There are several different types of abuse and each type affects people differently. There is child abuse and spousal abuse, but there is also physical and mental abuse. This paper will go over each type of abuse, how the abuse affects the person, how people can recover from abuse, and just some general information. To start off I will discuss spousal abuse and its affect on people. Surveys in the US and Canada have shown each year about 12 percent of all spouses push, grab, shove or slap their partner and one to three percent use more extreme violence (Dutton, 1992; Straus & Gelles, 1990). Also you need to keep in mind that these surveys depend on self-reporting and young adults who are low-income or immigrants usually don’t take the time to take the surveys. There are many things that can lead to abuse in a relationship such as social pressures that create stress, personality pathologies like poor impulse control and drug or alcohol abuse (Gelles, 1993; McKenry et al., 1995; O’Leary, 1993; Straus &Yiodanis, 1996; Yllo, 1993). Another critical factor is the history of child neglect or mistreatment. Obviously if a child is exposed to a lot of spousal abuse, physical or mental abuse, or even sexual abuse can increase the risk of that person being abusive when they’re older or possibly even being a victim. There are two forms of spouse abuse that can be seen when a relationship is looked at closer (Johnson, 1995). The first form is called common couple violence in which one or both partners engage in outbursts of verbal and physical attack (Berger, 2003). This common couple violence involves yelling, insults, and physical abuse but they are not part of the campaign of dominance. Women are just as likely to commit this type of abuse as well as men but sometimes both partners get involved in the arguments. For the most part a couple involved in common couple violence gradually learn to resolve conflicts in a more constructive way either on their own or with a counselor. However there are some couples that can evolve into worse abuse. The second form of abuse is patriarchal terrorism in which there is almost no hope for the couple to get out of it (Johnson, 1995). Patriarchal terrorism is when one partner, almost always the man, uses a different variety of ways to isolate, degrade and punish the other partner (Berger, 2003). This form of abuse can lead to... ... middle of paper ... ...l, 2001. O’Leary, K. Daniel. (1993) Through a psychological lens: Personality traits, personality disorders, and levels of violence. In Richard J. Gelles & donileen R. Loseke (Eds.) Current controversies on family violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Ristock, Janice L. (1995) The Impact of Violence on Mental Health: A guide to the Literature. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/fvdiscussion_e.html Straus, Murray A., & Gelles, Richard J. (1990) Physical violence in American families: risk factors and adaptation to violence in 8, 41 families. NewBrunswick, NJ: Transaction Books. Straus, Murray A., & Yodanis, Carrie L. (1996) Morality of people with mental retardation in California with and without Down sydrome, 1986-1991. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 100, 643-653. Wang, Ching-Tung & Daro, Deborah (1998). Current trends in child abuse reporting and fatalities: The results of the 1997 annual fifty-state survey. Chicago :National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. Yllo, Kersti. (1993) Through a feminist lens: Gender, power and violence. In R. Gelles & D.Loseke (Eds), Controversies in family violence, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
There is not a specific time or date when family violence began. But social scientist began studying family violence in the United States in the 1960’s. (Shehan, 2003) In the United States, the way in which children were punished for breaking the rules was often semi-violent or violent behavior. Violence was there when there was no family system. Violence comes in many forms physical, mental, emotion and sexual. Family violence involves domestic violence. During the women’s movement public awareness of the domestic abuse problem became known. The first shelter for battered women was open in 1974 and the shelter led to many opening of other shelters and domestic violence programs. By the 1990’s law enforcement stated to view domestic violence as a serious issue. Police protocol changed and arrest were being made. According to the National Survey violence in one relationship leads to violence in another relationship. (Shehan, 2003) Families provide training grounds for violence. If children see violence in their home they are mostly to portray violence in their everyday lives. Child abuse and maltreatment includes physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, in addition to neglect. Displays of child abuse and neglect include injuries inflicted by a child giver, head injury, and injury to organs. Head trauma is the leading cause of death in children. According to the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 57, 000 deaths attributed to homicide among children under 15 years of age in 2000.
Markowitz, F. E. (2011). Mental illness, crime, and violence: Risk, context, and social control. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 36-44.
exposed to family violence: I. Overview and issues. Couple And Family Psychology: Research And Practice, 1(S), 63-73. doi:10.1037/2160-4096.1.S.63
Domestic violence is any cycle of behavior that is used by one or both partners in an intimate relationship to achieve and maintain power (Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence). Families all over the world deal with domestic violence. In most cases, the husband or boyfriend is the abuser and the wife, girlfriend, or child is the victim. In more cases than people think, the male partner is the victim. Domestic violence against men is rarely mentioned when addressing the subject. This might be because it is two men in a relationship or the man doesn’t want to be thought of as less “manly”. In either case, violence against men is just as serious as violence against women.
Silver, Eric and Brent Teasdale. 2005. “Mental Disorder and Violence: An Examination of Stressful Life Events and Impaired Social Support.” Social Problems 52(1):62-78.
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“Domestic violence is a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, or fear of physical harm” (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). In most places domestic violence is looked on as one of the higher priorities when trying to stop crime. Domestic Violence cases are thought to be influenced by the use of alcohol, drugs, stress or anger but in reality, they are just learned behaviors by the batterer. These habits can be stopped as long as one seeks help (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). For instance, a child is brought up in a household that is constantly involved in criminal acts. As this child grows up, the criminal lifestyle will be synonymous with his/her behavior. With that being said, it is also a given fact that if a household and its members are surrounded with violence, the relationships between one another will be strained. Eventually this will end up in a divorce or even worse, death, depending on how far the violence goes. If there is violence in a family, then the ones who are affected by it may feel like they deserve it because of what the batterer is accusing them of doing. Battering occurs among people of all races, ages, socio-economic classes, religious affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). Domestic violence can affect families in more aspects than one; the husband-wife relationship, the children, and also the financial stability.
Over the years family violence has dominated the media where millions of families go through the devastating effects in the family structure. Many have attributed these forms of violence to the way society perceives women as well as their positions in the family. The women are perceived inferior and have a limited value at personal levels, which in most cases, leads to power conflicts between the man, as the head of the family, and the wife. It also leads a number of children and women to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by a member of the family (Rodriguez 173). In some instances, the victims die due to the injuries they suffer, while others remain traumatized by the whole ordeal. The children in such situations often fall victim of circumstances that include: unemployment, poverty, alcohol, drug abuse, mental illnesses or even death. Schools and mental institutions have reported an increase in children who display externalizing behavioral problems that include physical and verbal aggression, defiance, lying, stealing, truancy, delinquency, physical cruelty and other criminal activities (Schoenfeld 41). These issues bring about the difference between what a functional family and a dysfunctional family is as well as analyzing dysfunctional environments among families in the United States.
Widom, C. S. (1989). Does violence beget violence? A critical examination of the literature. Psychological
Domestic violence is an epidemic experienced in by people all throughout the United States. The effects domestic violence can be experienced any individual regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Those who experience this type of violence can be affected by physical, psychological, and economic abuse. Domestic violence can be described as a learned behavior because children exposed to this form of violence are likely to repeat it as they grow in age or believe it to be acceptable treating as a norm when in a relationship. The effects of domestic violence are plentiful and can are not limited to the time in which the situation occurred but can be carried by an individual throughout their life.
Over 903,000 children were victims of child abuse and neglect in 2001. Child abuse is the physical, sexual, and emotional maltreatment of a child. The following scenario shows the severity of child abuse. An 18-year-old was charged with child abuse because she allowed her friend to repeatedly hit her baby while “play-wrestling.” The 18-month-old baby suffered from five rib fractures; lacerations to the liver, spleen, and pancreas; and bruises to the back, chest, and abdomen. Child abuse is becoming a major problem all over the world (Post and Courier). With the increase of parental drug consumption, the prevalence of mental problems, and the current economic crisis, child abuse is becoming a major problem with severe effects, so the government needs to legislate stricter laws and more efficient prevention programs.
Hansen, David J., and Robin Malinosky-Rummell. "Long-Term Consequences of Childhood Physical Abuse." Http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/. Psychology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Oct. 1991. Web. Nov. 1992.
Domestic violence has affected people from all walks of life. It crosses education, profession, economic status, and social status. This is not an issue that is reserved only for the poor or the uneducated. Instead, domestic violence has been documented among some
Many people do not see that abuse is so much more than being physically abused. Although people talk more on physical abuse there are many different types of abuse. Abuse has many different effects on people. Physical abuse is not the only abuse noticeable. There are noticeable signs of abuse throughout all abuse. Over time, people have gone to prevention programs to manage with the abuse they have suffered through. The physical signs of child abuse have a lifelong impact because abuse alters a child’s well-being and growth.
There is a substantial body of evidence suggesting that violence in the family is a risk factor for the perpetration of partner abuse. Men who witnessed interparental violence were three times more likely to hit their wives than men who did not (Ronfeldt 72). Men who witnessed their fathers hitting their mothers were more likely to approve of violence against women and to abuse their own partner. Those growing up in a violent home were more likely to move from verbal to physical aggression. Witnessing paternal marital violence would moderate the association between psychologically controlling behaviors and physical violence so that the association would be stronger for individuals who had witnessed paternal marital violence (Ronfeldt 73).