is always in constant fear of the other. This violence could vary from physical abuse to ps...
There are many cases where self- defense has been used as a plea where the victim felt they were in harms’ way or unable to escape a specific situation that ended badly. The definition for self- defense is: 1. Defense of oneself when physically attacked 2. Defense of what belongs to oneself, as ones work or reputation 3. (Law) the right to protect oneself against violence or threatened violence with whatever force or means reasonable or necessary. According to an expert on battered women, a woman must experience at least two complete battering cycles before being labeled a battered woman. (Walker) According to Dowd, “he believes the proper use of BWS assists the fact finder to understand the state of mind of the battered woman at the time she fought back against her abuser.”(1) Women should be able to use BWS as a plea when habitual abuse occurs within a relationship with a significant other and results in violence or worse death.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), known in the mental health field as the clinician's bible, does not recognize battered women's syndrome as a distinct mental disorder. In fact, Dr. Lenore Walker, the architect of the classical battered women's syndrome theory, notes the syndrome is not an illness, but a theory that draws upon the principles of learned helplessness to explain why some women are unable to leave their abusers. Therefore, the classical battered women's syndrome theory is best regarded as an offshoot of the theory of learned helplessness and not a mental illness that afflicts abused women.